How to Become a Music Magazine Writer

Movies such as "Almost Famous" have glorified the role of the music magazine writer. The idea of getting paid to follow bands around the country--or even the world--and write about their lives seems neat. Here are some ways to help you fulfill your dream of becoming a music magazine writer.

Things You'll Need

• Good writing skills
• Internet access

Instructions

1. Learn to appreciate and evaluate music. This doesn't mean just "listen to rock" or "love heavy metal." Good music magazine writers are objective in the sense that they are able to listen to a song they have never heard before and judge it fairly. Being a music magazine writer means being able to critique, not criticize music.

2. Research singers and bands thoroughly on the internet. Listen to their music, usually provided through samples on websites such as "Amazon." Read their biographies on websites such as "Billboard" or in magazines like "Rolling Stone." If you are assigned a music article, you must be able to not only know the artists you are told to write about or interview, but also be able to make comparisons and references to other artists that may be similar to them in looks, genre and sound. This helps put your article into context.

3. Pitch your own story ideas. Most music magazines employ journalists on a freelance basis, meaning that they work as independent contractors. As a result, they are often not handed assignments by editors, but rather suggest their own. This also helps you show your editors that you have initiative, so that if in the future they do come across a scheduled assignment or magazine shoot with an artist, they may want to assign it to you.

4. Check out music concerts whenever you can. They can be small gigs by local bands at a bar in town or they can be large stadium concerts by well-known artists. In any case, if you want to write for a music magazine, you are going to need to be very familiar with the music scene and "rock n' roll" lifestyle.

5. Be very casual when interviewing a singer or band, especially those who belong to the metal or rock genre. You want to be able to show that you are on the same "level" as the artist when you interview them, instead of some stuffy journalist. Dress casually, but not sloppy. Do not wear a T-shirt with a print of the band. You do not want to appear as though you are sucking up to the artist.

6. Write a music article in a much more casual tone than the kind you would use in a news article. Music is meant to be fun. You don't have to put "yourself" in the story, as many music magazine writers like to do, but you want to show your readers the human side of your subjects. You want your readers to be able to imagine what it is like to hang out with the singer or artist, who they may be used to seeing all glammed up on television or on stage.