It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Summer has come to a close and the spicy scent of fall is thickly coating our deep, fine, east coast air. Bliss is effortless this season. Strolling through the West Village while sipping on a hot apple cider and watching the auburn leaves delicately make contact with the charcoal pavement is enough to make an infectious smile dance upon your face. Though the city is putting on a wool sweater, the music industry is about to shed its glitz and glam as world-wide raw talent infiltrates the isle of Manhattan for CMJ.
The HiFi Cartel has been blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of the CMJ Press scene for the past few years, as this is one of the most exciting ventures to take place in our homebase. Many refer to CMJ as the “SXSW of the North”. CMJ is short for College Music Journal, a music events and publishing company whose name has become iconic through their upcoming festival. The entertainment industry is about to takeover NYC between October 18th and 22nd. In five short days there will be over 1,300 artist performances and dozens of cutting edge inhibiting more than 80 of this city’s greatest venues, nightclubs, and theaters with over 120,000 fans, music industry professionals, college radio tastemakers, bloggers, press, filmmakers and musicians.
Though HiFi is well versed with the ins and outs of CMJ, I am not. A true virgin if you will, fresh blood to a familial scene. Intimidation fueled by excitement resonated throughout my body once I learned my name was on the press list. Now, I had to figure out how exactly I was going to navigate through CMJ 2011 while balancing a 9-5 job. CMJ’s schedule is any college student’s dream, but I refused to let my lack of a 16 credit schedule bog me down. If industry heads and musicians alike can make it work, so can I.
Panels, Music, Film. Those are the three official subdivisions of the festival. My nerd self was literally bouncing out of my office chair once the panels were announced. Any and every trend and current event within this beloved, eternally-changing industry is going to be discussed by the masterminds reacting to this change: licensing, film and music intergration, branding, DIY culture, social media, how to launch a start up, etc. If you have the opportunity to attend even one of these panels, I urge you to please take advantage of this opportunity. A list of recommended panels by CMJ can be found here.
You might feel overwhelmed by all of the acts and figuring out who and what you’re going to get to. Fear not. A list of all of the official CMJ shows can be found here. Also, shortly following this article, we are going to post a “CMJ LineUp” that will let you know what is going on where, from us to you. Another interesting factor on top of all this CMJ mania are the unofficial CMJ showcases. Fader Fort and Fools Gold are putting their best talent foot forward and having the kings and queens of their labels perform. These events are free, open to the public, and entrance is based solely on capacity.
I wouldn’t dare try to express the excitement felt through my clumsy words, but this is going to be an experience that will last me a lifetime, I’m sure. If you have any recommendations for HiFi, let us know!! We would love to be an audience member in your show and are looking forward to supporting our fans. Rest up, because once Tuesday hits, coffee and Redbull will most def become a part of your CMJ diet. Cheers.
