If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me "how did you become a music journalist?" or "can you give me advice? I want to do what you do." I would probably be a millionaire.
If you are one of the people that sent me a message to ask me one of these questions, today is the day you've been waiting for.
If you are searching for a magic answer to reach your goals or find your big break, I have some news for you: you are going to be disappointed. The bottom line is, it took me years of perseverance and work (with very minimal results at first) before I got anywhere. I was lucky to find amazing opportunities in the music industry but they didn't happen overnight. I am still figuring out my place in this chaotic world but I figured it was worth sharing my experiences and the small bits of wisdom that I've accumulated over the last nine years.
Question one: how did you become a music journalist?
I didn't wait for someone to hire me and I made the opportunities for myself instead. I started my own music blog called Rock Forever Magazine when I was in high school. The youtube channel is still online if you want to take a trip down memory lane: youtube.com/rockforevermagazine.
I didn't get big interviews with international artists overnight. I started in my local scene to build experience and develop a reputation for being a credible blog. I would drive long distances and wait hours, even if it meant talking to a local acoustic solo artist for five minutes.
I practiced constantly, made a list of goals, studied my interviews, learned how to improvise outside of my questions, took notes on how to improve my body language and public speaking skills, and analyzed Oprah Winfrey's every move.
Little by little I built up the confidence to email big-time publicists to request interviews and I believed that anything was possible. I requested interviews with Justin Bieber, AFI, Maroon 5, the Backstreet Boys...literally any big artists that came through my area. What was the worst that could happen? They would say no...but what if they said yes? The only way to get an opportunity is to reach for it. I believed that a publicist would eventually give me a chance if I stayed persistent (and spoiler alert: they did).
The first big interview I landed was with Big Time Rush (throwback to that Nickelodeon show) and I was jittering with nerves but it ended up being a success. From there, I used that experience to lock in interviews with Never Shout Never, Imagine Dragons, Ariana Grande, and more. I was open to interviewing anyone and never shied away from an opportunity, no matter how daunting or spontaneous. It was a slow, constant build up and I consistently posted interviews every week for over six years.
I developed connections and found relationships with people who were willing to help me grow. I met one of the founders behind Playlist Live who introduced me to Jenna Marbles, Grace Helbig, Tyler Oakley, Dan and Phil, and Destery. I had extensive conversations with Warped Tour's press coordinator and emailed many music industry professionals to make my presence known. I soaked in every bit of advice and applied it to my YouTube channel. By the end of my run with RFM, I reached 37,000 subscribers and over 6 million views.
Rock Forever Magazine was the launching pad that led me to the next step in my career and my ultimate dream job: the Warped Tour Pit Reporter position.
Question two: how did you get on Warped Tour?
I started watching the Warped Tour pit blogs in 2010 when I went to my first Warped Tour. I was a big fan of Tiffany Mink, the pit reporter at the time, and even took a picture with her at the show (little did I know that we would have a full circle moment together a few years later). It was always a goal of mine to be a pit reporter and that is part of the reason I started doing interviews.
In 2013 I finally gained enough confidence in my skills to start asking about the position. I approached Warped Tour’s press coordinator and Kevin Lyman to get advice on how to become a pit reporter. At the time, they didn't have any information but encouraged me to stay persistent.
Then in 2014 the moment I had been waiting for – Warped Tour posted that they were hiring a new pit reporter and invited anyone to submit a video application for the position. Without missing a beat, I submitted my video and endlessly refreshed my email inbox in anticipation for a response.
A few weeks later, the Warped Tour team narrowed down the applications to the top 3 and asked fans to vote for their favorite. I spent weeks messaging everyone I knew to vote for me and promoted the voting link tirelessly.
After the voting ended I received a call from Warped Tour social media manager with the news: I won with over 80% of the votes. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life and it changed the trajectory of my career forever.
After pit blogging on Warped Tour 2015, I was invited to do it again for a second year in a row and then again in 2018! Little by little, new opportunities have presented themselves and it has gotten me to where I am now. It has been a slow but steady snowball effect.
Question three: what is the best advice you have to become a music journalist?
1. You won't be a confident superstar journalist overnight but you have to fake it until you make it.
2. Be a self starter and don't wait for someone else to publish your work.
3. Never be scared of getting a "no" or else you might miss out on a "yes."
4. Networking will get you further than a resume.
5. If you want to be on-camera, watch yourself back and critique your own work. I know it can be hard to hear your own voice but that is the best way to learn. If something makes you cringe, ask yourself how you can improve it for next time!
6. If you are doing it to become friends with bands, don't do it. There is so much work that goes into it behind the scenes that FAR outweighs the time I spend with the artists. It takes 10 minutes to interview a band and 2 hours to edit and post it. That is just one example. Only pursue journalism if you love it.
7. Always stay open minded and ready to learn.
I hope this answers some of the most common questions and comments about how I started working as a music journalist. If you want to see what I'm up to now, subscribe to my YouTube channel: youtube.com/torikravitz !
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