Best non-specific music blogs
1. Music Business Worldwide
It may not be a blog in the real sense but Music Business Worldwide is considered one of the leading information services for the global music industry. Established in 2015 in London by music business journalist and analyst Tim Ingham, the website explores key issues and topics in the industry. It provides the most relevant news, expert interviews, insightful critical analysis, and two podcasts - the MBW Podcast and Talking Trends.
The MBW podcast centers around insider interviews with distinguished figures of the music business while the Talking Trends shows Ingham diving into the most recent headlines. Moreover, the site aims at music professionals, showcasing the latest job openings in the most prominent music companies worldwide.
Besides what we mentioned above, the website has been known for publishing industry reports. These include the calculations of the amount of money generated from streaming by the three major record companies - Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. The publication has been further vocal about the existence and promotion of pseudonymous, ‘fake’ artists on streaming platforms, particularly Spotify.
Currently, Music Business Worldwide's website has more than 500.000 monthly unique visits. In 2020, it ranked 22,845 in the list of most visited global websites according to Alexa Internet and in 2019 the site registered over 7 million page views.
2. Digital Music News
Founded and based in Santa Monica, Digital Music News is an American online magazine that serves up daily music industry news, a large portion of which is aimed toward its primary audience of music industry executives. Its content ranges from tidbits to daily reporting to significant stories.
What sets Digital Music News apart from other blogs is its distinctive focus on technology and its use and development within the music industry. You can read all about the emerging technological trends in the music business (usage of AI, VR, machine learning, etc.), the newest electronic innovations, or music-related or social media-related platform features.
What’s more, the publication looks into rather serious industry issues, such as music piracy, music-hate groups, or other legal matters, as well as more general topics including music streaming, talent development, music distribution, or live concerts. If you become a fan of Digital Music News and feel like the news you’re getting from there is not enough, you can subscribe to their free newsletter. It’s called Daily Snapshot and as the name suggests it’s sent out to its subscribers on a daily basis.
3. iMusician Blog
Our very own iMusician Blog is an impeccable source for all things music, strongly focused on the interests and needs of independent musicians and record labels like yourself!
From DAWs and other composition & songwriting software to music streaming to social media, our articles give you all the latest information and tips on how to navigate yourself through the music industry, aiming to help you grow and succeed.
Our guides then aspire to walk you through more complex yet highly important topics, such as music legislation (e. g. all kinds of licensing and contracts), online monetization or promotion, and building your music brand. You can also learn more about these topics directly from industry specialists through our Webinars or discover other independent artists through our Artist Spotlight.
Moreover, as we are proud to distribute to the widest range of digital shops and genres worldwide, we target this in our blog, too. Are you an electronic music artist looking for some tips on how to produce your music? Then our guide on how to master electronic music may come to hand!
Are you considering distributing your music to Beatport? You can find out more about it in our guide about what Beatport is and how it works! Are there specific topics you’re dying to explore? Let us know in our iMusician Community forum!
4. EARMILK
EARMILK is a well-reputed online music blog based in the US & Canada with an international appeal. Its content can be divided into 6 main categories: New Music, Industry News, Album Reviews, Gear Reviews, Interviews, and Features. When discovering new music on EARMILK, you can specifically focus on genres that interest you. In ‘Industry News’, you can then dive into various fields of expertise, from music gear to music & fashion, to technology, and much more.
The blog also has a special column called ‘Opinion’ where you can read long and thorough editorials and other articles on diverse topics mostly written from the perspective of journalists writing for EARMILK. The ‘Features’ column dives into exclusive stories, festival news, or music lists, showcasing the ‘best-ofs’ collected by the editors. Lastly, there is a section called ‘Series’ that is currently inactive.
5. Pitchfork
The American influential online publication, Pitchfork, was launched by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog called Turntable in 1995. This makes it almost 30 years that the publication, considered one of the most prominent music magazines in the world, has been active. In 2015, the magazine was sold to a global mass media company, Condé Nast, with Schreiber remaining the editor-in-chief.
Having started as a blog covering mostly the field of indie rock, Pitchfork has since expanded writing about all kinds of music and genres, stepping also into the contemporary pop scene. The site is widely known for its daily dose of music reviews that shaped the music industry, particularly during the 1990s and 2000s. It was even said that in the past, a Pitchfork music review could make or even break a career!
Although the reviews may not be that influential nowadays, they have remained a valuable part of the creative content that the publication puts out. Since 2016, each Sunday, Pitchfork has been also releasing retrospective reviews on music classics that it had not previously reviewed. Besides reviews, Pitchfork is also a great source of music-related news and is further known for publishing its ‘best-off’ lists as well as yearly features and retrospectives.
