Zenbu Media
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Zenbu Media is a media company located in New York City. It was founded by Steve Bernstein[1] and is focused on the music industry. Its slogan is "we live for music".
Zenbu Media formerly published Relix magazine, Global Rhythm magazine, Metal Edge magazine, and Metal Maniacs magazine.
Relix Magazine
[edit]Relix Magazine was founded in 1974 by Les Kippel as a newsletter focusing on The Grateful Dead. Originally, the publication was called Dead Relix and was less than twenty pages thick with a hand-drawn black and white cover. By 1978, Dead Relix had dropped the word "Dead" from its title and expanded to include articles about the entire Bay Area psychedelic scene. From here, Relix expanded to encompass musical genres such as reggae and heavy metal.
After the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, Relix began to report on jambands and other genres of music not considered as mainstream. In 2000, the magazine was purchased by Steve Bernstein and in 2007, it entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Today, Relix covers jambands, indie rockers, singer-songwriters, and the live music scene in general. Each issue comes with a free CD sampling various up and coming bands. Bernstein sold Relix to Relix Media Group in 2009.[2][3]
Metal Edge
[edit]Metal Edge was the longest-running metal magazine in America. It was first published by Sterling Publishing in 1985 and was closed in 2009 after being purchased by Zenbu Media in February of 2007.[4] Its founding editor was Gerri Miller,[5] and Paul Gargano assumed the role in 2022[6] when the magazine nameplate was resurrected as a website.[6]
Metal Maniacs
[edit]Metal Maniacs covered heavy metal music and was founded in 1989 by Mike Greenhaus and Kathrine Ludwig.[7] The magazine covered the underground metal scene with an emphasis on the black and death metal genres. It was published by Sterling until Zenbu Media purchased it. Metal Maniacs was published ten times annually and was closed in 2009.
Events
[edit]Zenbu Media is in charge of two major events: The Jammys and the Green Apple Music & Arts Festival.
The Jammy Awards
[edit]The Jammys is an award show geared towards jam bands but also includes other live improvisational genres of music.[8]
Green Apple Music Festival
[edit]The Green Apple Music & Arts Festival (GAMAF) is an Earth Day celebration.[9] Founded by music producer and former Wetlands Preserve club owner Peter Shapiro and Relix Magazine, the annual event features musical performances in venues and rock clubs, as well as large-scale free public outdoor concerts.[9] The festival combines live musical performances from various genres with educational outreach and cultural events, and is held around Earth Day, April 22.[9]
Relix Records
[edit]Relix Records was a boutique record label. Some of its artists include Jonah Smith,[10] the John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic and Phil Lesh & Friends.
Additionally, Relix Classics, an imprint of Relix Records, digitally release the works of artists including Jorma Kaukonen,[11] Hot Tuna,[11] Flying Burrito Brothers[11] and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.[11]
As the owner of these recordings, Zenbu filed lawsuits in January 2015 against streaming and music companies such as Apple's Beats, Sony, Google, Rdio, Songza, and Slacker for streaming pre-1972 recordings without having licensed them. All of the lawsuits were quickly dismissed, except for the lawsuit against Sony.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Steve Bernstein". Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ Stableford, Dylan (May 3, 2009). "Relix Returns from the Dead". Folio Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ Bercovici, Jeff (February 11, 2002). "Relix, for lovers of jam music". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ James, Ed (February 16, 2007) [February 16, 2007 09:49 ET]. "Zenbu Media Acquires Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs Magazines". MarketWired (Archived webpage.). New York, NY: West Corporation (which owns "MarketWired"). MarketWired. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
- ^ Childers, Chad ChildersChad (2021-03-16). "Musicians Mourn the Death of 'Metal Edge' Editor Gerri Miller". Loudwire. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ a b Turman, Katherine (2022-01-27). "Metal Edge Magazine Returns as Website, Archive of Classic Hard Rock Interviews". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ Dick, Chris (2015-02-02). "Not for Everyone: An Oral History of Metal Maniacs". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ Raffaela (2020-03-24). "The Relix Channel Schedules "Wayback Wednesday" with Free Broadcasts of 'Best of The Jammys (Vol 1+2)' and 'Wetlands Preserved' Documentary, Plus Live Q+A". Jambands. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ a b c Staff, BrooklynVegan. "Green Apple Music & Arts festival in NYC". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ Dye, David (July 18, 2006) [July 18, 2006 1:33 PM ET]. "Jonah Smith: Progressive and Accessible". World Cafe: Essential and Emerging Artists. National Public Radio (Website). Washington, D.C.: National Public Radio. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Grateful Dead Family Discography: Relix Records Discography". www.deaddisc.com. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- ^ Grow, Kory (January 23, 2015). "Apple, Sony, Google Named in Lawsuits for Playing Pre-1972 Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ Gardner, Eriq (January 23, 2015). "Sony, Google, Apple Hit With Lawsuits Over Pre-1972 Music". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 14, 2015.