Find Out What These 15 People Are Doing At CMJ

Recently we found ourselves wondering: who buys CMJ badges? The music marathon, taking place this week, has never really compared to its Austin counterpart SXSW—after all, it's pretty much just like any other week in the city, but with a few more bands. So yesterday we staked out the badge pick-up spot, Judson Memorial Church, to talk to some people getting their laminates. Many were picking up comped badges, but there were a few shelling out up to $200 for a badge. Click through to meet them all...

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on October 19, 2011 1:19 PM

Comments [rss]

Gwinny

I was a DJ at my college's radio station back in the day. A bunch of us from the station used to drive up to NY for CMJ every year - the college would pay for two hotel rooms for us, and we'd all just crash in those two rooms. Good times.

refni

I have literally NEVER wondered who buys a CMJ badge. There is nothing less mysterious.

It's never been difficult to find "Who spends a lot of money in Brooklyn and Manhattan?"

theevilerone

Awh, Thurston Howell and the Skipper had a baby!

TimSPC

These people are straight out of central casting.

swampyankeesmom

Thom Murray, Stylist, Los Angeles?
for who? the crew of the andrea gail?

seebirds

why doesn't the last guy have a stuffed gull perched on his shoulder?

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

Wow. I consider myself FAIRLY aware of the contemporary indie music scene - I live with a music journalist, and some have even accused me of being "a hipster" - but I have never heard of a single one of those bands!

redo_undo

Clearly you're just not hip enough. *smugly flips asymmetrical hair back*

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

Sigh....I feared as much. I might as well throw on some Ed Hardy and cargo shorts and head off to the soonest Nickelback concert.

redo_undo

If it makes you feel any better, I go to A LOT of live shows in the city and I see a lot of these obscure bands opening for the bands I actually went to see and 99% are awful. I mean like, I'd rather be at the dentist for oral surgery w/o a sedative, have my eyelids ripped off, throw up continuously for four hours than see this band ever again kind of awful. Torture. I don't understand why people like them. I think the alt music scene is just so dead lately that people will grasp on to anything. But really, none of these musicians are anything special.