The Aquarian

What The Aquarian does

The Aquarian is an independent, privately-held alternative weekly music publication founded in 1969 and based in Little Falls, New Jersey. The publication produces editorial content covering rock, punk, alternative, metal, and related music scenes primarily in the New Jersey and New York City metropolitan area, with content formats including artist interviews, album and concert reviews, photo galleries, digital cover features, recurring columns (such as Manhattan Beat, Makin' Waves, On The Record, and Rant N' Roll), and live event coverage. The publication distributes content primarily through a WordPress-based website that offers free access to all articles, with no paywall, subscription, or mobile app.

The publication operates on a display advertising revenue model, featuring banner advertisements for regional venues and events (including the Wellmont Theater, PNC Bank Arts Center, and Irving Plaza). Content is also distributed through social media channels and email newsletters, and a sub-brand called Manhattan Beat covers live music events in New York City. The company maintains a small team of 11–50 employees led by Publishers Chris Farinas and Diane Casazza and Editor-In-Chief Valentino Petrarca. There is no evidence of external funding, venture capital investment, or parent company ownership, and the business has no disclosed API, mobile application, or AI/ML capabilities — relying entirely on a single revenue stream (advertising) in a single regional market.

Name

The Aquarian

Legal name

The Aquarian

Website

https://theaquarian.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Aquarian is an independent alt-weekly music publication founded in 1969, covering rock, punk, alternative, and metal scenes in the New Jersey and New York City area. It produces interviews, reviews, photo galleries, and event coverage distributed freely online and monetized exclusively through display advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The publication generates revenue through display advertising on its website. The site features banner advertisements for various venues and events, including Wellmont Theater, PNC Bank Arts Center, Irving Plaza, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Aquarian is an alternative weekly newspaper and digital publication covering music journalism in the New Jersey and New York City metropolitan area. It produces artist interviews, digital cover features, photo galleries, album and concert reviews, columns, and live event coverage focused on punk, rock, metal, and alternative music scenes. The publication distributes content freely online via its WordPress-based website and monetizes primarily through display advertising sold to venues and music-related businesses.

Product overview

The Aquarian is a single, unified digital publication (an alternative weekly newspaper) covering music journalism. The publication produces content across multiple formats including interviews, digital covers (featured artist spotlights), photo galleries, album and concert reviews, columns (such as Manhattan Beat, Makin' Waves, On The Record, Rant N' Roll), and live event listings. It serves as a music-focused media outlet primarily covering punk, rock, metal, and alternative music scenes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Manhattan Beat: A music column series covering live music events in New York City, written by Everynight Charley Crespo

Products and services

• The Aquarian Weekly New Jersey's Original Alt-Weekly publication providing music news, interviews, reviews, photo galleries, and live event coverage featuring punk, rock, metal, and alternative artists. The content is freely accessible online and targets music enthusiasts and concert-goers in the New Jersey/NYC region.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Pitchfork: Major music criticism publication covering rock, alternative, punk, and adjacent genres with reviews, interviews, and features. Now part of Condé Nast / GQ, it is a much larger incumbent that overlaps with The Aquarian's editorial remit at greater scale.
• Billboard: Major incumbent music-industry trade and consumer publication covering tours, artists, and venues. Overlaps with The Aquarian on tour/artist coverage and live-event reporting, but operates at national scale with a broader industry remit.

Direct peers

• BrooklynVegan: NYC-based independent music journalism site covering live music, reviews, and interviews in the punk/rock/indie space. Closely mirrors The Aquarian's genre focus and NYC-area concert coverage, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Paste Magazine: Music and entertainment magazine covering indie, rock, and alternative scenes with reviews, interviews, and photo galleries. Shares The Aquarian's alt-weekly editorial DNA and content mix across formats.
• Stereogum: Online music publication covering indie, alternative, and rock artists with reviews, interviews, and features. Comparable to The Aquarian in music coverage breadth and editorial format (interviews, reviews, photo galleries).
• LA Weekly: Historic alt-weekly covering music, arts, and culture in the Los Angeles market. Closely mirrors The Aquarian's alt-weekly format and music-anchored editorial mix.
• Austin Chronicle: Independent alt-weekly covering music, arts, and local culture in Austin with deep live-music coverage. Comparable to The Aquarian as a regional alt-weekly built around a dense local live-music market.
• The Stranger: Long-running Seattle alt-weekly covering music, arts, and culture with a similar mix of reviews, interviews, photo galleries, and columns. Directly comparable as an alt-weekly model with music-forward editorial.
• Chicago Reader: Long-running Chicago alt-weekly with music reviews, interviews, and feature journalism. Shares the alt-weekly DNA and music journalism focus with The Aquarian, albeit in a different metro.

Emerging players

• JamBase: Live-music focused digital outlet covering tours, concerts, and artist news with strong regional and national event coverage. Comparable to The Aquarian on live-event editorial, with a stronger technology and listings focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aquarianweekly
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAquarianWeekly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-aquarian-weekly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Aquarian