How To Get Featured In Music Magazines
Knowing how to get featured in music magazines is a challenge for any artist. It’s something that not only you can show off in your profile, but also connects with fans, critics and industry pros as well.
The best ways for acts to get featured in music magazines include playing live shows, having active profiles, networking with labels and PR reps, and reaching to publications themselves.
No matter if the press is a free giveaway at a show or the main feature of national publications, any mention in a publication gets eyes on your name.
It can set the pathway for people to check out a live show, listen to your latest songs or even get to connect with your persona off the stage.
So what does it take to get featured in music magazines?
How Many People Read Music Magazines?
For many people, music magazines are often the first place where they might be introduced to an artist. Whether it’s through a profile piece or a review, even getting a mention in a publication gets a foot through the door.
Why is this important? Because magazines have a way of connecting with readers that other media formats don’t often portray. Whether it is a digital or print publication, they provide quick and easy to access a wide audience.
Magazines as a genre of media have a dedicated fan base as well. A 2022 YouGov poll showed that 48% of American readers prefer to read magazines over websites or dual-formats. This kind of dedication shows that any exposure to a publication increases your profile.
And subscriber bases tend to be steady year over year. For example, dedicated genre-specific titles like Classic Rock magazine generate annual circulation figures of 30,000 (as per ABC UK).
This means that thousands of people will see your name even if its just mentioned once in a smaller-scale publication.
Just think what fame you could get if a brand like Rolling Stone mentions you within their subscriber base of 420,000 annually.
How To Get Featured In Music Magazines
Understanding the reach of magazines is one thing. Getting yourself into one is a completely different story.
However, it isn’t anywhere near as difficult as it might seem. The best ways to get featured in a music magazine often include:
- Playing live shows
- Releasing new music
- Partnering with PR firms
- Reaching out to the publication itself
You will find that music journalists will be anywhere and everywhere on the scene. After all, it is their job to not only report on industry happenings but find new scoops.
This means that your act is only one of a few ways to reach any kind of music journalist.
The thing to remember though is that you won’t always be aware of it though. You won’t immediately know if a journalist is in a crowd at a show. Therefore, giving your all in every facet of your music is a great way to put an added emphasis on your act no matter what you might be doing.
Always play live shows
Perhaps the best way to get yourself noticed by a magazine is by playing live shows. There is always a good chance that if you play a live gig, there will be someone there to review it.
No matter if you are the opener or the headliner, your act will be reviewed if you are playing. That means putting on a good show is crucial if you want to get rave reviews from any visiting journalists.
If you impress, it will mean getting a great review in an issue and generating interest from readers who may have missed the show and want to check out new stuff.
It’s something that music publicists look for today. Bob Bradley, founder and president of Bradley Publicity, highlights that:
“Playing shows is one of the best ways to shamelessly promote your art without having to share your Spotify link over and over again”.
“When you book a show, there’s an opportunity for live photography, video, networking, earning new fans and building alliances with other artists, promoters and venues”
It’s why even landing a spot on a side-stage at a festival can work wonders.
Take Warped Tour as a great example of this.
Out of the 7 stages held at every stop during its existence, you would find at least two stages dedicated to local emerging bands. This would draw in the likes of Alternative Press, Decibel and Under The Radar to review acts at each stop.
Nailing a slot even here would do wonders for your social media presence – especially if it got a mention in a national publication that reached thousands of readers nationwide.
So even if you played just one sideshow – let alone an entire tour – getting your name out there and reviewed puts you at an advantage over any other act that missed out on the slot. It was why in 2013, over 25,000 acts entered the Warped Tour Battle of the Bands competition.
Maintain an active profile
Being active on stage isn’t the only way to get featured in music magazines. Indeed, having any sort of active presence gives you a shot at being featured. There are plenty of ways to do this such as :
- Engaging in social media
- Creating electronic press kits
- Uploading new content
Music journalists are always looking for something new to grasp. And having an active profile online will get attention from all sources – including keen journos. But don’t think having a few cool pictures will be enough.
If you want to get their attention, you need to always be keeping things updated. This means uploading new material to Bandcamp or YouTube and posting new content on Instagram or TikTok to keep people interested.
You can even create an electronic press kit and update that regularly to put everything into one distinct package. This way, it makes it easy for journalists to see a great snapshot of you and reach out if interested.
By doing that, it creates a quick and direct connection between you and anyone interested in doing a piece on your band.
There is a knack to keep it short and sweet as Bob Bradley explains: ” It’s important to create a “media kit” to have ready to promote yourself. But keep it simple, now more than ever.”
All this combined makes you seem like an act with a story to tell and one that any journalist would want to have featured in their music magazine for a future issue.
Working With PR Firms
If you are not sure that you can generate interest by your means, there are other ways to reach out to publications and magazines.
That comes by linking up with a media agency or PR firm to promote your needs. PR firms send out packages to interested outlets promoting you as an artist and what you bring to the table.
For example, if you have just recorded an EP, you are going to want to generate buzz for it in any way possible. If you have a small fanbase, it’s likely not going to gain much traction. However, linking up with a PR team can change all that.
PR agencies can create bundles to send to press outlets, featuring your music. This bundle will include copies of the EP itself, a profile of the band and ways to reach them. Any good PR agency often sends this out to all types of music magazines to plug their client – and any new material they have.
Upon receiving this, music magazines can then create a range of different types of stories. It could be:
- Interviews to tie in with a release
- Reviews of the record
- News piece touting the release and upcoming tour dates
All these different ways can give you an instant promotion for your act should a magazine feature you after reaching out via a PR agency.
Making new contacts
If you want to get featured in music magazines and don’t have the resources to hire a PR firm, you can always take the old-school approach: doing things yourself.
There is no harm in trying to expand your network in the industry, particularly with media outlets. It’s not always going to be easy to get a journalist’s attention though. Bradley alludes to this stating: “nothing beats getting off the couch and hitting up a local show or music industry event.”
Most music journalists will get dozens of acts every month sending them new material – by themselves or through agencies. So you need to be persistent when taking this approach. And that means not giving up after just one email.
If you are at event seminars, don’t be afraid to promote yourself and your music. If you strike up a conversation with a magazine rep, give them a reason to invest in you.
Have a conversation and engage with them. By doing this, you are selling yourself as a commodity as well as an act. It then gives a journalist added impetus to chat with you further if you have a good relationship.
All this pays dividends in the long run if you form good relationships with journalists within your direct network. It then makes getting featured in their music magazine much easier whenever you have something new to share.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell, there is no shortage of ways for brands to get featured in music magazines. It’s all about making your act look good and selling your act to the world.
By playing live shows, you can get reviews without even knowing your act is being profiled. Furthermore, maintaining a visible profile also draws the media to your act in the digital sphere.
If you are looking to reach out to the media, teaming up with a PR agency is a good way to reach numerous publications to promote new releases or shows.
However, you can do this yourself and expand your network if you are willing to graft for it.
No matter what method you choose, there are plenty of ways you can learn how to get featured in music magazines and make headlines today.
Special thanks to music publicist Bob Bradley – author of the book “Public Relations for Musicians”