6. Stereogum
Stereogum is another American online music blog that was founded 21 years ago, in 2002 by Scott Lapatine. It was named after a lyric from the song ‘Radio #1’ by the French electronic and space pop duo Air. Established as an independent music publication, Stereogum was acquired by the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group in 2016. However, in 2020 it was purchased back by its original founder making it once again independent.
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The publication is considered as one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several accolades over the years, including the PLUG Award for Music Blog of the Year or the OMMA Award for Web Site Excellence in the Entertainment/Music category. Focused on music news, reviews, and interviews, Stereogum has played a greatly influential role in the industry. It was one of the first major music sites to write about Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, or Billie Eilish, artists that have since gained worldwide recognition.
Besides that, the magazine has been known for hosting popular music events showcasing both emerging and established artists. Over the years, their shows have included musicians and artists such as Sky Ferreira, St. Vincent, Rico Nasty, and Benjamin Gibbard.
7. Hypebot
Active since 2004, the Hypebot blog is similar to the previously mentioned Digital Music News. That’s due to its strong focus on technology and somewhat scientific know-how in the music industry (specifically, the NFTs and Web 3.0 seem to be their current fields of interest). However, that’s not all that Hypebot has to offer!
The blog also targets other sides of the music business, such as live performing, marketing and publishing & songwriting, and is home to daily content mostly for independent artists and record labels (you can find that in their DIY column). Hypebot has been owned and published by the world's leading live music discovery platform, Bandsintown.
8. For The Love of Bands
Launched in 2016 by Roel Welsink, For the Love of Bands is a fine music blog concentrating mostly on the best in contemporary indie music, including the up-and-coming indie artists and bands. The blog’s main focus is on exploring and discovering new music, covering reviews and artist interviews in a whole range of genres, from Indie to Garage to Americana.
Besides that, the blog aims to provide valuable information and music industry tips for independent artists, makes YouTube compilations, and just like the iMusician Blog, curates their own Spotify playlists.
9. New Music Express (NME)
The London-based music website and brand, New Musical Express (also known as just NME) was founded as a newspaper already in 1952. Back then, it was being referred to as a ‘rock inkie’. In the 1970s, it became the best-selling music newspaper in Britain while being strongly associated with punk culture. Later, it evolved into a music magazine than a free publication, and finally an online entertainment brand with its own website and a radio station.
Nowadays, the publication covers everything from music, gaming, TV, and film, providing, as well, a close look at the current celebrity culture across the world. In terms of music specifically, NME has been particularly known for its influential reviews, regarding both releases and live performances.
Just like Stereogum, NME, too, has, over the years, taking the position of an influence in new music. It has helped to pave the way for emerging artists including the White Stripes, the Strokes, the Vines, Kaiser Chiefs, and Arctic Monkeys. Particularly the last band mentioned has been majorly championed by the magazine.
In 2018, it was reported that NME was to cease its print publication after more than 60 years. However, a year later, the brand was acquired by Singaporean company BandLab Technologies and so the print version of NME has remained on the market. Besides the published print magazines, the NME Network is also responsible for the main NME.com website as well as an online music publication running currently in the UK, Australia, and Asia.
10. The Fader
The Fader is a New York-based music publication established in 1999 by American music and media executives Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. It’s known for being the first print publication to be released on iTunes. The website covers all things culture, style, and naturally, music, reporting mostly on industry news with a strong focus on music releases.
Besides the online publication, there are also Fader Film, Fader TV, and Fader Label, an independent record label, all owned by the Fader Media Group.
11. Spin
Founded almost 40 years ago in 1985, Spin is an American online music publication founded by a publisher Bob Guccione Junior. Having ceased its print version in 2012, it’s now running as a music website and an online magazine published bi-monthly.
Spin is mostly known for being home to all things new music. As we see it, It’s particularly focused on making new music discovery a bit fun and entertaining, classifying releases into rather witty-named categories, such as Difficult Fun, Blast Rites, or Blue Chips. Moreover, they traditionally cover reviews, interviews, and industry news, and compile their own lists of the best in music.
12. The Lines of Best Fit
Just like Spin, The Lines of Best Fit, too, concentrates on new music. Established in 2007 in London, it’s an independent online music magazine publishing music reviews, interviews, and features, promoting itself as pro-emotion, pro-passion, pro-care, and anti-nonchalant. Particularly its reviews are of high relevance as they are often used for review aggregate sites such as Metacritic or AnyDecentMusic?.
