TORONTO – Sonic hit the shelves this week, a new music magazine developed by Max Trax, Galaxie and Toronto-based ad agency ZiG. 
It’s a free bilingual consumer publication “for music lovers with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to constantly expand their music collection,” says the press release. Sonic (Volume I, Issue I, at right) will be distributed to all Canadian cable and satellite providers beginning the week of September 12.
The 20-page premiere issue features rock icons U2 on the cover, as well as articles looking at seven genres of music found throughout the Max Trax and Galaxie line-up, programmers’ must-have CD lists, “and even cocktail recipes to complement the mood set by some of the 40 digital music channels,” says the release.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Galaxie on this new venture,” said Lisa Lyons, vice-president and general manager, Max Trax and content distribution, in a release. “Sonic is an innovative way for us to speak directly with our customers, while allowing us to reach new listeners by appealing to music enthusiasts. The magazine delivers the message about our services using great editorial content that is of real value to our readers.”
The annual publication is edited by music journalist, Steve McLean, who has written and edited for Canadian Music Network, Canadian Entertainment Network, The Record, Encyclopedia of Canadian Music, RPM Weekly and others.
“Our mission is to deliver the best music, programmed for Canadian tastes,” adds Bill Atkinson, executive director, business development at CBC. “The music experts behind our channels not only know their music inside-out, they know their audiences and what they like. Sonic is an extension of that expertise, an added-value to our joint product.”
Sonic will be published annually and the next issue is due out in January 2006, just in time for Canadian Music Week.
It’s not clear how many issues were printed or whether the magazine is also ad-supported.
Max Trax Galaxie is a joint commercial-free, digital music service available to Canadian homes on digital cable through local cable providers such as Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw, and Star Choice satellite television. It offers a 40 channel package—20 programmed by Galaxie and 20 by Max Trax. The channels of uninterrupted music cover the most popular musical genres, from classical to rock, pop to jazz, and country to specialty like reggae, ambient and folk.
