7 Steps To Becoming A Music Journalist

TTo be a successful freelance music journalist you have to love writing about music so much that you would keep doing it forever regardless of whether or not anyone ever paid you to do it. It’s not a career choice, at least not initially, it’s more like a craft that you can make some money out of eventually, once you get really good at it. If you love going to gigs and meeting creative people, then it’s a route backstage that only really requires that you write about something you love.

1. Write a Lot

Typewriter on Flickr

The best way to get good at writing is to do it a lot. If you can do it publically even better; you’ll start to build up a reputation in a number of ways. Start a blog on Google Blogspot or WordPress, and write about any shows you’ve been to see recently. Do reviews of albums you’ve downloaded and do reflective editorials or whatever you feel like. The more you write the better. It’s a good idea to have a picture of yourself and your name displayed prominently on your website if you’re ultimately trying to promote yourself as a journalist. You can use a fun title, you can even use a pen name if you want, but make sure your name and face are visible.

2. Spread the Message

There are loads of things you can do to get people to read your blog. The simplest strategy is just to post links regularly on your Facebook or Twitter if you have one, and try to convince friends to post it on their Facebook and Twitter too. If you use other social networks post there too, but don’t sign up to any sites just to promote yourself, as it will come across as artificial and spammy. Another route is to start commenting on other similar blogs regularly. Often blog comment features will allow you to include the URL of your website, or allow you to comment from your Facebook or Google account. Talk about the blog post you are commenting on. Don’t try to promote yourself, just try to become part of a discussion. The important thing is that anyone looking at your comment will identify the link between your opinion and your own website. That way you’re building brand awareness.

Getting your own domain name will make it look more professional, but is not necessary. In fact, all of this section isn’t necessary, because while it’s great to have lots of people reading your writing, it won’t affect whether or not you’re taken seriously. Industry professionals will look at whether you are publishing high quality content regularly rather than how many people are reading it. And while quality is important, regularity is more important, because it means reliability.

3. Start Local

Once you have enough articles posted that it starts to look like something you do regularly and not just something you’ve started recently, get in touch with local bands and ask if you can get on the guest list for their shows in exchange for a review. If you’d rather interview them, ask for that instead. The point is that local unsigned bands will take any publicity offered no matter how unprofessional and unknown you may appear. You will know at least one person in a local band and they will know a hundred others so just ask for band recommendations, find them on Facebook, and message them.

4. Get into Gigs for Free

Once you’ve done a good few local band reviews or interviews you can start to look at touring bands. Try contacting venues about shows you want to see. If you can identify the promotions company, try to contact them too. If you can find an email address for the band’s management or tour operator, try and contact them too. Just send emails to everyone connected to the show saying that you’re a local freelance journalist interested in reviewing the show/ interviewing the band/ whatever. Are they the appropriate person to arrange a press pass for the show? If not, can they forward details of the responsible person? Be sure to link to your blog and past reviews or interviews you’ve done. Obviously you won’t be able to get Bob Dylan right away, but start with smaller bands and work up.

Find a photographer

5. Photographers Are Our Friends

Try to team up with a friend who is a photographer, and get pictures of the bands when you interview them, or when they perform. For bigger bands, you’ll have to ask for a photo pass in addition to a reviewer press pass. For local bands you can usually just ask for a “plus one” on the guest list for the photographer. You can put the pictures on your own blog, and ask the photographer to link to your review when they post the pictures on their own website or social networks.

6. Join the Media

Once you start getting into shows of touring bands, then you can start writing to editors of music review sections of newspapers, music magazines, and music websites that have a staff of writers. Include a link to your blog and tell them you’re looking for freelance work, paid or unpaid. Start with local news and independent magazines. If they don’t respond, try again in a week. If you can find their phone number, give them a call. If you’re working with a decent photographer, mention that too, as that’s a bonus. Be determined; they’ll eventually respond, even if it is just to say no, and if they say no ask questions and try to find out what would have made them say yes.

Try to find any local music networking events that are free or cheap to attend, especially those aimed a journalist. Maybe print up some flyers or business cards to hand out to people to promote your blog. Be honest and up-front about who you are and what you’re trying to achieve, people expect to be approached at these kind of events so just introduce yourself.

7. Climb the Ladder

Once you get a few pieces published on websites or in print, be sure to mention these next time you email editors asking if they have anything you can write about. If you’re more interested in reviewing albums, then contact indie record labels and music PR companies and ask if they can send you whatever they are currently promoting to review on your blog. Follow up with anyone interesting you meet at networking events, even if they can’t necessarily offer you any work, it’s to your benefit to be known in the scene. After that you’re just working your way up the ladder, always writing as much as possible for whoever will publish it, and continually contacting people who might be able to publish you somewhere cooler. Eventually you’ll get to the point where people will be willing to pay you to write, and you may even land a full time writing job, but you have to be willing to do it for free before you can get there.

Myke Hall is an Internet professional and freelance music journalist whose writing has been published in the Daily Record and The Journal, among others. He formerly ran music review website edRock.net and presented a music radio show on Fresh Air, and is currently producing a short film with the Glasgow Film Crew.