The year was 2001. Philadelphia was overflowing with talent, and there was a real and distinct need for a media vessel to bring this fact to the forefront. Then in December, Anthony Caroto released the first issue of Origivation Magazine, giving original Philadelphia acts a range of exposure, the scope of which they had never seen.
Well, that scope grew and before you knew it, every musician in and out of the city wanted to be written in the pages of the magazine. In 2006, honored, I took the reins of the magazine and continued to tell you about the local music scene, but I also branched out to captivate a larger audience. In the last few years we featured some of the heavy hitters of the music world. With known artists on our covers, we added to the local talent that this city had to offer. With the hard work of our writers, editors, designers and of course our supporters, our distribution doubled in size and our online traffic quadrupled.
The one thing that was a constant obstacle was our brand, not everyone could remember the name. I always heard, “THAT Magazine” when people outside of our world referred to us. So after the years of pushing the issue I decided that the best birthday present to give ourselves was a new name and a new look. So in 2012, THAT MAG is born.
It’s 2023, 11 years after the launch of THAT MAG we are still continuing to write about the best talent Philadelphia has to offer. We always tell you about the heavy hitters and when they are coming to town, showcase the local talent through live performances, and sponsor the big festivals. In the coming months we will be doing more audio and video podcasts, giving out free concert tickets, contests and a more interactive website. We want THAT MAG to be the one and only source for music goers to find what and who they are looking for. So the one thing that will be consistent- you will learn to love THAT MAG!
Thank you for the past 22 years and for the years ahead! THAT MAG is featured in Feedspot Top 25 Philly Music Blogs for 2023. read on..
Brian Cronin
Publisher
THAT MAG
TJ McGlinchey is a S. Philly native and has writing for THAT MAG since 2019. He is loyal and dedicated to the local Philly music scene and an independent musician himself. For his music work, TJ has received his MFA in Music Composition from Vermont College of Fine Arts and his MA in Education from Goddard College. He has taught instrumental, vocal, theory, and composition privately for over twenty years and has been a classroom teacher for the last seven years. His main instruments are guitar and voice, though he also plays and teaches piano, ukulele, electric bass guitar, and upright bass. TJ’s teaching methods are student-centered, interest-driven, and based upon the work of Montessori, Dewey, Kodály, and Orff.
We feel his background in music, his love for the music scene, and his experience with writing for us for the 4 years would make a great music editor for THAT MAG. As editor his mission is to expand the variety, scope, and depth of what could be synthesized into an already well-established musical community. 