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For this research task we have been instructed to write about a role in the music industry that we are interested in. For this I have opted to deep dive into the role of a Music Journalist, this profession is one that I am personally interested in as it taps into what it means to not only understand and listen to music but also what it means to structure and formulate your ideas on music, touching and voicing the softness of where music is situated in the human spirit and culture.
In the industry today there are certain academic and professional qualifications that enhance a Music Journalist’s ability to make strides in the field. The academic narrative would traditionally consist of an A-Level qualification in English, Journalism or Music. This not only builds a foundation of knowledge, but creates tools to help proceed into higher and further education. This also allows Music Journalist’s to obtain and evaluate their initial drive and passion for writing and critical thinking, which is naturally required for the role. From this, taking foundation courses in areas such as Media, Communications or Digital Media would equip you with the skills required to be a working writer and interviewer. Understanding the world and environment in which the role exists, and how to structure, and relay your thoughts, ideas and projects to the world.
Many Music Journalists don’t stop there and often opt for studying a PHD in Musicology which is a very vast and in depth qualification, which ultimately provides you with the knowledge of context and the history of music, which can separate your work from other writers. Having a real understanding and knowledge of music as a whole can be a significant advantage in this highly competitive world. There are also numerous short courses one could study which can prepare you for a role in Music Journalism. One of which is the ‘Micro-Credential: Writing About Music’ at Maynooth University which is a twelve week course which equips you with skills on how to voice your ideas and structure professional writing. This provides an educated understanding in a shorter time frame than a fully fledged university degree, which can be more appealing to a working writer. All of these qualifications can provide aspiring Music Journalists with the tools to enable their freedom of expression, and ensure that they can pursue their ideas and opinions in projects with originality and professional quality. The qualifications are also appealing to organizations and employers looking for permanent or freelance employees.
As well as academic experience, there are also vast amounts of practical experience that can prepare you for a role in Music Journalism. This could include writing in a school/ college newspaper, this allows you to develop as an objective writer whilst gaining real feedback and views on your work from people around you. At an elementary level this would allow you to develop your writing alongside real life reaction to your work. Similarly, aspiring Musical Journalists could volunteer at a local news outlet, such as the Ham & High based in Islington, North London. Volunteering at local news outlets not only helps to improve your ability to improve your writing skills based on criticism from the public, but also formulates key attributes that a writer must have, the key being resilience and resolve. There’s also independent digital forms of journalism, including blogs or being an online video music critic. This allows a Music Journalist to be completely in control of what media they put out into the world as a writer, with no editorial backlash or correction, and is a common route many mainstream music reviewers and journalists go down. Another big part of Music Journalism is seeing live music and writing about it. A way to truly understand what the music industry looks for and holds as the bar of exceptionality is to reach out to an A&R person at an Indie or major music label and volunteer to shadow a journalist at a live performance and look into what it means to be objective when watching live music.
There are a diverse range of skills and personal attributes required for this role . Firstly a passion for music is a prerequisite and being able to operate outside your comfort zone and enjoy and appreciate a diverse range of music genres. Whilst it is still your profession and livelihood, the natural desire to discover new and established artists and music allows your writing to come across as passionate and engaging. Having a sustainable appetite for music, being tireless in your pursuit of what music means to you and truly setting out what you have to say that others cannot put into words wiil set you apart from the competitionIn and in doing so, you will be able to demonstrate a large breadth of taste, and the capacity to value diversity in music as a whole. This allows a writer to act with objectivity, yet have single mindedness in their writing, and a balance which is crucial to a successful Music journalist.
Alongside this, it is required for a writer to also have the professional knowledge of how to work with deadlines and self-promote. Being proactive and demonstrating drive is also key as is having an appetite to continually learn. This determines what you actually want to write about and feeds into understanding music from not only a consumer’s perspective, but also from a professional point of view regarding musicianship and quality. This allows for balance when being objective and allows the viewers who are both musicians and people who are musically educated, as well as casual listeners to appreciate what you have to say.
Project management is also a large part of a Music Journalists tool kit. The skills that comprise this can include thinking logically when structuring your writing, keeping it enthralling and entertaining whilst still being accessible to all readers, and feeding into quality and technique when it comes to phrasing and use of language. Building a team or network in the music industry also helps when it comes to managing your projects as you can dip in and out of different sources and points of view, adding to the ultimate balance that’s required when being an objective writer.
