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Remote Weekly Columnists wanted (music tech) | $500 per week

Added 2020-10-05 19:45:49 +0000 UTC

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: WATER & MUSIC

Deadline (applications): 15 October 2020

Cherie Hu, Founder of Water & Music, is looking for 2 columnists:

I’m Cherie Hu and I run Water & Music, a membership-funded newsletter and community forum dedicated to the fine print of innovation in the music business. Over the past year and a half, the newsletter has grown into one of the leading independent music-industry editorial brands, attracting nearly 10,000 readers and 900 paying members across the worlds of music, film, fashion, advertising, gaming, investment banking, venture capital and more. Our editorial guarantee is that each story we publish provides readers with an eye-opening, underrated angle on the future of the music business, backed by original reporting and analysis that you won't find elsewhere.

THE ROLE:

To support Water & Music’s growth, I’m looking to hire two weekly columnists to expand our cutting-edge coverage and analysis of music-tech trends. These are part-time, remote-friendly positions that pay $500 per week. I’m biased, but if you are a voracious consumer of music-tech news, have a unique perspective on the industry and are eager to help steer the weekly conversation around its future, then this would be a great opportunity for you.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:

Each columnist will own Water & Music’s coverage around a specific subset of how music, technology and business intersect. The ideal column topic will generate enough story ideas to fill a weekly, 1,200- to 1,500-word column for at least six months (that’s 24 articles in total).

Examples may include, but are certainly not limited to:

Music strategies at big-tech companies (i.e. FAANG)
The future of the music livestreaming business
The business of convergence: Analyzing music partnerships with other entertainment and culture sectors (e.g. film, gaming, podcasts, fashion, influencer marketing)
Music-industry applications of emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, VR/AR/MR, blockchain/crypto)
Music merch and ecommerce strategies
Digital artist development and brand-building in 2020 and beyond
Accessible guides to the legal issues facing the music-tech ecosystem
Music-tech developments in Asia or Africa

You will take the lead on researching and writing each installment of your column. I will be your de facto editor, helping you to home in on the best story angles, stay true to Water & Music’s voice and ensure high standards of reporting and analysis throughout the process. You should not just rehash already-reported information in your column, but rather should be ready and willing to offer your own take on the impact that a given trend or announcement will really have on the music industry.

If you have the bandwidth and interest, there may also be an opportunity for you to write shorter analyses on newsier music-industry stories as they arise (for an additional fee), and to help shape Water & Music’s editorial and community strategies as your column develops.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Must-have

T-shaped knowledge of the music industry. By this, I mean a combination of broad, foundational knowledge of music-industry terminology and key players on the one hand, with deep expertise in and excitement about a specific vertical of music (namely, the topic of your column) on the other hand.
Exceptional news judgment and storytelling skills, with a knack for clean copy and the ability to present complex topics in a digestible way.
Familiarity with the music-industry trade journalism landscape, and a willingness to challenge its conventions.
Independent, self-motivated worker.
No conflict of interest or outside agenda that would impact your ability to write clearly and authoritatively about your topic.

Strongly preferred

4+ years of prior experience in journalism, criticism, academic research, digital media and/or industry-facing music roles (i.e. at labels, publishers, artist management companies, streaming services, concert promoters and so on). Yes, internships count.
Prior experience with news reporting, fact-checking, market research, data analysis and/or business strategy.
Familiarity with Water & Music’s voice and coverage.
Established network of sources and contacts in the music industry that can drive research and story generation for a column.
Familiarity with Airtable and Google Docs.
Professional proficiency or fluency in a language other than English.
Familiarity with and enthusiasm for the burgeoning independent newsletter ecosystem (as popularized by platforms like Substack, Ghost and Patreon).

APPLICATION MATERIALS:

If you’re interested in applying for this role, please send an email to waterandmusic.jobs@gmail.com, with the format “COLUMN: [Your full name]” in the subject line, as well as the following information:

Resume/CV.
Links or attachments of at least three relevant articles you’ve written in the past few years.
One- to two-paragraph summary of why you’re interested in joining Water & Music as a columnist.
One- to two-paragraph summary of your column idea, answering the following questions:
- What will your column be about?
- Why will your column be a must-follow for music-industry professionals?
- Why are you the best person to write this column?
- How will your column stand out from other writing that’s already been published on the same topic? What unique perspective will you bring to the table?
- Do you have any conflict of interest or outside agenda that would impact your ability to write clearly and authoritatively about your topic?
Brief pitches (a few sentences each) for your first two hypothetical column installments, if you were to start today. These pitches are by no means a hard commitment; this part is mainly to get a better sense of what you think is an interesting story.

We take diversity seriously and strive to make our reporting and hiring practices as inclusive as possible. Women, nonbinary and LGBTQIA-identifying people, people of color and those living outside the major music-industry hubs (i.e. New York, Los Angeles, Nashville) are especially encouraged to apply.

The application deadline is 11:59PM EST on October 15, 2020. No late applications will be accepted.

JOB SUMMARY: