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anybody looking for a columnist/writer?

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Zappastolethetowels View Drop Down
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    Posted: November 03 2023 at 19:50
Guys,
What LP would you like me to review?

Please subscribe to my Substack and indicate through chat your name and how much you paid - once confirmed, you will be placed in a queue (relative to the order and amount contributed) to have your request completed. 

There is no paywall, and the subscription plans are generous. 
I have no source of income atm (finding a job has proven difficult) and I am also a student with limited time. 

 Please consider helping out!   It would mean the world HeartSmile

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 02 2023 at 09:58
My Substack: https://substack.com/@alexsprogjourney

Chicago III is up... I will be taking viewer's requests, and the most in-demand LP at the moment will be getting a review!

Everything is up for free... but please consider referring and subscribing to help motivate and incentivize my writing! 

I am off work, and balancing school with writing can be difficult. I hope to keep this going as long as I could, so every one of you can help to make a difference! Support is always felt and appreciated! SmileClap


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 01 2023 at 14:27
Hey Guys! 

My Chicago III review is up in the Blog forum - please check it out! Smile

Check OP for business inquiry details.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 29 2023 at 17:12
Originally posted by JD JD wrote:

...
BTW, as a side note here, if you're looking for a job in journalism you might want to brush up on the lingo to show you really ARE knowledgeable. No such thing as a "prototype" in writing. It's called a draft. Any hiring manager in the business would question your experience based on that alone.
...

Hi,

Interesting comment.

I never thought of things, or my writing, as having to show that i am "knowledgeable". I merely, and always, state that this is my experience in the matter over the years, and that's not exactly the same thing as "knowledgeable".

I would be concerned about "showing" something that one might not have, as yet, for example, due to age, or lack of studies in the matter so far ... you learn more as you go along.

I think that anyone "looking" for a writer of some kind, would want someone with a strong positive attitude towards the material of choice, and an ability to discuss it well, instead of just saying generic comments that don't exactly explain the music or its contents. When you check, my comments/review of T.A.P. for example, you will find my honest feelings, and I was thankful that I had the right thoughts and ideas as commented in the response ... that is a bonus, and a rarity. 

I doubt, that today, there will be a "comprehensive" place for "writers" to do something ... until such a time as there is something original somewhere else where a handful of folks show their abilities. Just about everything nowadays, is a database (people? you're kidding me!), or one person that has a bigger interest in things that most ... but his/their position is more towards a database than it is towards anything serious about the music. A database doesn't give a poop about the music ... it just creates numbers and some folks have this idea that those numbers are what define life and living. I'm not sure that this is true for "the arts" at all, the one thing that has a wider history of no success, and yet ... there it is.

I would love to be a part of PA ... but the folks involved would not be interested in someone that has been involved in the arts so much, and is not going to help with their database, or heaven forbid, help define/decide where to place a particular band ... something that has less to do with the material than it does someone's "idea" of what things are that they listen to ... real or not! I don't live like that, honestly, and still go by feelings and what I see when I hear something, or when I see something in a film ... it's about how it cultivates your mind and body ... for me. 
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 29 2023 at 15:15
I'm sure most of you here are more knowledgeable than I in regard to current-standing publications or magazines with an ear for 'progressive music', or those just taking personal reviews of the sort. Can anybody list some names?

I have a work-in progress review on "Chicago III" that I am happy to share once completed! I will put it up here too - maybe, in the review forum.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 04 2023 at 06:32
Hi,

One last comment ... that might or might not help ...

PA, and many of the other music websites are a DATABASE ... and as such, none of them are wanting writers for anything ... they only want a couple of more code folks to help maintain the database ... over and out.

Thus, the chances of "getting through" and getting some attention, will be much more difficult, and likely to add to some frustration that may already be present to yourself.

No two places, are the same, however ... all databases ... ARE the same, with one small detail or other worked on ... so to speak, but a database based group looking for a writer/columnist? ... Not sure it will go ... USA Today for example is letting go many of their writers ... and they are using samples and comments from their other writers instead, so that none of the material is "fresh" and "clean". It's becoming just another database!

