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CMJ Music Marathon Returning for First Time in Five Years as Online-Only Festival

The iconic CMJ Music Marathon is officially set to make its long awaited return after five years of being inactive, according to Stereogum. The festival, which initially ran from 1978-2016 in New York City, will be making its online return later this summer via Amazing Radio, which acquired the CMJ name earlier this year.

The company plans to launch the festival later this year, “come hell or coronavirus,” Amazing Radio chairman Bill Hein said in a statement. Due to the coronavirus, the festival will occur online, and will be “set up to emulate the iconic New York City festival and its spirit of new music discovery.”

Bands will be able to pay a one time fee of $30 to perform at the virtual CMJ Music Marathon, which should also theoretically allow bands to be eligible for airplay on Amazing Radio’s digital radio shows.

CMJ Music Marathon first launched in 1978, and ran until 2016 when the then CEO Adam Klein was sued over unpaid wages by several employees working the festival. The unpaid wages totaled more than half a million dollars, and the massive legal and financial scandal crippled the festival back in 2016. Prominent artists who have performed at the event in the past include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, Sonic Youth, Lady Gaga, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC and R.E.M.

CMJ Music Marathon
Drew Feinerman: I have just completed my senior at the University of Michigan majoring in international studies with an emphasis in political economics and development, with a minor in Chinese language and culture, and I have recently been accepted into the Berklee School of Music's masters of music business program. Although my academic interests include economics, political science, and history, I consider music to be my one true passion. Music is, and has always been, a driving force for the way I think and act every day of my life. I have been playing the tenor saxophone since the age of ten, and playing an instrument at a high level has allowed me to only further my understanding and appreciation for music. While I grew up listening to predominantly classic rock, I soon found myself gravitating toward jazz, hip-hop, funk, and other genres, as my learned to both play and analyze music as a listener. As a writer, I am able to apply my skills both as a musician and a listener, and look forward to the opportunity to being able to express my thoughts on various stories in the music industry.
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