The day to day the duties and responsibilities of a Music Journalist can be split into personal and professional areas. Acting with integrity when it comes to interviewing and researching is key to managing functioning relationships, the ability to be respectful and be respected comes down to being trustworthy and amenable. This is also a reflection of what it means to actually write, a circle of trust between yourself, the source, and the audience. Although there is structure to what a typical day looks like there isn’t a set ‘9-5 esque’ way of life. This is due to the freelance nature of the role but also due to the ever changing way in which human beings develop and compose new ideas, similarly to the music industry itself, it constantly evolves through new ideas and ways of working. A big part of being a Music Journalist is going where the work is. Whether it be attending gigs in the UK or abroad, it naturally becomes embedded in your gravitation as a person and a professional. Although at a more surface level spending time developing and formulating ideas is what maintains momentum, it is enabled by having a routine that involves regularly writing and checking emails to and from publicists and editors, checking industry news and keeping up to date with new releases and tour dates with both new and established artists. Living and breathing music is key to any role in the industry, but proactivity and the layers of understanding you discover in this role will be a never ending source for formulating your own ideas and keeping your writing fresh and accessible for your readers.
Within this role there are financial and legal issues that can impact a writer’s livelihood. Due to the nature of freelance work, which is typically the norm for music journalism, there is often never a guaranteed income. This can affect the means by which you must go about the role and accounting for things such as personal expenses including work travel and accommodation can become major challenges. It can be difficult to generate income as an independent journalist as you’re not guaranteed to be the most reliable source when not backed by a higher power news outlet or magazine, therefore not drawing in enough viewership to generate an income online. Pairing this with the over-saturation of music based short form content many possible readers can lack the attention span to read an article or blog if the writer isn’t established. Plagiarism is a death wish in journalism and practically in all professional writing circles, this is why it is important to check that your ideas have not previously been published and why it’s vital you have evidence of when your ideas and or work was written so others can’t falsely publish your ideas and work as their own. To combat this, trade unions can help protect writers with both legal and personal advice, as well as bursaries if you’re unable to work.
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When it comes to promotion and marketing as a Music Journalist, social media content such as short form content can be a very useful method to promote your takes on different areas of music, drawing in the viewer with something short and snappy can retain the audience’s attention as well drawing them onto what you have published online. As well as short form content, there are online platforms such as youtube that can be very useful, and historically have put music reviewers and journalists on the map whilst generating income from online advertisements. Often this requires you to understand the ‘for you page’ algorithms and what draws in viewership and actually gets your opinions in front of people who are curious about your specialism. This typically involves proposing an original opinion or idea that presents you as being thoughtful and original whilst still being at a high level of writing, and creating a balance of both professional and personal content. Websites are also excellent places to promote your work, as having all your work and details laid out in one place could include reviews on your writing, links to projects etc. This helps build a strong personal brand and online presence. There’s also specific places on the internet where you can build a reputation or following. This includes writing on different artists online forums such as ‘sub-reddits’, also writing on platforms such as ‘SubStack’ where you can introduce your work to new readers which is what it’s specifically designed for. But importantly when being a Music Journalist it is important to be able to ask for help if ever needed and in terms of promotion taking part in guest writing which although is non-profitable can put your work in front of audiences that might not have seen your work otherwise. Another way is reaching out to editors to simply either ask for advice or what they look for or even to ask them to have a look at your work.
Some challenges that face this role in the industry become apparent when thinking about sustainable structure. Some of the personal challenges in this role include finance, being able to make enough money to live and to continue to write for a living, this can be combatted by possibly acquiring a retainer arrangement with a media outlet which guarantees you a monthly paycheck if you fulfill however many articles or columns are required by your employer. Structuring your time and planning your day, having the self motivation to push yourself and be in the driver’s seat of your day can be difficult in the world of self employment, therefore having discipline and active projects can help keep you on track and productive. Having the ability to continue learning and developing your knowledge, and being open minded in the pursuit of understanding music and formulating ideas, and using this to work past ‘writing blocks’ which from my own experience are the easiest to work past when you’re persistent and don’t stop writing.
In terms of the career-progression and narrative of a Music Journalist, you tend to see noticeable leaps over time. Starting as a freelance journalist, you can explore and develop at a grass roots level your craft and explore what you find interesting. From this moving into specialist areas such as specific genres or styles, tends to form your best writing, having a true passion or a particular area of music. From this there are many areas in which you could develop, for example, becoming a columnist, an employed music critic or even an editor for a news outlet or music magazine. When many Journalists have reached a plato or peak there are patterns of many writers becoming authors, writing books and documentaries.