For folks like you and I, our only chance, is a dream ... that a new age of artistic values comes through and takes down a lot of this commercial pulp writers and pulp pop music ... (people that can sing notes, but have no soul behind it!!!) ... but it will only take a few more years and the great Corporate Rape will take place again ... this is what happened to FM Radio in America in the late 70's and early 80's when all the "independent" stations were bought out  ... and right before your eyes and ears ... you got "classic" radio ... all "hits" ... and the new material suffered some, but was already too far developed and then into the 90's the music power of industry fell out even more to independent folks that created their own ... but today's listeners are totally enthralled by graven images of nothing ... it might make you some money ... but you will be done a few years later replace by some other graven image. Blonde or not! 


Edited by moshkito - October 06 2023 at 12:26
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 04 2023 at 06:20
Originally posted by progaardvark progaardvark wrote:

...
Having said that, I agree that focusing on more well-known bands at the start gives a greater chance of reaching that 500 subscriber threshold.
...

I'm not sure of that ... but I have no stats to back it up, so I'm OK with your comment.

My take, and it comes from the late 60's and early 70's, is that you do NOT stick to the well known material and you start talking about the things that look like they are gonna hit ... which will immediately bring some folks to your side. And this is what happened to Space Pirate Radio, specially doing one night a week that was totally off-radio and experimental to the max ... and you can see it today on the chat at the twerking thing, that many of those folks talk about that early show as very special and they still appreciate the work being done.

Doing TW one more time, is a serious time waste. You will get one more hit, but that hit won't stay and leave for somewhere else. You kinda want the hits that matter, and keep you in one piece, which you can eventually (hopefully) bank on to make $50 monthly off it ... let's say! 

While I love PF/Gen/Rush/ELP, JT and all that ... anyone trying to make a new video about Aqualung, or Karn Evil 9 ... is not going to get the attention, unless you come off like a blonde making it look like she is very smart ... by using an example that is not even representative of what she thinks ... TW is theatrical .. NOT PROGRESSIVE! 

Again, this is difficult for me to discuss, since  my own father was published in at least 36 languages and he was/is a monster in Portuguese Literature in the 20th century ... and nothing I say here makes much sense to many folks here, since the experience of that is so different and peculiar that today, folks actually think I'm lying about it all! Today's world, and specially the literature world in many Universities is the pits and it is laughed at ... all you can do with it is become another professor rehashing the same old books ... no future that is satisfying at all!

IF I take a clue from the many writers that we met (while we were kids) it is that none of them quit on themselves. And that is a MAJOR POINT and requires a lot of sacrifice within yourself ... and the stronger you get from it, the better off you will be. But I'm not sure that my saying this is gonna help you today in a world where "faake" imagery and shows on the "net" makes you "famous" ... or at least with a few more hits than none!
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 03 2023 at 14:57
Originally posted by JD JD wrote:

Originally posted by Zappastolethetowels Zappastolethetowels wrote:

[EDIT]

I would be happy to offer a "prototype" of any sort for you to get a preconceived notion of my abilities and knowledge. I am willing to start with minimal pay and then gradually take it from there! 

I will be taking any offers! 

For any inquiries, please see below... or just post in the discussion Smile

Alexander Nudler
646-589-1272
BTW, as a side note here, if you're looking for a job in journalism you might want to brush up on the lingo to show you really ARE knowledgeable. No such thing as a "prototype" in writing. It's called a draft. Any hiring manager in the business would question your experience based on that alone.
Not trying to be cruel here, just honest.
No offense taken, just a "brush up on the lingo" as you say Wink

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote JD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 03 2023 at 13:54
Originally posted by Zappastolethetowels Zappastolethetowels wrote:

[EDIT]

I would be happy to offer a "prototype" of any sort for you to get a preconceived notion of my abilities and knowledge. I am willing to start with minimal pay and then gradually take it from there! 

I will be taking any offers! 

For any inquiries, please see below... or just post in the discussion Smile

Alexander Nudler
646-589-1272
BTW, as a side note here, if you're looking for a job in journalism you might want to brush up on the lingo to show you really ARE knowledgeable. No such thing as a "prototype" in writing. It's called a draft. Any hiring manager in the business would question your experience based on that alone.
Not trying to be cruel here, just honest.


