20 Music Blogs: Discover the Behind the Scenes of Music

Music media in France: which outlets match your release?

A media list only becomes useful when each outlet corresponds to a specific need. For a single, you can look for a written discovery feature, an interview, an album selection or a video format. The outlet's country alone isn't enough to determine its audience, focus or the space it might give your project.

Three examples illustrate this diversity. Tsugi Offers articles, interviews, mixes and radio shows about music and emerging trends. Jazz Magazine features news, album selections and concert reviews. Cœur Cœur Cœur presents itself as a media outlet for emerging music based in Île-de-France, with multiple social and video formats.

Three questions to assemble your selection

• Is the project relevant? Compare your release to a few recent items they've published, taking into account style, language and stage of development.
• What angle are you proposing? A production story, a local scene feature or concert news suggests a different approach than a simple 'available now' announcement.
• Which department should you contact? An editorial team, a programmer and a commercial team do not have the same role. Use the appropriate public channel for your request.

Keep a short one-sheet per recipient: observed format, a relevant example, an official contact and the verification date. A general address can be used to ask for guidance; it is not an invitation to submit tracks. To prepare your outreach, consult the media submission guide.

Rock media: what angle to present to an editorial team?

A post‑punk album, a garage single and a progressive rock release may call for different media selections. The word 'rock' gives an initial scope; the recipient's reviews and interviews then help verify whether your music and your news fit their output.

Metalorgie publishes reviews, interviews and news that also cover rock forms beyond its name. Its page features alternative rock and post‑punk in particular. Use these posts as examples to examine, but don't infer that every branch of rock is sought there.

La Grosse Radio explicitly distinguishes requests intended for its on‑air outlets from those addressed to its webzines. For a written piece, the webzine route and the rock desk are the relevant points of contact. For an audio slot, consult the separate programming procedure.

Present the material that makes the project interesting

• For a review: state the item available, its date and the elements that help situate your sound, without writing the review for them.
• For an interview: Suggest a concrete angle, for example the making of an album or the band's development, and include named contacts.
• For a concert: Specify the venue, the date and whether press materials are available.

Avoid requesting an article, an interview and airplay at the same time without prioritising. Choose a primary objective, then adapt your materials to the relevant format. A short selection in which each outlet is justified is more useful than a long list of sites merely linked to guitars.

Jazz media: choose between album, live show and interview

When contacting a jazz media outlet, start from the item you want to present. An album review requires the recording's context; a concert listing relies on a date and venue; an interview requires a topic to develop. These requests may be handled by different departments within the same magazine.

Jazz Magazine features record selections, news and concert reviews. Its official contact page specifies that the editorial team only accepts physical copies for record submissions. It provides a different address for the concert listings. A streaming link sent to the listings therefore does not replace the stated procedure for a review.

Make a jazz project easy to contextualise

• Provide the name of the leader or collective, the musicians, the instruments and the essential credits for the recording.
• Explain the musical material: original compositions, reworked repertoire, improvisation or a meeting between different styles.
• Distinguish the album release from its live schedule. A tour and an album can offer complementary angles, with different information.

For an emerging act, a few precise sentences about the project give more reference points than a succession of superlatives. The reader should understand what makes this session unique and why you chose that editorial team.

Check the procedure just before sending, especially when physical media is requested. The presence of a reception address does not guarantee a review. If your main goal is audio airplay, use the radio and jazz show selection instead: the recipient’s role and constraints are different.

Music blogs: create a usable shortlist for your release

Before adding their name to your list, check what they actually publish and how projects are presented to them. A relevant older article is a research lead, but it does not prove current activity in that style.

Popandfilms states on their Groover profile that they share on their blog and in stories when they like a track. These are the recipient’s self-reported details on the platform; they should be distinguished from a dated example post on their site.

The Groover documentation groups blogs, magazines, radios, curators and YouTube channels under its media category. A catalogue result must therefore be qualified before becoming a 'blog' entry.

Four details to record for each blog

• Speciality observed: genres, languages and types of projects actually handled.
• Relevant content: an article or selection with its link and date, rather than just a logo.
• Format: review, discovery, video or interview; it determines what to offer.
• Public contact: contact page or platform listed by the blog, with the date checked.

If information is missing, keep the name as a lead to verify. Do not assume they are permanently open to artists or assign a presumed fee. Once the selection is prepared, the guide to submitting to music blogs helps you structure the outreach.

Pop media: a category to clarify before contacting

A pop release can be sung in French or English and be built around vocals, a band or an electronic production. This diversity explains why two media outlets labelled 'pop' can cover very different projects. For your selection, describe the colour of the track and check the recipient's references.

