5 indie blogs accepting music right now

For new, up-and-coming artists, getting press is incredibly exciting, but can also be extremely difficult in such a crowded field, particular when it comes to larger, more well known blog and publications. Here, we look at five indie blogs where you’re much more likely to have a shot.

Guest post by Angela Mastrogiacomo of Soundfly’s Flypaper

What is it about press placements that can feel so exciting? Easy. It’s someone else recognizing your talent, appreciating your skill, and wanting to be a part of making sure the rest of the world knows just how amazing they think you are. 

It’s like they say — to be seen is powerful. There’s no better feeling. 

And when you’ve poured all you have into a new song, you want people to know about it. You want them to feel excited by it in the same ways you do. So of course the idea of getting press is exciting.

But here’s the little known secret of the music industry. While major, well known blogs are indeed incredibly popular and can be great for moving the needle forward in your career, this isn’t always the case. And while sometimes having the street credit that “big name blog featured us” is really cool, the impact doesn’t always go as far as the small blog placements.

And that’s for a few very key reasons. 

The first is that small blogs are usually a lot more generous when it comes to the reviews they write. They’ll take the time to really listen (and re-listen) to your music from start to finish, getting lost in all those beautiful little nuances that make it your own. Then, they’ll take the time to read your bio, maybe even do an interview with you and truly get to the core of who you and your music are. They write carefully thought out reviews that will have you screaming “finally!” because someone has managed to nail exactly what you’re all about in the most flattering way.

Then, there’s the audience.

Sure, a well known blog will have a larger audience but the fans of a small blog are typically more loyal. That, combined with the undeniable fact that small blogs will almost always share every article about an indie artist on social media — whereas larger ones often just share major artist or news stories to social media — means you have an even better chance of being truly seen.

So, with all of that in mind, what are some small blogs accepting music today to whom you can submit yours? 

There’s always a plethora of ways to find new blogs, (we go over some tips for finding blogs and pitching them here) but we’ve gone ahead and compiled a few that we love to work with. They’re passionate, they love independent music, and they’re always keen to help bands they believe in. Check ‘em out!

A Way With Words

New kid on the block, A Way With Words, is perfectly passionate about all they do. With a genuine thirst for new indie artists in the rock space, founder Bethany Hildebrandt truly does give her all to her features. 

They offer tons of new posts, which means not only can you find and support other indie bands, but you have a good chance of landing a feature if you fit into their genre preferences. And, because they do a mix of written features like interviews and reviews, as well as a playlists featuring new artists, their platform offers a myriad of ways to get your music out there.

Contact them here.

Mundane Magazine

Here’s what I love about Mundane Magazine — they’re a little bit of everything. Right at the top of the site it tells you what you’re in for. Music, yes, but also fashion, culture, and sex. And in fact, they blend these topics together seamlessly for an experience that not only makes them stand out, but brings more people into their orbit. More eyes on the site = more ears on your music.

And the great news is, They cover a lot of different genres, from indie pop to indie rock to singer-songwriter/folk music, so they’re bound to have space for your band. 

Get in touch here.

The A&R Guru

With a tagline that reads “finding all things music,” you know the team behind The A&R Guru is on a mission to find and expose all the incredible new talent out there. And that’s exactly what they do. They take the time to truly get to know each and every artist and their musical output, to create entirely customized features.

It’s the kind of writing that makes you actually want to listen to the music, even if you’ve never heard it before. And it’s a space that definitely stands out from everything else online.

Contact them here.

Rock at Night

There’s a lot to love about Rock at Night, from their dedication to indie artists to the fact that not only are they a music blog but they also produce a print magazine, a podcast, and cover music from USA, UK, and beyond. They’re that rare kind of outlet that has the ethos of a small publication, while having a strong, built-in audience that gets their artists a lot of reach.

Started back in 2014 by Chyrisse Tabone, Rock at Night is a fresh twist on your typical music blog. With over 7,000+ hits weekly across six continents, there are a lot of eyes and ears on these guys, and landing a feature with them can be a major win internationally. 

Contact Rock at Night

Vents Magazine

Vents Magazine is one of the best when it comes to constantly posting about new music, no matter the fame of the artist. They do a mix of syndicated press releases, interviews, and features, and they are always down to share new music from budding artists, so make sure to get in touch! Covering a range of genres, it’s a fantastic way to build a name for yourself no matter your style of music.

Contact them here.

If you liked this humble list, let us know!

We’d love to make it a regular feature alternating out different genres and continuing to bring you an ongoing list of active small music blogs accepting new music. After all, we know how fast the music industry can change, so having a continual up to date list of the most active and responsive small blogs is key to a successful DIY PR campaign.