Edited by JD - October 03 2023 at 13:58
Thank you for supporting independently produced music
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Saperlipopette! Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 03 2023 at 13:21
Originally posted by Zappastolethetowels Zappastolethetowels wrote:

Originally posted by Saperlipopette! Saperlipopette! wrote:

For quality in depth writing there's more of a future in this kind of model.
Is that a compliment; do I sound wise beyond my years? LOL

I can't thank you enough for suggesting this interview - that is sure a lit lightbulb of an idea! 
Glad to hear! 

... I don't know enough to have formed enough of an impression to hand out compliments as such, but you come across as someone who's ambitious about the quality of the writing in itself. And that's a good thing:) 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 03 2023 at 12:50
@progaardvark

Boy, YT seems like it's the only business startup model taking hold for the future. A shame I say because not everyone wants to spend their time editing and monetizing their videos! Plus I am just about the least versed in the digital creator world as can be!

And yes, the echo chamber for prog reaction videos is unbelievable: so repetitive and formulaic! $$$

Plus, I am very anti any reaction video! I find them disingenuous and lazy. Unless it's a choice reactive individual who actually enjoys prog and what it has to offer, I won't even bother! 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 03 2023 at 12:35
Originally posted by Saperlipopette! Saperlipopette! wrote:

Originally posted by Zappastolethetowels Zappastolethetowels wrote:

Not so much what I'm after Frets, but appreciate the idea nevertheless!
I think you should reconsider, because for what you're wishing to focus on, creating your own workspace is pretty much the only chance of ever getting payed for doing something like this. I see that you're 21 years old, but I this looks like it's written sometime in the 20th century:

Originally posted by Zappastolethetowels Zappastolethetowels wrote:

If anybody here works for or owns a publication with an emphasis on progressive music, I would be happy to acquire a position somewhere along the lines of Columnist/Editor in Chief/Reviewer, you name it - as long as writing is the focus! 

I would be happy to offer a "prototype" of any sort for you to get a preconceived notion of my abilities and knowledge. I am willing to start with minimal pay and then gradually take it from there!

...but I can surely understand not wanting to make youtube-videos when writing is your actual strength and interest. Check out this interview with American music critic and historian Ted Gioa on (among many other interesting things) how he gave up on traditional media and created his own writing platform on Substack. There he can gets to decide his own business model and can get payed multiple times for the same article (as mainstream media ends up buying the right to publish some of his longform articles from there). For quality in depth writing there's more of a future in this kind of model.




 
Is that a compliment; do I sound wise beyond my years? LOL

I can't thank you enough for suggesting this interview - that is sure a lit lightbulb of an idea! 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote progaardvark Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 03 2023 at 04:14
Originally posted by Frets N Worries Frets N Worries wrote:

I'm not sure this is what you're going for, but i'm new to PA to, if you want to be able to write, you could start doing scripted reviews on YouTube of progressive music/rock. Now, you might not get paid well, but you could make a little money off of it eventually. Granted, bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, and Rush would get way more views than say, a video about Anonymous II from Focus 3. So you'd have to vary a bit, but well scripted documentary style videos on YouTube by independent creators about Prog Rock are in short supply, so that's a niche you could run with. 

Just to add to this, there are some requirements that have to be met before a channel can start monetization (meaning getting a share of ad revenue). In June, the requirement was changed to having 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and 3000 watch hours in the past year. That 500 subscriber entry is actually more generous than it used to be. Prior to that you needed 1000 subscribers. I do a channel on baseball cards and I have been on there for over a year (233 videos and counting) and have only 398 subscribers so far. However, I think the competition between channels for viewers is a bit steeper for sports cards than prog rock. 

Here is an article about the changes they made back in June:

Having said that, I agree that focusing on more well-known bands at the start gives a greater chance of reaching that 500 subscriber threshold. All the reaction channels start off with PF's Comfortably Numb from Pulse, Nightwish's Ghost Love Score at Wacken 2013, and Rush's YYZ at Rio, though it isn't clear to me whether reaction channels can monetize that sort of video or not. It's unfortunate that YouTube's model eventually leads to "echo chambers" where there are too many videos of the aforementioned songs (or groups) and not enough content on more obscure bands that deserve more attention.  


