How To Be A Music Journalist Archives

Networking is everything in music, but it can also be a waste of time if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Publicists are the gatekeepers to working with (the majority of) your favorite artists. New and emerging talent may post their personal emails online for people to contact them directly, but most established acts have representation. If you currently write about music you already know this to be true, but it bears repeating nonetheless.

A great publicist can completely change the trajectory of an artist’s career by helping curate an image and brand that positions talent for success through exposure and engagement. How that success can be achieved is different for every artist, but publicists worth their cost can uncover the most likely path to success for their clients.

With this in mind, it is important for writers to know a few things about publicists before attempting to establish contact:

No two publicists are the same.
Flattery will get you far in this life, but sending the same outreach to every person you hope to work with or want to notice your work won’t have the same effect.
Do you think you get a lot of emails? Publicists get more. Way more. Don’t waste their time.
People help people who help them first. Don’t ask for handouts if you haven’t done anything to support the talent the publicist promotes.
Before you get upset or disappointed about an unreturned email, take a moment and consider how many press releases or album advances you receive. Do you reply to every email you receive, or do you prioritize the most important messages and do your best to address the rest? Do you only reply to what works for you and delete the rest? Publicists are no different.
Unless you’re running or working at one of the most influential publications/platforms in your genre, you will not always be a top priority.
Publicists talk to other publicists. Treat one poorly or drop the ball on things you agreed to cover and word will get out. Your reputation will dictate the access you receive.

Getting close with publicists is an uphill battle. You are always going to be competing with your peers for attention, but you should never look at other writers as foes. Everyone is trying their best to help the artists they love get ahead, and that is a beautiful thing. Just because you are not provided an opportunity to interview someone or attend a specific tour does not mean you are not appreciated. It just means the demand was high, and you have room left to grow. Even those who DO get those opportunities have room to grow.

If you are reaching out to a publicist for the first time, or if you are trying to setup something with a publicist you’ve known for years, do your best to provide them with something beneficial in return. For example, write about the artists on a tour before you request tickets, and in your request mention what you plan to write in the future. Provide them with as much coverage as possible to make it clear you’re not using the access they can grant to have a good time. Let them know you are requesting access because you’re a professional hoping to work, then make good on that promise and do the work.

You should also keep an eye on publicity rosters for emerging talent who might not attract attention from major outlets. Covering those artists can show publicists that you are serious about the work you do as a writer. It tells them you recognize the fact that everyone is doing their best to get ahead, and that you are just as invested in their success as you are yours.

The big things to avoid are lies and deception. Publicists can identify someone trying to game the system or earn undo favor from a mile away. You will not be able to fool them into thinking you are bigger than you are or that you can make things happen that are not in your control. Publicists are the kings and queens of spin, which means you cannot try to beat them at their own game. Be honest and deliver, it’s that simple.

The world needs people who can write about music with style and grace. You do not need to have the sharpest wit or the best economy of words, and you definitely do not have to know everything about every artist working today. As long as you have a perspective on the music you hear that can easily be expressed, not to mention a desire to share that perspective, then you more than qualify for the job.

Writing about music is not glamorous. The likelihood of anyone making a career in music writing has always been slim, perhaps even less likely than becoming the next great musician, and the number of opportunities for full-time employment are shrinking more with each passing year. Most writers quit within the first five years if not sooner. Those who don’t either find success or develop the skills needed to convince themselves someone, anyone, gives a damn about what they have to say.

In fact, the only reason that anyone should even try writing about music is because the act itself interests them. If you’re curious about how your opinions will be received, or if you want to know if you have what it takes to grab a stranger’s attention, then writing about music is a good place to start. All financial shortcomings aside, you’ll rarely have more freedom or opportunity to explore the many colorful personalities that popular this planet than you do when writing about music. It’s a chance to explore life in the shoes of rock stars and nobodies alike, not to mention those of the people who support them. It’s an opportunity to see all the world has to offer and to understand the price of becoming more than what you are now.

Best of all, it’s free (at least at first).

If you’ve made it this far and you still want to write, then congratulations. You may actually have what it takes to do something worthwhile in music writing. The only way to know for sure is to create.

In the simplest terms, that’s all you need to get started. You need to create. Find something you’re passionate about — a song, an artist, an album, a tour, a concert, a label, a trend — and get every thought you have about that thing out of your head and onto the page. It doesn’t have to be pretty or witty or even coherent. Just get your thoughts in front of you and take stock of what you have to offer. Review your words, correct your grammar, and slowly begin piecing everything together in a way that forms a clear thought.

Writing, in this instance, is not unlike sculpting something out of stone or clay. Your thoughts are the giant block you start with, and with each edit you begin to form something meaningful. You may make mistakes, but everyone does. What matters is how you respond to mistakes, and whether or not you allow yourself to give in to that little voice in the back of your mind that claims you’ll never create something as great as the vision you have in your head.

And that, my friends, is the challenge all young and veteran writers must face each day. We all must decide to ignore the voice telling us our work isn’t worthwhile and press on, writing more and continuously searching for exciting stories we wish to tell. The kicker is that no one vanquishes that voice for good. It will be there each and every morning, regardless of what happened the day before. It is the greatest foe of any writer, and the only person capable of making it stop — even for a moment – is the writer.

If you can do all that, if you can write about what interests you and ignore the negative voice in your head, then you can worry about the basics of navigating the music business. That, surprisingly, is the easy part of this whole process.

Step 1: Start a blog. Don’t worry about buying a URL or setting up a visually engaging site. Find somewhere you can post your work and make it your own. Tumblr, for example, is a great free option.

Step 2: Write often. Reviews, stories, etc. Write whatever you want, find where your interests lie, and then write about them further still.

Step 3: Once you have a body of work there are three ways to move forward. You can either begin pitching content ideas to Editors, launch a proper blog of your own, or join forces with other young writers. Figure out what works best for you and chase it with all you have in you.

Step 4: Make friends with publicists, labels, and bands. Email links to the talent you cover, as well as their representatives. Pitch coverage ideas by sharing proof of similar work you have done in the past. Ask people what they need or want from the media and help them achieve it (without being dishonest in your work). Make yourself known as a person who delivers, and work will soon follow.

Step 5: Promote your work. Share it on social media, yes, but don’t stop with a single post. Look for forums, subreddits, and other areas where your content may be appreciated. Search the subject of your work online and send links to your content to other people expressing interest in that same subject. Be aggressive, but also be kind. Don’t force your work on the world.

Step 6. Write more. Network more.

Step 7: Repeat.

The hardest part of writing about music is getting started. If you can do that, which you can, progress and recognition will soon follow.