Difference between revisions of "Live performance article overview"

Revision as of 16:01, 23 November 2011

Introduction

At the moment, the greatest need for Web content is the Live Performance section:

http://kdhx.org/music/live-performances

This is the home for all articles written about the in-studio sessions that air on KDHX. As you can see, there are a lot of them!

Depending on the month, KDHX may have as many as 5 or 6 live performances in one week. Sometimes, a week will go by without a performance, but that’s rare.

After a performance airs, the article will also feature streaming audio and/or video from the session. Some of these articles will preview future sessions; many others will fill in needed articles from past performances.

Although we are using the words “Live Performance,” we are not talking about reviewing concerts. We are referring to live sessions at the KDHX studios.

About Writing for Live Performances

There is no need to attend the session. You are focusing on writing about the band/artist and their music in general.

As a KDHX freelance writer, you’ll be writing these articles, and possibly other articles related to events, education and other media matters. But for now, focus is on keeping this section up to date.

Browse the archive and read a dozen or so articles. They’re short, rarely more than 200 words total, and they combine description with facts in a manner that’s engaging for the reader – or at least that’s the goal.

If you think you’d be able to contribute one article every two weeks or so, that would be fantastic. Often a week will go by without an assignment, so this will be a semi-regular need. I will try to give you as much time as possible to meet the deadline.

The range of genres and artists KDHX hosts for live performances is vast. I'll try to assign artists you'll enjoy, but expect to be introduced to new and potentially challenging sounds.

Guidelines

The first paragraph is the lede. This should be short, approximately 30 words or less, and should give a snappy introduction to the band. The lede should be creative and engaging. Use a great metaphor, image or clever line to get the reader hooked. The goal is to inspire the reader to read further.

The second paragraph is the body text. Length is flexible, but 100-200 words is a good range. Here, you can fill in details. Be as creative as you like! Flesh out the description of the artist’s sound and style, identify band members, include news and information, mention a new CD or an award — whatever you feel will be informative or entertaining to the reader. You may also mention any upcoming shows or recent appearances in the St. Louis area.

You’ll need to do a little research on the artists. Visit their Myspace page and their home page. Read their bio or Wiki. Listen to their music. Do some Googling and find out more about the artist. Take notes, but don’t feel you have to be exhaustive in your research or become an expert on the band. 45 minutes to an hour of research and listening should give you enough to get started on the article.

Be mindful of not turning these pieces into album reviews. You may reference a recent album and describe its sound, but don't go overboard with details of particular songs from the album, as that may confuse readers.

In some cases, you may get a chance to hear the session before or during your composition. If your editor sends you a link to the session, listen to it a few times and comment on and describe the specific songs and sound of the session. In most cases, however, you will not be able to hear the session before writing. Again, the focus is on writing an engaging, informed, vigorous "Critic's Pick"-style profile of the band and its music.

Process

You’ll receive an assignment from Roy by email. That assignment will have a few details including a deadline.

Once you’ve done a bit of research and feel inspired and ready to write, compose your lede and body paragraph. For now, you don’t have to worry about linking, images or formatting. I’ll take care of that.

Proofread and spell check your work, double checking the spellings of band members and any other fact-based information, as relevant.

When you’re happy with your article, you may email it to Roy as a Word document attachment, a text file attachment or just copy and paste into the body of the email.

I’ll format and publish on the web and then send you a link to the live article. I’ll also include your byline.

Notes on style

These pieces are profiles of artists who are guests in the KDHX studios. While you should not hype or sell the artist or band, you also should not attack or harshly criticize their music. These profiles should be honest, detailed and imaginative, but they should not focus on criticizing the music.

Be very careful to avoid plagiarism. If you read an artist's bio or Wiki page, do not merely rephrase or rehash that material.

Generally speaking, stay away from the first person point of view (“I”). (Note: This rule does not apply to concert reviews.)

Focus on describing the band’s sound and style, rather than hyping or promoting them.

Use metaphors and images to convey the sound. A creative comparison can be both evocative and entertaining for your readers.

Keep exclamation points and obvious cliches to a minimum.

Adjectives are great but avoid vague or overused modifiers: "interesting," "unique," "soulful," "emotional," and "perfect"

We all like a good culinary metaphor, but go easy on comparing music to food.

Use AP Style for your writing. Please review the Wiki article on KDHX AP Style below:

http://wiki.kdhx.org/wiki/KDHX_online_writing_style

Most of all, have fun writing.