23 Publishers that Pay for Writing on Music

Writers! Today for you, I have a list of 25 publications that pay for writing about music.

We’ve researched payment rates and contact information for these publishers, so you can easily contact the right editor.

If you’re new to pitching, I encourage you to spend time carefully studying the publications you would like to write for. Learn their style, how they’re organized, the types of writing they publish, and even the general lengths of the articles they publish. Also, pay special attention to the way they write article titles, as this is often vital to the pitch writing process.

Once you’re familiar with the publication, you can brainstorm ideas, and then carefully craft a short pitch to the appropriate editor at the publication. For paid subscribers, feel free to send me a draft pitch, and I’ll give you my feedback.

If you’re looking for even more opportunities to get published,you should also check out this list of 200 Publications that Pay Writers. You can also browse the many lists we’ve published so far on this site.

1. Electronic Sound is a print and digital magazine about contemporary electronic music and culture. They cover “the current scene, the pioneers, the machines, and the current thinking of the electronic music world.” According to one payment report, they paid $0.21 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.

2. GRAMMYs / Recording Academy is a society of music professionals. They’re seeking pitches about “diverse artists, genres, and musical communities with national relevance.” They’re mainly seeking “larger culture features and lists highlighting the intersection of music with broader issues such as politics, history, health and technology.” They’re also looking for artist interviews, artist “discoveries”, and evergreen features/lists. Rates are $250 to $500 per piece. To read their pitch guide, click here. To visit their website, click here.

3. Paste Magazine publishes articles about music, TV, video games, and comedy. They seem to have have a broad focus on popular culture. Previous reports indicate they pay .05 to .10 cents per word. To learn more, contact their editors here, and read their submission guidelines here.

4. Remezcla is an independent media brand that covers emerging Latin music, entertainment, and culture. According to one of their editors, the pay rate for short news posts starts at $50 and other articles start at $100+ depending on the word count. To contact them, visit this page.

5. DJ Mag is a British monthly magazine and website about electronic dance music and DJs. According to their features editor, “in 2020, across print and digital, we’re looking to publish longform features that are ideally not centered around one artist.” Writers are paid based on the length and type of music-related articles. Music columns (500 words) earn £180, while live event reviews (1200–1800 words) pay £240–£360. Short "Bubblers" pieces (150 words) receive £30, and "Get To Know" articles (600 words) get £120. "At Home With" features (2400 words) pay £480, and "Game Changer" articles (1800–2200 words) pay £360–£440.They pay 20p a word for longform features. To pitch, refer to this page.

6. Catalog is a curated music marketplace that has generated over $3 million in revenue for independent artists. They welcome pitches for articles that tie into at least one Catalog record or address topics such as thoughtful essays and debates on music/web3, profiles highlighting under-appreciated artists and music communities, and oral histories of influential and beloved musical works. The rate is $200 per piece, with articles ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 words. For more information on how to pitch, please refer to their page.