Edited by progaardvark - October 03 2023 at 04:15
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Saperlipopette! Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 03 2023 at 00:31
Originally posted by Zappastolethetowels Zappastolethetowels wrote:

Not so much what I'm after Frets, but appreciate the idea nevertheless!
I think you should reconsider, because for what you're wishing to focus on, creating your own workspace is pretty much the only chance of ever getting payed for doing something like this. I see that you're 21 years old, but I this looks like it's written sometime in the 20th century:

Originally posted by Zappastolethetowels Zappastolethetowels wrote:

If anybody here works for or owns a publication with an emphasis on progressive music, I would be happy to acquire a position somewhere along the lines of Columnist/Editor in Chief/Reviewer, you name it - as long as writing is the focus! 

I would be happy to offer a "prototype" of any sort for you to get a preconceived notion of my abilities and knowledge. I am willing to start with minimal pay and then gradually take it from there!

...but I can surely understand not wanting to make youtube-videos when writing is your actual strength and interest. Check out this interview with American music critic and historian Ted Gioa on (among many other interesting things) how he gave up on traditional media and created his own writing platform on Substack. There he can gets to decide his own business model and can get payed multiple times for the same article (as mainstream media ends up buying the right to publish some of his longform articles from there). For quality in depth writing there's more of a future in this kind of model.



 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 02 2023 at 19:16
I hate to say this but I might just add that I have too little time on my hands to be doing any editorial work as a hobby. I am entering that stage in my life where I have to start finding ways to make a living - plus, I am in college and my best bet in the near future is just a Bachelor's degree in Business. 

You heard that right: Business - my school would not even offer journalism to me. I took classes back in high school to learn as much as I could. A transfer is too expensive for me atm - I would need a job to balance with school. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 02 2023 at 19:06
Not so much what I'm after Frets, but appreciate the idea nevertheless!

I think scripted reviews on YT are plentiful and competition-heavy so probably not a good place to start for a newbie - I think the profit margin would be close to 0 ngl.

Regarding your 2nd point, I am not so much looking for video editing/creativity as just a writing outlet. I try to stick to what I think I know and can succeed in. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Snicolette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 02 2023 at 18:53
Most of the people I know who do reviewing, do it as a hobby, even if they were pro at one time.  The old world of being paid for writing is harder to break into than ever, but don't let that discourage you.  I do wish you luck, there are lots of reviewers here, and maybe you'll get some more concrete answers from the more established ones.  I commend you for wanting to follow your dream and having the guts to ask around how it might be done.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Frets N Worries Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 02 2023 at 18:43
I'm not sure this is what you're going for, but i'm new to PA to, if you want to be able to write, you could start doing scripted reviews on YouTube of progressive music/rock. Now, you might not get paid well, but you could make a little money off of it eventually. Granted, bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, and Rush would get way more views than say, a video about Anonymous II from Focus 3. So you'd have to vary a bit, but well scripted documentary style videos on YouTube by independent creators about Prog Rock are in short supply, so that's a niche you could run with. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 02 2023 at 18:37
Sorry @JD
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zappastolethetowels Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 02 2023 at 18:36
Ok, full disclosure that I am new to PA and the business, but I think you're getting at the fact that I'm trying to be a show off which I'm not. I've never done this before and this just seems like the most logical place to start.

Proving myself is what I'm after, but I want to make sure a publication is Interested and Right. 

I'm not denying what you're saying (whether you've actually been down the path you claim, I don't know) but I think PA can be a useful tool for getting yourself out there - I mean how many users does PA have? The amount of expertise on this site is unmatched - maybe rivaled by a select few. 

I brought myself here because I think I am a worthy prospect, and would go out of my way to reach that goal with some guidance from older folks like you.

I will go and do research on some of these "established" papers to get an idea. I'm sure you read what Mosh wrote above: the market is not what it used to be and prog is not as compatible with the mainstream as you might think. Jumping straight into the shark pool may not be the best approach if you're looking to write about progressive music - that is essentially the point I am trying to make.  

Just throwing that out there... 



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