I recently received my first issue of Blender, a music magazine that hovers in the shadows of Rolling Stone and Spin. After a yearlong subscription to famed Rolling Stone, I became weary of its naked-pop-star covers, obsession with film stars and its dedication, though admired, to its origins in classic rock.

I hoped a lesser known music publication would be less likely to use such mainstream marketing tactics. To my distress, I found a half-naked Pussycat Doll in my hands when I grabbed the November issue of Blender out of my mailbox.

While this may not have bothered the hundreds of straight, male readers, it thoroughly obliterated my smidgeon of hope that I had chosen a better music magazine. As it turns out, I should have done my research. Dennis Publishing Ltd., the publisher of Blender, also produces Maxim and Stuff.

Last week, a breath of relief came to me from a much, much smaller music magazine -Syracuse University’s 20 Watts.

Entirely produced by students, 20 Watts is released quarterly and contains stories that open students’ eyes to local and worldly artists, genres and musical news. It stands, in my opinion, as one of the few campus publications that legitimately caters to both genders.

‘Some campus publications don’t print content that appeals to guys,’ said Meghan Loftus, 20 Watts’ editor in chief. ‘Music appeals to everyone.’

Therefore, Loftus explains, making a gender-balanced music magazine does not require much thought.

Perhaps the larger part of the music magazine industry should take some tips from 20 Watts.

Thirty-nine percent of Rolling Stone’s readership is female, though you would never guess this when Googling ‘Rolling Stone covers.’ Among the most prominent results are Christina Aguilera in the nude with a guitar (since when does she play?), a profile of Britney Spears in only panties against a wall, a naked Jennifer Aniston on a bed, a topless Janet Jackson with a man’s hands covering her chest – you get the point.

Even better are the cover headlines: Aguilera’s says, ‘Inside the Dirty Mind of a Pop Princess,’ and Jackson’s says, ‘The Joy of Sex.’ As far as cover subjects go, Aniston doesn’t even have anything to do with music, and neither does Spears. (Joke).

In a search of various magazine covers, Blender won the sleaziest in its June 2007 issue featuring a naked Avril Lavigne with a yellow banner across her chest saying, ‘Hell Yeah, I’m Hot!’

Classy.

So goes the sleazy marketing business of selling magazine covers.

The public relations department of Rolling Stone, of course, disagrees. The woman I spoke to refused to give her name but gave me the example of the August 2007 cover, featuring 19-year-old Zac Efron stripping his shirt. It remains the only recent sexually charged cover of a male I could find.

We all know sex sells, but someone needs to step up. I give 20 Watts props for doing so.

Women like their rock, too, and we don’t need to be comparing ourselves to a Pussycat Doll every time we want to read about Radiohead or Pearl Jam.

Melissa Valliant is a weekly columnist for The Daily Orange. She can be reached at melissa.valliant@gmail.com.

Published on November 7, 2007 at 12:00 pm