FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CMJ: THE NON-STOP MARATHON CMJ RETURNS, WITH FREE ENTRY, MULTI-PLATFORM PROMOTION AND A NEVER-ENDING FORMAT

The CMJ Music Marathon, the renowned New York music festival which has launched new artists for more than forty years, returns this month under its new management with a slew of new benefits to participating musicians, in a never-ending cross-platform celebration of new music.

Amazing Radio, whose UK and US radio stations discover and promote the world’s best new musicians, has announced details of the re-launch of the CMJ Music Marathon, one of the USA’s iconic performance festivals.

Having acquired the legendary indie brand a year ago, Amazing Radio has re-visioned the event for the 21st Century and the global pandemic – but with an unbreakable commitment to return to NYC with live gigs with live audiences as soon as circumstances permit.

The CMJ Music Marathon 2020, starting October 22, will re-launch (initially) online, in an ongoing format tied closely to radio and video activities and feeding into future live events, to generate maximum exposure for featured artists - not in New York, but everywhere; not for one weekend, but forever.

CMJ The CMJ Music Marathon, forced online this year due to the virus, will re-launch on Thursday 22nd October … and keep going.

The first online festival weekend at cmj.com will feature genre-based virtual stages, with almost 100 artists who have uploaded tunes to amazingradio.us. After the launch weekend, the Marathon will continue, with ongoing activities and a line-up which refreshes every quarter.

When virus permits, CMJ will include live gigs in New York and across the States tied to coincide with the quarterly online festivals. CMJ sampler Vinyl will return in spring 2021, along with CMJ Charts, featuring and promoting the most popular new artists. Entry is free, and artists who choose to sell their music via the Amazing Radio/CMJ platform keep 100% of the proceeds.

CROSS-PROMOTION The new CMJ will work seamlessly with Amazing’s British and American Amazing Radio stations and TV/ video shows. During festival weekend, DJ Tobi Lynn will host daily radio shows on Amazing Radio, featuring interviews and performance. The most popular tracks will make it to Amazing Radio’s playlists. Artists will also perform in One Night Stand, Amazing’s monthly 30-minute TV show at amazingradio.tv, and be invited to film an Amazing Session. All who upload tracks will feature in First Spin, the hottest new uploads.

Amazing founder Paul Campbell said: “As musicians ourselves, we know how tough it is to get noticed, and even more so in these Covid times.

“We have re-visioned CMJ as a recurring, cross-platform event which starts this October, but never stops. We can’t do it in New York right , but we’ll do it everywhere else. And when live is back, we’ll be ready to rock.

“The idea is to give all musicians an opportunity to get noticed, and to create a path to greater recognition across our entire estate of online, radio and TV properties. It’s an integrated, simple, multi-platform route to success for the world’s best independent artists”.

SUMMARY:

- Entry to CMJ is free, by uploading a track to amazingradio.us and amazingradio.com - Featured artists are highlighted on CMJ’s genre-themed virtual stages at cmj.com - The music never stops, with the line-up refreshed and new artists featured every quarter - All artists who upload tracks are promoted on Amazing Radio’s ‘First Spin’ stream - Daily radio shows on Amazing Radio highlight the best bands during CMJ festival weekends. - Artists get more promotion on ‘One Night Stand’ TV shows and in ‘Amazing Sessions’ - Those who choose to sell their music online receive 100% of the proceeds - The most popular will perform live in New York at the CMJ Music Marathon 2021 and at further live events across the States (virus permitting) - Sampler CDs & vinyl, and live CMJ charts highlighting the best artists, will launch spring 2021

NOTES TO EDITORS Amazing Radio launched in the UK in 2007. Described as ‘24x7 John Peel’, the station is formatted like old-fashioned radio, with huge playlists, multiple genres and knowledgeable DJs encouraged to share their passion for new music and enthuse about their favorite artists. Musicians upload tracks, retaining their copyright and receiving radio play based on audience response. Countless musicians went on to global fame after being discovered by the station, including Alt J, Haim, Grammar, Bastille, Chvrches, , Royal Blood, Sam Fender and Dua Lipa. Backed by big name investors including Sting and AOL co-founder Steve Case, the UK-based station has been described as ‘a powerful promotional machine’ (Billboard), ‘Superb’ (Huffington Post), ‘a force for good’ (), and ‘a revolution’ ().

US: amazingradio.us UK: amazingradio.com TV: amazingradio.tv

CMJ, which Amazing Radio acquired in 2019, has brought the joy of new music to hundreds of thousands of fans since 1980, in a New York-based music festival, magazine and working with College

Radio. Originally ‘College Music Journal’, CMJ launched in 1977, with The CMJ Music Marathon debuting in New York in 1980. This multi-venue four-day festival showcased the best new and emerging artists, with Lady GaGa, Arkade Fire and Mumford & Sons just some of the artists who found recognition at CMJ. Other activities included the CMJ charts in partnership with college radio stations, and the Journal itself, with its mythically-famous cover mount sampler CDs. CMJ closed in 2015 and is re-launching under this new ownership, which has no connection to the previous company. The spirit which prompted Time Out to label Amazing Radio ‘nobly democratic’ will power the new CMJ, with listeners able to vote for their favorite bands on amazingradio.us, offering a route to play the live Marathon, scheduled to re- launch in October 2020 (subject to Coronavirus). cmj.com

Praise for Amazing Radio A powerful promotional machine .... one of the A&R community's most crucial tools (Billboard) Poised to lead the next British music invasion (CNET) Laudably forward-thinking (, London) Superb ... a ray of light (The Huffington Post) A force for good in broadcasting (The Guardian) A revolution, the end of the closed shop (The Sunday Times, London) Nobly Democratic (Time Out) A brilliant application of social media strategies to the broadcast world (NAB - US National Association of Broadcasters) An idea so simple you can't believe it hasn't been done already.... a lovely parallel universe (, London)