Ben Simkins is a music journalist who has worked on online fanzines such as Soundblur.com and now is a freelance journalist working as a feature writer/reporter for the print magazine, "The Front" while playing in his band Liberty Valance. He has interviewed and written about acts including: Finch, Taking Back Sunday, Derek Hess, Ministry, Franti Spearhead and Spongebob Squarepants and the attacks against his... it's sexual preference.
Q. What does music journalism involve?
A. It's hard to define exactly what this industry involves. It's the same as the other parts of this industry. It involves what you bring with you. Influences, hero’s, style. The level of dedication is something that you define. If you don't have the dedication to write with passion no one will enjoy reading what you write and your prospects will dry up pretty quick. For the logistics of the job the perks for musicians is near without end. As a freelance journalist I set my hours. Pick the stories I want to cover (Most of the time). Get a press pass which I use to get in almost anywhere. You get to meet some pretty weird people which is sometimes awesome, sometimes scary as hell. And if like me this is a job that you do to make money while you strive for your real passion (Actually playing music) then this job helps immensely. When I go on tour I take my laptop and do the stories on the road and send them either by wifi or by the motel room connection (That always sucks). And the contacts you make really help when you go to them as your own band.
Q. How do you get into music journalism (what type of training do you need?)
A. Training is helpful but not essential. Being good at English is a given. You can study Journalism as a major but for me this isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life as I said above so my training was minimal. The best advice I can give you is do as much free when your young and that experience will help immeasurably in the future. You need a portfolio of different styles of writing to show your versatility. I personally wrote a lot for online fanzines when I was still in college. Interviewing bands such as Finch. When I went for my first paying job I had years worth of material to show and landed myself head writer position. Others had more training than me but my work spoke for itself where their certificates didn't. Remember this industry is made up of a lot of creative people who think in that artsy way and appreciate raw talent more than credentials. The other training I would suggest is to find a style in journalism that you are comfortable with. For me I read as much Hunter S. Thompson as I could get a hold of in college. His style of journalism was Gonzoism which is kind of scattered thought trains. More entertaining than pure fact. I adapted this style to suit my writing and I now always have a blueprint of thinking that defines my work.
Q. How did you get your first job in music journalism?
A. My first unpaid job came after I interviewed with my band for an online fanzine, run by a a guy from Australia. He promoted and stood behind my band for the rest of his life. Unfortunately it was short lived. He died suddenly and I soon got to know the other people that worked for his fanzine. I asked to write for free on their new website Soundblur. They let me muck in and I started writing for them until I moved to the US. My first paying job came from searching an entertainment job website and finding a local music magazine starting up in my home state. I sent in my resume and portfolio and landed the head writer position solely on my portfolio. Like I said nothing beats experience to back you up.
Q. It sounds like a high pressured job-How do you cope with deadlines?
A. As a musician you can imagine how hard it is for me to stay focused on a deadline and not procrastinate it away. But like all things you just do it and do it on time or you lose your job unless your good at buttering up the editor for an extension. The worst is when a band doesn't get the answers to your interview questions back on time and you have to string together an entertaining article after midnight to replace it. Also when you get stuck with a band with very little exposure or their website is down and your research is limited so your piece is kind of a half truth half personal story you hope will slip by your editor.
Q. Are there a lot of jobs available in music journalism?
A. Absolutely. There's Feature writers, editors, reporters, photo journalists, reviewers, design staff, implementation staff, interns, marketing, distribution and others that all make a print publication run smoothly.
Q. What’s the best aspect of your job?
A. The flexibility this job allows me gives me all the opportunities I need to stay in a touring band and keeps my day job fresh and at the very least artistic in aspect. It beats flipping burgers for a living.
Q. And the worst?
A. Freelance journalism isn't for the faint hearted. You have to try and motivate yourself to work on as many stories as possible to pay the bills because even if you stop writing they keep coming.
Q. Do you get nervous doing interviews? If so do you have any tips on good interview technique?
A. I get nervous that my questions will be dumb. Or that I'll insult the band or alternately they'll be too safe to be interesting. My best tips for interview technique also applies to writing articles. You'll always look foolish if you haven't done your research on your subject. You need to know as much as they know so that you can directly interlink certain questions, not ask dumb ones and be able to pull out answers that you are looking for. Subtle coaxing is the key. Never kiss ass but promote what they are out here for. That's really why their out here. Never pry but don't be afraid to ask the difficult questions such as members leaving and their opinions on hot button issues and such, they are always the best answers. Find out from message boards and forums exactly what it is that they want to know about the band. What's the buzz at the time surrounding the subject. And last but not least always be ready to play volley if you find the right opportunities. Bands will often skirt over questions. Press them without being stubborn and be ready to react with a back up question or follow up question if the situation deems it.
Q. Do you have any tips on writing music reviews?
A. Be truthful. It's not worth your reputation falsely promoting an album or artist. One of my first paid articles I ripped into a rapper named Tech-9 because he bugged the hell out of me. My editor loved my brutal honesty moved the article down from the cover and gave me cart-blanche on who should grace the cover leaving me to write it. Sometimes it is easy for critics to keep dumping on music. Try not to get into this trend. Remember your taste in music isn't sacred or without fault. Try and review an act from the stand point of their style. If they still suck then pan away. Key things to look at are: Are they original? If not does that matter with this band? Does the album or show have any weak points? Any highlights? Do they have an interesting angle on things that you can use to shape your review? Did you like them? Usually trust your heart and your head will follows works too.
Q. How well paid is music journalism as a career?
A. It all depends. It usually reaps at it's height a decent wage that you can live quite comfortably off. No Cristal or Ferrari's. For a freelancer like me you make what you put in. It's not great money but it hopefully pays the bills.
Q. How much influence do you have over the content of the magazine-are the articles commissioned or can find your own stories?
A. I generally can submit my own ideas or leads but I have to get them in before my editor has allocated space and word counts for the next issue. An editor is your chief they can see all and generally (If their good) can see what themes an issue needs to take. I usually just trust my editors instinct on article selection for the issue and pick out of them what appeals to me. At the same time though an editor has to trust in his or her writers ability to find the story in the artist.
Q. If an aspiring musician wished to promote himself/herself in a music magazine, how would they go about doing this?
A. Good question. Start local. Rolling Stone isn't going to check out anything at the starting line. Search for local magazines either online or at clubs and venues. Hound any contact you can get. Never take no for an answer. But always give them something to report don't just say "hey we're a band can you write about us?" Give them a reason like an album coming out or a tour or a big local show to review.
