Blender (magazine)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox magazine Blender was an American music magazine published from 1994 to 2009 that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to pop culture".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities. It compiled lists of albums, artists, and songs, including both "best of" and "worst of" lists. In each issue, there was a review of an artist's entire discography, with each album being analyzed in turn.

Blender was published by Dennis Publishing. The magazine was created by founding Editor-in-Chief Regina Joseph as the first digital magazine, delivered entirely on CD-ROM disc and before the development of graphical browsers required to view the web.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> She brought in co-founders Jason Pearson and David Cherry, and Blender's original publisher, Felix Dennis/Dennis Publishing, UK.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":5" /> Joseph's CD-ROM editions of Blender also featured the first forms of digital advertising.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Felix Dennis published 15 digital CD issues, and launched a web version in 1996.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The final CD-ROM issue was published in June 1997, issue 14.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Dennis started publishing a print edition again in 1999 which became the final distribution format of the title. Blender CD-ROM showcased the earliest digital editorial formats, as well as the first forms of digital advertising. The first digital advertisers included SonicNet,<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> Time-Life/Philips,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" /> Calvin Klein, Apple Computer, Toyota and Nike.

In June 2006, the Chicago Tribune named it one of the top ten English-language magazines, describing it as "the cool kid at the school of rock magazines".<ref>"50 Best Magazines", Chicago Tribune, June 15, 2006.</ref>

Owner Alpha Media Group closed Blender March 26, 2009, going to an online-only format in a move that eliminated 30 jobs and reduced the company's portfolio of titles to Maxim alone. BlenderTemplate:'s final print issue was the April 2009 issue.<ref>Jason Fell, "Blender Folds: Music magazine latest to succumb to recession", Folio, March 26, 2009.Template:Dead link</ref> Subscribers to the magazine were sent issues of Maxim magazine to make up for the unsent Blender issues.

Indian edition

The Indian edition of Blender was the title's first venture outside the United States. It commenced publication with its May 2008 issue, which featured Mariah Carey on the cover.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The magazine was targeted at educated male city dwellers aged between 18 and 34.<ref name="dmnews1"/> The magazine was launched through Dennis Media Transasia India, a joint venture between Dennis Publishing and Media Transasia,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which also publishes the Asian versions of Blender and Maxim.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The joint venture was based in New Delhi<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with offices in Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.