Music Journalism

Music journalism, or music criticism, is reporting about music. Critics of popular music will often write album reviews, song reviews, concert reviews and previews, band/artist profiles, music related news, etc. While music journalism is most frequently associated with magazines like Rolling Stone and Spin, music critiques can be found everywhere from local weeklies, television broadcasts (this once included MTV, not so much anymore), websites and blogs, and major newspapers like the New York Times.

Along with applicable writing skills, a music journalist must also have a vast knowledge of popular music, both past and present. Some recommendations for expanding a knowledge and understanding of both music acts past and present, as well as examining the writing techniques of other music journalists would be to read music magazines like Paste and Wax Poetics, follow websites like pitchfork.com, read the music sections of local weeklies, and attend a multitude of concerts and local shows.


While a degree in writing, music, or English may be helpful, degrees are not always required for music critic positions (depending on the employer). A few different ways to begin work in the music journalism field could be to start a music blog, pitch articles to websites, magazines, and newspapers as a freelance writer, or apply for internships with a local paper or a desired employer in their music departments.

Some famous music journalists include Lester Bangs, Cameron Crowe, Greil Marcus, Chuck Klosterman, and Ellen Willis. Recommended further reading on music journalism is “Rock Women Who Wrote” from the book "Electric Ladyland" by Lisa L. Rhodes, the article “Rap Against Rockism” by Kalefa Sanneh, and the Da Capo "Best In Music Writing" series.

Music journalists write a wide variety of music articles. A concert preview, often seen in local weeklies, will give general information about the band/musician and their musical genre/style, including comparable acts, and a personal analysis of why readers should/shouldn’t see the act live. For concert reviews journalists will often obtain a press pass to attend a show, then reflect on the show as a whole, the setlist, specific moments of interest throughout the show, a personal analysis of whether or not they liked the show and why, and the audience reaction. Music journalists also write Q and A’s and artist profiles, where the writer will sit down with an artist and either ask a series of questions and write their responses in Q and A format, or write a profile piece of creative non fiction, generally meant to dig deeper into the character and music of the artist.

Those considering going into the field of Music Journalism should understand that this is generally not a high-paying career. Don't let the film "Almost Famous" fool you, budding young journalists are rarely kidnapped by bands and pretty much never land cover stories with Rolling Stone on their first try. But for those seriously contemplating a career in music writing, a passion for music is a must, as well as a thorough knowledge of the history of a specific genre or well-rounded understanding of many genres.

Each year the Experience Music Project in Seattle hosts the EMP Pop Conference, a three-day conference consisting of presentations on music related topics by some of the biggest musicians and music critics in the world. This is a conference well worth checking out if one is interested in a career in music journalism. Here is a link to the website:

http://www.empsfm.org/education/index.asp?categoryID=26

Additional Links to Music Blogs and articles:

http://pitchfork.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/arts/music/31sann.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.waxpoetics.com/

-Devan Cook