How to Write About Music

Collection of great long and short pieces on (pop) music, profiles, analyses and personal reactions; practical manual for breaking into a challenging and protean business; text for a cool college course; all-star lineup of contemporary music writers; models for venues from your own blog to the New Yorker; thing to dip into for bite-size bits of advice-How To Write About Music is, as the Dead Boys never quite put it, all this (and more). Highlights include Chuck Klosterman's interview how-to, Susan Fast's exegesis of Dangerous, Alex Ross's Radiohead, and, and, and-the volume draws on the 33 1/3 books without being in thrall to them, and it introduces many styles and many tastes-it's hard to imagine a better place to start. Stephen Burt, Professor of English, Harvard University, USA All killer and no filler-How to Write About Music is crammed full of stylistically diverse excerpts and stellar advice from the world's leading music writers. From Tavi Gevinson's chit-chatty Taylor Swift defense to Susan Fast's benchmark 33 1/3 proposal on Michael Jackson; students, bloggers and experienced critics alike are sure to find plenty of inspiration. Innovative, accessible and organized like a lovingly compiled mix tape, How to Write About Music will have you jiving around The Shard in no time. Samantha Bennett, Senior Lecturer, The Australian National University, Australia The best critics make it look easy, but figuring out how and why music works on us-why certain sounds and melodies can incite ecstasy or devastation-is extraordinarily tough work. This smartly compiled primer, the first of its kind, is jammed full of priceless advice on how to make it happen. Amanda Petrusich, author of Do Not Sell At Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78rpm Records The long-running 33 1/3 series is branching out from its usual pocket-sized, album-by-album format to round up some of the best writing about music from the sharpest minds in the business. Fact Mag Bloomsbury is publishing How To Write About Music, a book collecting a selection of texts from the 33 1/3 series, as well as excerpts from magazines, books and blogs, plus advice from music writers. Editors Marc Woodworth and Ally-Jane Grossan interviewed over 40 music writers for the textbook, including the likes of Drew Daniel, Anthony Kwame Harrison, Richard Henderson, Marvin Lin, Paul Morley, Jessica Hopper, and The Wire's Editor-In-Chief, Tony Herrington. The Wire It is remarkable that while there have been plenty of music history books and biographies, there has never really been a guide about the profession and just how to get started in it-until now. Edited by Marc Woodworth and Ally-Jane Grossan, How to Write About Music is a new title from Bloombsury, the publishing company that puts out the 33 1/3 music book series. Excerpts of writings from the series are included in this guide as well as from other books, magazines and blogs. Specific areas about music journalism from crafting the live review to writing artist profiles are augmented by tips from writers and editors; there's even a section on how to pitch a 33 1/3 book. -- David Chiu Brooklyn Based A no-brainer purchase for amateur music writers. -- Stephen Carlick Exclaim! A book that can be read straight through or kept as a quick guide when needed, How to Write About Music is a book that every music writer should read over at least once. -- Desiree Ossandon Canada Arts Connect ... there's really no reason why anyone interested in music-writing - both writer and reader - wouldn't want to get hold of this book. Loads of great advice and examples, practical tips and a checklist for how to go about (attempting) to make your mark in this modern and then post-modern world. A pretty crucial, indispensable even set of words. -- Simon Sweetman Off The Tracks