Pitches wanted (electronic music) | ~27 cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: DISCO POGO

Deadline: 7 March 2022

We are still accepting pitches for the first issue of Disco Pogo (out in May). We pay 20p per word. The deadline for our first issue is March 7th but we are also looking for pitches for our second issue and the deadline for that isn’t until June. Writers don’t have to be based in the UK.

HOW TO PITCH IDEAS TO DISCO POGO MAGAZINE

Disco Pogo is the new electronic music magazine, website and community from the original founders of  90s dance music magazine Jockey Slut.

Following a successful crowdfunder we are now looking for feature ideas for the first issue of the magazine due out at the end of April.

At the moment the editorial team is made up of original founders Paul Benney (paul@discopogo.co) and John Burgess (johnno@discopogo.co), alongside original deputy editor Jim Butler (jim@discopogo.co).

We will be adding more team members soon (if you are interested in getting more involved do let us know how you think you could help).

WHAT IS THE NEW MAGAZINE ABOUT?

Disco Pogo will be made up of approximately 45% fresh content about new music, 45% new content about old music from the last 50 years (beginning with Kraftwerk) and 10% archive material from Jockey Slut.

When writing about new artists we will try to put them in the context of electronic music from the past and when writing about the past we may try to make comparisons to now.

WHO ARE OUR READERS?

Our readers are made up of people who read and loved Jockey Slut first time round (40-50-somethings), plus younger readers (30-somethings) who are really into new electronic music but are also interested in what has come before over the last 50 years - but especially from the 90s onwards. Streaming has given younger people access to all the electronic music of the past so Disco Pogo can be a guide to some of that music. We are not trying to appeal to 20-somethings as that age group is well catered for elsewhere.

WHAT WILL BE ON THE WEBSITE?

The website will feature some content from the print magazine, some archive content from Jockey Slut and some original online-only content. The website will not feature daily news and new music posts (as this is already done well elsewhere) but will be updated a couple of times a week with medium- and long-form written content plus mixes, podcasts, live streams and video.

WHAT IS OUR WRITING STYLE?

We would like to maintain some elements of the writing style of the original Jockey Slut which was confident and authoritative and assumed a decent level of knowledge of the electronic music scene. We would also like to retain the sense of humour that the magazine was renowned for. However, humour is hard, some of us have grown up and the world has moved on, so we need to try to achieve this in a subtle, sophisticated, modern way.

WHAT WILL THE MAGAZINE BE LIKE VISUALLY?

There will be lots of original photography, mostly in a naturalistic style on location - we want artists to appear as they really are and not try to dress them up as pop stars too much. So we may photograph them in their home, in their studio or outside in their local area/favourite record shop etc.

There will also be lots of archive photography from the best photographers from the scene, plus old flyers, record labels and other documents.

WHAT KIND OF IDEAS ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

• Short-form and long-form interview features with the best new artists currently making music (especially women and artists from underrepresented backgrounds) that older electronic music fans absolutely must get-to-know with guides to their best releases. (500-3000 words)
• Long-form interview features with heritage electronic artists plus overviews of their careers and guides to their essential releases. (3000-5000 words)
• Long-form features on scenes, collectives, labels, clubs from the last 50 years - obviously important that these are subjects that are of interest to electronic music fans but also not the same subjects that they have read about many times before. If it is the same subject there needs to be a new angle. (3000-5000 words)
• Shorter features on classic, forgotten or overlooked albums, lost scenes or clubs, missing in action DJs from the past, special moments in time that need revisiting etc (1000-2000 words)
• Photo or artwork features using either new original photography or artwork or archive photography or artwork.
• Any other ideas that you think would work well in the mag!

WHAT REGULAR FEATURES WILL THERE BE?

• History of a club - interview feature with original and archive photography with the main
• protagonists behind a club night or venue (3000 words)
• At home with - interview feature with original photography around an artist/DJ’s house looking at
• their vinyl, books, furniture, art on the walls etc in an Apartamento visual style (2000 words)
• Have You Ever Ridden a Horse? Humorous Q&A feature borrowed from Jockey Slut (1000
• words)
• How to - run a label, a club, a fanzine, make music, write a book, keep a music career going etc
• (1000 words)
• Where are they now? (1000 words)

WHAT ARE WE NOT LOOKING FOR?

• Reviews of new albums, singles, gigs, clubs or festivals - we are looking for timeless content that
• could be re-read in years to come.
• News - see above.
• List-based features - although there may be a place for these on the website once that is up and running.

PLEASE NOTE:

When pitching to Disco Pogo please refer to these guidelines. As succinctly as possible, please explain
the premise of your article. Think about what you’re going to write and why our readers will want to read it.

Flesh out what makes your idea right for Disco Pogo. Why now? Where applicable, outline the cultural
relevance – both then, and now.

HOW MUCH DO WE PAY?

We pay 20p per word for written features.

WHAT’S THE DEADLINE FOR THE FIRST ISSUE?

We would like all pitches in by March 7th so that we can have all content delivered by the end of March. We are also looking for pitches for our second issue and the deadline for that isn’t until June.

Any questions please just drop us an email (but please don’t add these emails to any mailing lists):

• paul@discopogo.co
• johnno@discopogo.co
• jim@discopogo.co

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Questions / submissions: paul@discopogo.co, johnno@discopogo.co or jim@discopogo.co

Website: https://www.discopogo.co/

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