Besides what’s mentioned above, the magazine also publishes new, music premieres, live performances, curated playlists, and podcasts. Last but not least, its name is derived from a song on the You Can Play These Songs with Chords demo by Death Cub For Cutie
13. AllMusic
Similarly to Music Business Worldwide, AllMusic is also not explicitly a music blog but rather an intensely thorough online music database. Established in 1991, the database catalogs and lists more than 3 million albums and over 30 million tracks, together with reviews and additional information on the releases and the artists. Exactly for this, the source is a great place to discover music, both new and old, tracking and exploring different genres, moods, and themes. The database was first made available to the public in 1994.
Nowadays, All Music also covers artist interviews and news articles with a focus on music streaming and videos. Additionally, it’s known for compiling lists, and showcasing the best in contemporary music.
The best genre-specific music blogs
1. Classical-Music.com
As the name suggests, the Classical-Music blog is, safe to say, the n. 1 international online source for classical music, run and published by the BBC music magazine. It covers everything from news to reviews, to live music in the field of classical music.
Besides that, the blog posts daily educational content in its ‘Features’ section, focusing on a variety of topics, from all relevant composers and artists to key musical terms, to instruments, works, and recordings. There is also their very own Classical Music podcast called ‘Music to my Ears’ providing great discussions and conversations from the world of classical music.
2. Resident Advisor
Resident Advisor (also known as simply RA) is a popular destination for electronic music fans dedicated to championing the genre’s culture, artists, and events. Especially considering events, RA is the go-to page to find out about all possible electronic music shows and festivals happening worldwide. The website also works as a decent database of artists and popular venues in the field.
Founded in 2001, the blog is proudly independent, aiming to be the world’s leading platform for electronic music culture and discovery and it really seems they are on the right track.
3. Metal Injection
Metal injection is one of the leading authorities for metal music and as a blog, it’s pretty straightforward. Under the ‘Artist’ Column you can learn more about the genre’s biggest musicians while the ‘News’ section gives you updates on the entire metal culture (including new music, interviews, upcoming gigs and tours, lists, and more.)
You can also check out the latest videos released, listen to various metal music-oriented Spotify and Apple Music playlists, and read reviews of the newest metal releases.
4. Dancing Astronaut
Similarly to RA, Dancing Astronaut is one of the most prominent portals for electronic music, specifically dance music. There, you can get the latest news, new music, and editorials (under the ‘Features’ column) from the world of dance music and its culture. Additionally, the blog showcases and promotes the field’s most popular events through its beautiful ‘Photos’ section.
The blog’s main mission and purpose are to bring more attention to electronic and dance music and support the genre’s emerging and up-and-coming artists.
5. This is R&B
Home to the genre of R&B, This is R&B is a quality music blog featuring daily content including new music, reviews, videos, lyrics, interviews, editorials, live performances, playlists, and news from the R&B scene worldwide.
Founded in 2008, the blog is said to have played an influential role in the industry, introducing and promoting some of today’s most renowned R&B musicians. These include Bruno Mars, Emeli Sandé, Kehlani, and Frank Ocean.
6. Hip Hop Wired
As the leading destination for Hip Hop fans, Hip Hop Wired covers all things, Hip-Hop, mostly featuring the industry news and showcasing the genre’s most prominent and upcoming artists. Besides that, however, the blog also covers stories and editorials from the fields of tech, politics, and world affairs, and news (and, for some reason, pictures of the ‘most beautiful IG models).
7. Ultimate Classic Rock
Ultimate Classic Rock is very similar to the previously mentioned Metal Injection, only focused on rock instead of metal. In addition to the industry’s latest news and stories, rock music reviews, music lists, songs, and videos, the blog has a special section dedicated to the history of rock music. This way you can explore the newest acts of the rock music industry while also learning about its historical development.
8. Loudwire
Loudwire is an American online publication dedicated to featuring news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. The blog was established in 2001 and is particularly known for its exclusive interviews with the greatest relevant musicians like Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Slipknot, Metallica, and Judas Priest. From some of these and many other artists, Loudwire has also exclusively premiered their new materials and releases.
Besides news, new music, and artist interviews, Loudwire also covers playlists, music lists as well as rock and metal instruments in their section ‘Gear Factory’.
9. Marlbank
We’re concluding our list with a nice blog dedicated to jazz music, called the Marlbank. The blog offers a wide range of content from the newest jazz music releases to artist interviews, and relevant books, to past and upcoming live gigs. However, we’ve discovered that when scrolling through individual columns, the sections may seem rather empty.
Therefore, we have a tip for you: remain on the main page to read through all their articles, reviews, lists, or interviews. This way you can truly enjoy the content they put out.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that blogs have remained relevant sources of information. In this article, we have come up with the 22 best blogs related to music that we believe will give you exactly the knowledge you’re looking for in 2024. If there are some other music blogs that you love, feel free to let us know in our iMusician Community! We love to learn about new things just as much we love to share our knowledge with you.
