''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

webzine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer magaz ...

that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as a podcast and its

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

generator.

History

Originally called ''Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven'' and hosted on

GeoCities Yahoo! GeoCities was a web hosting service that allowed users to create and publish websites for free and to browse user-created websites by their theme or interest. GeoCities was started in November 1994 by David Bohnett and John Rezner, and w ...

, the webzine moved to its current domain in 2001. ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' is a featured reviewer on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. The writing staff is composed of volunteers who often use

pen names A pen is a common writing tool, writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a Nib (pen), nib or in a sm ...

(such as "Wolfman," "Mango Starr," "Chizzly St. Claw," and "Filmore Mescalito Holmes"). Some contributors, like Rebecca Armendariz and Alex Brown, go by their real names. Its cofounder and

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

-resident Marvin Lin (who writes as "Mr. P"). The music reviews, features, news, film, comics, and the "DeLorean", "Cerberus", and "Automatic Mix Tapes" columns are edited by "Jay," "Gumshoe," "Dan Smart," Benjamin Pearson, "Keith Kawaii," "JSpicer," "Trillian," and "Pliny the Elder," respectively. They have been cited by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', among other publications. On January 6, 2020, ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' announced it was taking a "much-needed hiatus".

Content

''Tiny Mix Tapes'' offers news, music reviews, movie reviews, and columns. The "DeLorean" section reviews music released before ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' began that may no longer be popular, albums that the writer believes are "classic" or influential, or older music that is significant to the writer. Similarly, "Eureka" consists of reviews highlighted by the site as particularly noteworthy or exciting. There is also a features section devoted to interviews, articles, festival reviews, as well as a "Live Blog," in which writers review

live music A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety an ...

shows. In 2009, ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' added a "columns" section. As of 2008, ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' started reviewing films and now has a section devoted to it. This section also includes features on filmmakers and other numerous subjects within the medium.

The Automatic Mix Tape Generator

The Automatic Mix Tape Generator, or AMG, was created to offer two-way communication with the website. Started in 2002, readers may submit a title or the theme for a

, and a group of volunteers (called the "Mix Robots") will compile a track list. Due to the large volume of requests as well as request redundancy, not all requests are filled. The "Mix Robots" produce and submit track lists fulfilling the request as they interpret it. Mixtape track lists are then available on the website. Most of the songs on the mix tapes come from indie or underground bands/musicians. In 2008, Trillian, the AMG editor, was on ''

Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio (NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial issu ...

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

program to discuss

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

mixes.

Chocolate Grinder

At the beginning of 2009, ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' began a feature podcast called ''Chocolate Grinder''. Published approximately twice a month, each installment sees a writer collecting ten brand new tracks they want to shed light on and mix it as a continuous stream or download. The tracks are posted for stream or download in a single continuous file with a unique name. Currently, ''Chocolate Grinder'' remains a staple of ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' daily media content, which includes videos, music streams, Internet premieres, interactive websites, and the like.

Benefit Compilation

In April 2009, the site began selling a benefit compilation CD/ LP to benefit the victims of the

War in Darfur The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups beg ...

. It featured 11 exclusive songs.

Humor and politics

On March 30, 2007, ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' announced it was hosting a festival in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. At this festival, long-since dissolved indie band

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...

were billed to be "reuniting all over your

Cheerios Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the Ne ...

" as the headlining act. Amidst a blog flurry, and articles disputing the legitimacy of the event in ''Billboard'' and Prefix, the festival was revealed as an early

April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...

joke later the same day.

References

External links

Tiny Mix Tapes website
*''The Guardian'': "The Guide: www.tinymixtapes.com/amg", by Johnny Dee, June 4, 2005 *'' Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC)''
"The mix has been nixed!"
by Alexander Morrison, February 13, 2005 *''Concord Monitor (NH)'': "Mixtape madness", by Vanessa Valdes, June 16, 2006 *''Malay Mail'' (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia): "Playlist", September 21, 2005 {{Authority control Online music magazines published in the United States Music podcasts