Milwaukee Record celebrates 10 years of “music, culture, gentle sarcasm”

Milwaukee Record—an independently owned and operated arts and entertainment publication founded by journalists Matt Wild and Tyler Maas in 2014—celebrated its 10th anniversary on April 7, 2024. That day was also declared to be “Milwaukee Record Day” throughout the city, thanks to an official Proclamation issued by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

Milwaukee Record is using its decade milestone as a way to bring renewed attention to its body of work—that’s rooted in music, culture, and “gentle sarcasm”—and as the basis of introducing some new creations that will keep the business growing for years to come. “The Year Of Milwaukee Record” features a partnership with Anodyne Coffee Roasters on a co-created Milwaukee Record Blend. There’s also a specialty Milwaukee Record brandy made by Great Lakes Distillery that’s due to hit shelves in October, and a 10th anniversary concert coming to Vivarium before year’s end (more info TBA).

Those events and releases help to bolster Milwaukee Record’s already abundant offsite reach that includes monthly movie screenings at Avalon Theater, the long-running Milwaukee Record Halftime Show concert series, the widely popular N/A Day “Dry January” beverage festivals in both Milwaukee and Madison, its annual Roast Of Milwaukee comedy showcase, the Casserole Call charity hot dish bake off, the Milwaukee Record Stage at Bay View Bash, and a steady presence at many of the region’s festivals. Maas, Wild, and a growing cast of contributors manage to cover a lot of ground for a publication its size in the Milwaukee media market.

“Live events and affiliated local products have gradually become major parts of Milwaukee Record’s identity,” says co-founder and co-editor Tyler Maas. “It’s been amazing to be able to reach new people in a variety of fun ways by creating unique, original in-person experiences that add to the fabric of the community and give more opportunities to area artists and retailers in the process.”

While Milwaukee Record anticipates it will produce more than 60 events over the course of this year, its written work remains paramount. The site will post its 11,000th article this spring. Since day one, the publication has remained a steadfast champion of all things Milwaukee through its coverage of music, arts, dining, and a wide variety of other local points of interest. Milwaukee has come a long way since 2014, and Milwaukee Record has documented that ongoing transformation while serving as a local archive, a regional resource, and a trusted (and, at times, unconventional) news outlet for an ever-changing city on the rise.

“Tyler and I, along with a talented cast of contributors, have spent the last 10 years filling the digital pages of Milwaukee Record with a heady and sometimes confounding mix of news, coverage, commentary, and crucial minute-by-minute recaps of celebrity vodka signings, all scored to the beat of Milwaukee music,” says co-founder and co-editor Matt Wild. “For the next 10 years, we intend to simply do more: more music, more coverage, more writers, more viewpoints, and hopefully more vodka signings.”

As Milwaukee Record enters its second decade of existence, it’s not looking to take over the world or shake up the media landscape. The site just wants to keep building on what it’s been doing for 10 years (and counting): highlighting and celebrating all things Milwaukee.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.