We’re looking for talented writers with deep genre knowledge of music and its present and past alongside a cultural generalist perspective with strong interests in many areas of culture.
CD REVIEWS/FEATURES
Regular CD reviews should run 500-700 words and display a knowledge of music history and real genre expertise, rather than simply “I like this” or “I hate that”. They should employ a smart look at the music within its larger cultural contexts. Capsule reviews run between 100-150 words and writers are expected to write both long reviews as well as capsules.
In reviews, we are recruiting for people who can commit to one 500-word review per week and regular 100-150-word capsule reviews and keep up with tight deadlines.
Feature pieces are in excess of 1,200 words and look at a particular artist, genre, trend or happening within the music world. They also look at the intersection between music and other cultural forms such as film, TV, multimedia, fashion, and politics. These pieces can include artist interviews and profiles of an exceeding smart and critical nature.
For Consideration:
Please send a e-mail describing your background, along with two recent music-related writing samples (preferably reviews) that are each at least 500 words, and one 500-800 word review of an album not in our review archive that would be your first published PopMatters piece if you are accepted, to:
- Arnold Pan, Music Editor [arnoldpan at popmatters.com], AND
- Sarah Zupko, Editor & Publisher [editor at popmatters.com].
The subject line should read: PopMatters Music Application.
We need all three of these things before we can consider your application.
BLOGGERS
We’re seeking bloggers for two PopMatters blogs, Sound Affects and Mixed Media. Sound Affects applies our patented, smart, deep look at culture within the more informal blog format. We’re looking for writers to critique new videos and songs as well as highlight old favorites, to select and highlight some of the best music writing on the web, to analyze trends and events in the music world, and to generally come with lots of creative ideas to be a part of the blog’s continued growth into a vital community area on PopMatters. Mixed Media is a more newsy forum, devoted to showcasing the best and most interesting new videos, songs, trailers and more with brief commentary.
In blogs, we are recruiting for people who can commit to at least two posts per week of varying lengths and keep up with tight deadlines.
For Blogger Consideration:
Please send a e-mail describing your background, along with two recent music-related writing samples that display the depth of your thinking and the best of your abilities, and two posts that would be your first published PopMatters blog posts if you are accepted, to:
- AJ Ramirez, Sound Affects Editor [ramirez at popmatters.com], AND
- Sarah Zupko, Editor & Publisher [editor at popmatters.com].
The subject line should read: PopMatters Music Blogger Application.
FEATURES
For Feature Writer Consideration:
Please e-mail pitches (100-250 words, including your subject, your prospective source material and the gist of your approach to it) you’d like us to consider along with a brief description of your writing background (with links to clips or published samples if possible) to:
The subject line should read: PopMatters Features Pitch.
NEWS WRITERS
We are also looking for news writers to pen regular news stories on the broad areas of pop culture and entertainment that we cover at PopMatters. These can range from short news items highlighting a very significant new music or book release or upcoming film to longer pieces that cover trends, developments and the latest breaking events in the entertainment world, as well as analysis of said events. Writers should have some journalism experience, properly attribute sources, and have a good sense of the news value of a story and how that would appeal to our savvy readership.
In news, we are recruiting for people who can commit to at least two stories per week and keep up with tight deadlines.
For News Writer Consideration:
Please send a e-mail describing your background, along with two recent music-related writing samples that display your news writing talent and the best of your abilities, and two stories that would be your first published PopMatters articles if you are accepted, to:
- Sarah Zupko, Editor & Publisher [editor at popmatters.com].
The subject line should read: PopMatters News Writer Application.
Note: We are unable to pay you monetarily at this time as we are an independent publication with a slim budget. But you would not go uncompensated in some form; your ‘pay’, as it were, is the privilege of publishing with this reputable magazine, wherein you are rewarded with this platform to broaden your readership, currently over 1 million unique readers per month, and counting.