Book / Magazine News

The News from Jazztimes: It's True

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
June 10, 2009

The following announcement is posted on the JazzTimes web site:

To our readers and members of the jazz community:

JazzTimes has temporarily suspended publication of the magazine and has furloughed the bulk of its staff while it finalizes a sale of its assets. The brand and operation will undergo reorganization and restructuring in order to remain competitive in the current media climate. Print publishing is expected to resume as soon ...

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Bad Times at Jazz Times

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
June 6, 2009

Unconfirmed reports continue to filter out of Silver Spring, Maryland, that Jazz Times magazine's precarious advertising revenue position will force it to cease publication. In his latest post on the matter, my artsjournal.com colleague Howard Mandel quotes a recently dismissed Jazz Times associate editor as saying that “it's doubtful the magazine would be able to survive in its present format." To read Howard's posts on the situation, go here.

Ira Sabin founded Radio Free Jazz in 1970 as an adjunct ...

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Jazz Times Crisis Confirmed

Source: Jazz Beyond Jazz by Howard Mandel
June 6, 2009

An associate editor of JazzTimes “until a couple of weeks ago when I was laid off" has confirmed that the magazine is in deep trouble. “There was some hope of a new buyer coming to the rescue," he writes, “but as of my last contact with the guys it wasn't looking good." I'd heard previously that the proposed deal fell through. “Hopefully that will still happen," this source continues, “but with the loss of JVC and other advertisers it's doubtful ...

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Radio & Records Magazine Goes out of Business

Source: All About Jazz
June 4, 2009

ALL ACCESS has confirmed that venerable trade publication R&R will close its doors, after 36 years, on FRIDAY (June 5th), which will mark the final issue. The R&R site has already been pulled down. Up to 40 employees are exiting, some sooner than later. Most of the chart information will be included in future editions of BILLBOARD. ALL ACCESS spoke to R&R Editorial Dir./Associate Publisher CYNDEE MAXWELL, who said, “Everyone on this team has worked extremely hard to fulfill the ...

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Losing a Jazz Mag?

Source: Jazz Beyond Jazz by Howard Mandel
June 4, 2009

Rumors abound that JazzTimes magazine is folding -- it's laid off employees, notified writers of waits for May payments, not shipped its June issue to the printers and failed to sell itself to a new publisher. A senior contributor says he was told not to write his next column until asked for it. These are rumors, I stress: I've emailed JT's publisher and editors for confirmation or denial, comment and clarification, without response so far. It wouldn't be terribly surprising, ...

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Music and the Creative Class: A Fruit Fly Industry

Source: HypeBot
June 2, 2009

(Part 1) Richard Florida and his 2005 bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life gave voice to a movement to revitalize cities by attracting and nurturing the “creative class" - a socioeconomic group of 40 million that makes up 30% of the US workforce. There is no shortage of evidence of the power of the creative class to transform post-industrial cities, but how music, along with the companies that follow ...

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Former Jimi Hendrix Roadie Saves You the Trouble of Buying His Book

Source: Michael Ricci
May 31, 2009

A conspiracy theory regarding rock legend Jimi Hendrix began making the Web rounds on Sunday, courtesy of former roadie James “Tappy" Wright.

He happens to have a book coming out next month, and in it he alleges that Michael Jeffery, Hendrix's manager, was responsible for the musician's death.

The Telegraph today has a story about a juicy passage from the book, in which Wright makes the claim that Jeffery confessed to murdering the star a year after Hendrix died in ...

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AllAboutJazz-New York June 2009 Issue Now Available!

Source: All About Jazz
May 30, 2009

Every June we begin getting excited for jazz festival season in the city. Unfortunately, for the first time since 1984, New York City, once the jazz capital of the world (a title threatened by New Orleans, Berlin or maybe one of several Canadian metropolises), will be without a JVC Jazz Festival. Of course, the truth is every day here is a festival but for a few weeks the music’s profile seems to rise close to that of its more lucrative ...

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