This document provides tips for covering a music festival as a journalist before you are legally allowed to drink. It recommends pre-planning coverage by prioritizing bands, locations, and formats. It also suggests bringing equipment, backup food and supplies. The document notes that interviews may not always be possible and provides alternatives like describing artist areas. It stresses balancing coverage with breaks and treating it professionally while blending in. It concludes by recommending promoting coverage on social media and thanking contacts.

1. HowtoCoveraMusicFestival
Beforeyou’reOldEnoughtoDrinkAtOne
Emily Bloch - Music Journo // Freelance Reporter

3. What’sTheGig?
- PR versus critical
coverage
- Who were you hired by?
- What’s their objective?
- If you’re working for
the festival, you can’t
say a band sucked
harder than any band
you’ve ever seen in
your life. But that
doesn’t mean you lie.

4. TheLoophole

5. Pre-Planning
- There’s no such thing as “winging it”
- Priority bands
- Location
- Format: longform? Time stamps? Short
motifs?
- List it all out: number of bands, set
times, stages

6. Examples

7. Examples

8. Examples

9. Pre-Planning
- Ask about the logistics
- Things to think about: parking, meals,
green room, equipment storage, bathrooms
(yes, really), A/C, wifi, etc. — You may
not even want to break out your laptop.

10. InterviewRequests
“Hi publicist’s name,
This is Emily Bloch, blogger for this year's SunFest.
With BAND NAME set to perform, it'd be great if we could arrange a phone interview within the next week
or two to run as a preview.
We'd love to promote the band's South Florida performance on the festival's official blog -- catered
specifically to show-goers.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Your name here

11. WhatToBring
- The journo stuff: digital
recorder, external phone
charger(s), notepads, pens
(bring all of the pens),
laptop and charger

12. WhatElsetoBring
- The non-journalistic
stuff: sealed water
bottles, protein bars,
a light sandwich (non-
perishable), poncho,
ziplock bags,
bandana(s), ear plugs

13. YouStillHavetoBreathe
- Bands sets will clash
- Stagger your reporting
- Prioritize your
coverage
- Nix one low priority
band and eat your
sandwich
- Don’t power down — use
this opportunity to
take in the atmosphere

14. TheInterviews…orlackthereof
- You can Google how long they’ve been together.
- Know what the big, well known band is up to. Ask about the small
details.
- Sometimes the unknown artist will give you more than the
mainstream group — but not always.
- Be ready for time crunches — and their handler’s
reminders.

15. TheInterviews…orlackthereof (cont.)
- Get creative
- Don’t expect to interview with everyone — or anyone
- Kendrick Lamar doesn’t want to talk to you
- You might as well ask, but you can’t rely on it. Think of what else
you can do to supplement that color

16. WhenTheyWon’tTalk...

17. WhenTheyWon’tTalk...
“Two large black tour buses
sit behind the Student Union,
and a table is set up in his
dressing room — complete with
Lemon Snapple, orange juice,
and Fruity Pebbles.”

18. WhenTheyWon’tTalk...

19. ThisIsn’taNewTechnique

20. ButSometimes,TheyTalk!

21. You’reAtWork,Dude
- This is still a job
- You’re not here for the open bar, you’re here to write a story
- Blend in and be comfortable, but be (and dress so that you’re) able
to carry yourself
- Even if you get backstage, remember your assignment and your angle.
Don’t forget the audience. Who’s the story?

22. TheActualWritingPart
- Manage your time
- know your earliest
deadlines and what
stories will take you the
longest.
- Don’t write cold.
- Your 1 a.m. coffee shop
writeup will have more
detail and be more
effortless than the
morning after.
- Use the next day to trim
the fat

23. TheActualWritingPart
- Pre-writing is your friend — Do as much as possible
- Band previews don’t have to be written the night before
- Write advances as early as possible
- Have a doc with compiled info: awards, singles, how many members,
genre, bio facts, etc.

24. PromoteYourself
- See if your hirer wants Twitter updates
- link up with the festival’s social
media team and tag them, the
publication you represent or both
- Self promote

25. PromoteYourself
- “Can I get a photo of you and the
guys?”
- If the band’s promoter asks, go
for it, but not the other way
around.
- Connect socially
- Follow the hashtags and crowd
members. Just because you missed
a set doesn’t mean they did.
*Crowd reactions can become a
story in itself
- Follow the bands on social media
— their stories turn into stories

26. “ThankYou”goesaLongway
- Thank your employer if it’s a freelance/non-regular
arrangement.
- Thank the publicist. A simple email and request to be
added to their contact list will help both of you.

27. Questions?
Emily Bloch
emdrumss3@gmail.com
@emdrums
emilybloch.com