Short end of Jazz Times’ good news

The quick revival of magazine Jazz Times by Madavor Media is a good thing, but freelance contributors whose work has already been published are being told that they’ll be paid only 50% of amounts due.

“Those checks are going out this week,” according to an email sent by Lee Mergener, JT’s editor-in-chief who is being retained during the transition in ownership, along with managing editor Evan Haga and two ad representatives. Mergner’s memo continues, “Madavor only acquired the assets, not the liabilities, of the company, leaving JazzTimes‘ previous ownership to settle its debts as best it can.”

So content providers — jazz journalists, writers and photographers — featured in JT’s April and May issues (at which time Glenn Sabin, son of JT’s founder Ira Sabin, was publisher and CEO of JazzTimes, Inc.) are considering their positions. They’ve been asked to pitch new story ideas and requests for review assignments, and evidently to stand for unanticipated cuts in pay for completed projects. Would carpenters, plumbers, lawyers or accountants accept such a deal and keep laboring — without contracts — on what is arguably the same project? There’s no news that JazzTimes, Inc. is in bankruptcy . . .maybe the 50% payments are only the ex-owners’ first installments on clearing their editorial debts? Maybe the new owners will pony up to cover the rest of those IOUs, as a sign of good faith with the freelancers they want to continue to employ? What a nice gesture that would be.

According to Mergner, Madavor Media will pay full fees for pieces originally scheduled for JT’s June issue, which is being printed “likely as our August issue.” The difficult period for Jazz Times contributors isn’t over yet, The magazine’s pages evidently won’t show until September and October just how the editorial package has survived.

howardmandel.com
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