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OUR HISTORY AND FUTURE
OC Music News [“OCMN”] is an American music news and popular culture digital magazine. It was founded in Orange, California by a music industry consortium in 2019. The magazine’s initial footprint was organized to cover the music industry specific to Rock, Alternative-Rock, Punk, Ska and Reggae genres of all eras along with related sub-genres. Over the years OCMN has expanded its coverage to other genres, such as Country, R&B, Rap and Pop.
OCMN is a passion project with contributors situated from coast-to-coast and around the world.
All of our contributors have a tie to Orange County, California and each person continues to be part of the community through their passion for music.
The magazine is best known for its daily publication of industry features, artist interviews, concert-festival previews and reviews.
2026 Promotional Video Created by Erik Marshall
OCMN Magazine Covers by Amber Crouch
The initial launch took place in November of 2019 and published through BNG Marketing, which remains its publishing source to date.
The origin of the magazine has its history linked to staff that was part of OC Weekly, an Orange County-based online and paper magazine. After a quarter century in publication, it closed its doors in November 2019. As a result of the closure, a few OC Weekly staff members coordinated to create a temporary home for stories that were already in development and ready for publication.
Shortly thereafter, when it was clear the OC Weekly in its past form would not be resurrected, OCMN organizers named its Editorial staff and launched its standalone website. It was subsequently followed by all its social media pages which remain in place today.
OCMN was organized in association with TNN RADIO and Green-Eyed Blonde Photography. Parent BNG Marketing had ties to other publications and was given Initial technical support by Smash Magazine in Las Vegas, Nevada.
PUBLICATION HISTORY:
The magazine’s reach was initially forecasted to cover Orange County, and slowly venture into surrounding counties ( Los Angeles, Riverside San Diego & Ventura). The initial rollout was a success; the magazine subsequently expanded in Q3-2020 to a national footprint. Contributors (columnists and photographers) span the nation to support coverage. In Q2-2021, the magazine’s reach was extended with supported followers throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.
2026 OCMN Logos
2026-27 OCMN Logos
Designs by Jimmy Alvarez
WEBSITE:
The initial OC Music News website was a byproduct of the TNN RADIO online presence and website. The OCMN standalone site was launched in January, 2020. Today’s website is powered by Wordpress.
Initial web launch was fulfilled by web, technical and animation assets provided by Chris Graue, Alaina Pierce, Bill Adams, Savannah Just and Thom Foolery.
The original OCMN logo was designed by John Gilhooley Studios, later versions and iterations were drafted by Jimmy Alvarez. Additional initial artwork for the website was provided by Bill Adams. Original UX Design by Alaina Pierce Imaging, Multi-Media Design by Savannah Just.
Seasonal logos and other marketing material delivered by Amber Customs and Rachael Contreras. The 2021 website re-vamp developed by Cameron Schuyler Design. The 2023 website and social media pages re-branding executed by Cameron Schuyler Design. UI Design and other Animation by Jose Johnny Corona, Jr., Data assets by Curt Turner.
Original 2019 logo by John Gilhooley Studios
2024 | 2025
2022
2022, 2024 & 2025 Logo by Jimmy Alvarez
EARLY SUCCESS:
OCMN gained immediate traction stemming from established industry relationships its contributors had in place with publicists, broadcasters and bands worldwide. Early show coverage assignments resulted in published reviews through domestic and global entertainment companies such as Live Nation, Goldenvoice and AEG.
Broadcaster support came from southern California radio icons KLOS, KROQ, ALT987, 91X, and KX FM; stories that encompass their sonic broadcasts continues. Early support from bands distinguished OCMN as an industry source for music news and reliable content. Featured interviews and early show reviews included 311, Aquabats!, Adicts, Bad Religion, Descendents, Dirty Heads, Dirty Honey, Devo, Dramarama, English Beat, Foo Fighters, Filter, Selecter, Interrupters, Offspring, Missing Persons, Muse, Oingo Boingo Former Members, Pennywise, Pixies, Rancid, Social Distortion, Soul Asylum, Sublime, Sublime with Rome, UB40, The Vandals, and X.
READERSHIP:
As of January 2023, OCMN had published 1,327 stories with a daily average reach of 15k to 35k+ unique site visits. Accumulated site visits hit 25M in October 2022. 40M in Q1-2024, and forecasted to hit readership of 50M worldwide by year-end 2024.
Readership was predominantly rooted in North America. However it has evolved into a worldwide media source with readers in Europe, UK, Australia, Japan, Jamaica and other segments of the Caribbean, Central and South America.
OCMN TODAY:
The magazine provides a variety of stories for its readers. Staff columnists provide band stories based on interviews, previews of shows, festivals/concert reviews, as well as other relevant music news. In 2020, OCMN started a “Best Of” series (Songs, Albums – Rock, Punk, Metal). The special edition is published annually each January.
Highlights: In 2020, the Grammy Museum utilized OCMN photo assets for a promotional marketing campaign. In 2021, OCMN re-launched its website and social media pages to its current configuration. In 2022-2024, Social Distortion utilized OCMN photo assets for their tour promotional campaign. Live Nation utilized OCMN photo assets for their artist events page. In 2022-2023 Dirt Heads utilized OCMN photo assets to promote some of their concert series.
Through 2024 OCMN stories have been featured in band promotional campaigns, other publications and publicist source material industry-wide.
On July 7th, 2025, OCMN CEO Jimmy Alvarez was inducted as a professional member to the Class of 2025 of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences / Grammys.
The early days of OCMN was launched through TNN RADIO, headquartered in Orange, California.
The first OCMN article was a preview on a show at the Troubadour by alternative rock icons, The Pixies. The story was written by Alaina Pierce, a long-time staff photographer and writer.
While the OCMN website was in development, BNG utilized the TNN website as a proxy. This first story was done very quietly, and almost overnight; and OC Music News officially launched itself into the music publication world.
The first featured cover story on the OC Music News Website was the reunion of Rage Against the Machine.
2020 OCMN Promotional Logo
Created by Savannah Just
2021 Logo and Artwork
Created by Jose Corona, Jr.
2021 Promotional Stickers
Designed by Jose Corona, Jr.
2021 Promotional Media Banner
Designed by Jose Corona, Jr.
The first official event OC Music News covered as a music news organization was the One Love Cali Reggae Fest at Queen Mary Park which took place February 7 – 9, 2020.
In June 2020, OCMN was issued its ISSN ID from the U.S. Library of Congress.
In 2021 a new name logo theme was developed by Curt Turner which launched in its various configurations which remain in use to this day.
2024 brought OCMN animated video assets to utilize throughout its social pages.
2026 Magazine Cover Art
In Q2-2024 it was announced that the OCMN Board had secured a self sustaining technical operations budget through 2028.
In the end, it is the OCMN our mission to produce a quality publication, based on solid-fact-based reporting and good storytelling. After all, we believe good storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas out into the world.
The future looks very bright for OC Music News.
“You have to know where you’ve been to know where you’re headed“
OC PRESS CLUB MEMBER
Logo Animation by Curt Turner
a BNG Marketing Company
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ISSN 2692-6717
