Progression Route

Music Journalism

I would consider music journalism as a career option because:

- I have a passion for music and writing

- I enjoy attending gigs and festivals

- Music Journalism gives you the opportunity to travel the world and more than anything, I would love to travel.

I definitely feel this would be the best occupation for me, as I have always said, I want my life to be full of great experiences rather than having a boring 9 until 5 routine that might pay a bit more money. I believe music journalism can provide opportunities that no other average job can.

An Overview On Music Journalism:

- Music Journalists attend gigs and festivals, and research music to write about. The majority of the job is spending time in front of a computer, researching stories and music to write about. However there are some fantastic opportunities in the job too, like interviewing headlining bands, attending gigs and festivals for free and travelling the world.

- Depending on whether you work for a company or you are a freelance journalist, your salary may vary. However, on average, the starting salary for a music journalist is $43,000 (£32,700) per year, but it can go up to $80,000 (£60,800) per year if you are working for a large publishing company.

- Most music journalists have a degree in either marketing, music journalism, or just journalism, alone. However, most music journalists get experience in the industry by working as an intern or an apprentice for a local publication or a record company. Most journalists work for free in order to build their portfolio before progressing onto larger, more renowned companies.

What are the positives and negatives of being a music journalist?

- You get a chance to meet and see your favourite bands live in concert or at a festival

- You get the opportunity to travel around the world and meet new people

- The majority of the job is quite boring, being stuck in an office behind a desk for hours on end.

- It is difficult to get work as a freelance writer and you mainly have to self promote in order to get work. So the pay can be very challenging.

- The travelling aspect of the job can be very tiresome.

I am going to be doing some work experience writing for "Radicl Magazine" as a music journalist.

Harvard References for my research:

1. {BIMM Institute, (2018) "BA (HONS) Music Journalism- Introduction to Music Journalism": https://www.bimm.co.uk/study/courses/brighton/music-journalism/music-journalism-bn/}

2. {CareersInMusic.com, (2018) "Become A Music Journalist":https://www.careersinmusic.com/music-journalist/ }

3. {TheBigMusicProject, (2018) "How to: Get a job in music journalism": http://www.thebigmusicproject.co.uk/how-to-get-a-job-in-music-journalism/ }