Popandfilms This profile on Groover lists preferences for dream pop, electropop, indie pop and synthpop. It also marks chanson française and variété among the categories it does not want to receive. These declared choices show that a French-language release and the 'chanson' category are not automatically equivalent to the pop this recipient is looking for.

Tsugi This outlet has a pop section within a trend-driven publication. Explore its articles to assess the editorial context, and don't infer from that section a blanket openness to all pop singles.

Three angles to frame your release

• Sonic material: Vocals, synthesisers, guitars or an acoustic arrangement. Describe what actually dominates the track.
• The artistic project: Visual universe, narrative and the track's place on the EP or album, if these elements are present.
• Proposed format: Single premiere, presentation of the music video or an interview about the project. Choose the primary need.

A media outlet may appreciate an aesthetic while not publishing the format you seek. Also check its latest discoveries and submission guidelines. A profile's preferences are a declared reference, with no guarantee of coverage or proof of immediate availability. Keep pop contacts in your overall selection with their specialism, rather than repeating the same names without context.

Metal media: present your aesthetic and the format you're after

In metal, precise subgenre labelling helps select the right editorial team. A doom album, a metalcore single and a black metal release don’t necessarily belong in the same sections. Add useful listening references without turning your presentation into a catalogue of every influence the band has.

Metalorgie Features reviews, interviews and news covering, notably, extreme metal, punk and hardcore. Its published pieces show varied aesthetics, including metalcore and post‑metal. They allow you to assess concrete editorial matches; they do not imply a blanket policy of accepting every band.

La Grosse Radio Publishes a metal service and distinguishes its webzine from on‑air programming. A request for a review should go to the press contact; a request for airplay must follow the station’s programming procedure. Do not present a reply from one of these services as agreement from the other.

Prepare a presentation for a metal album

• State the format, release date and essential credits, including the band’s lineup when it helps to understand the project.
• Describe the record’s characteristics: vocals, arrangements, production, themes or how it has evolved since the previous release.
• List concert dates and available visual assets separately, and don’t confuse them with the main request.

If your music crosses several styles, select outlets based on the content they have actually published. A site name that includes 'metal' does not reveal the full editorial line. Check the official submission route before sending and keep a record of the format you proposed. Receiving a press kit does not constitute a commitment to review or an artistic endorsement.

Reggae media: choose an angle suited to your project

Selecting reggae media should take aesthetic and format into account. A roots project, a dancehall track and a dub production may interest different sections. Explain what characterises your release, then check where the outlet covers comparable projects.

Reggae.fr distinguishes news, magazine, Reggae TV, mixtapes and webradio. The content covered notably includes roots, French reggae, dub and dancehall. Its site publishes an editorial contact. These elements help shape a pitch; they do not mean that the same submission will result in an article, a video and audio airplay.

La Grosse Radio also has a reggae service. Its page separately explains requests to webzines and to radio stations. Choose the relevant outlet before contacting the team, especially if your aim is an album review.

Key reference points to provide to a reggae editorial team

• Musical context: specify the dominant style, collaborations and production when they help place the track.
• Available material: single, album, video or interview request. A representative excerpt should correspond to that request.
• News: release, tour, artistic collaboration or local event. Provide verifiable dates rather than a general promise of visibility.

For a project linked to a sound system or a collective, explain who is involved and the role of each participant. If you submit a mixtape, identify it as such and confirm that the outlet accepts that format. An outlet’s coverage of reggae culture alone does not establish an open submission process across all its channels.

R&B and soul media: position your release beyond a single genre tag

A contemporary R&B song, a soul record and a project close to the blues do not automatically require the same contacts. To prepare your selection, describe the role of the vocals, the production and the repertoire. The language and format of the project can also guide your choice.

Soul Bag presents itself as a blues and soul magazine. Its website features reviews, interviews and reports, and lists a public editorial contact. This editorial line provides a lead for soul projects or those rooted in these cultures; it does not imply coverage of all contemporary R&B.

The profile +TTFB, a Belgium-based outlet according to its Groover profile, lists R&B among its urban preferences. These statements are another entry point to be assessed according to the project and territory.

Make clear the nature of the track

• Specify whether the release relies on electronic production, a live band, or a blend of both, without presenting these as universal selection criteria.
• Identify the songwriters, producers and musicians whose contributions shed light on the project.
• Choose a representative resource for the item offered: track, music video or album. Explain the interview topic if your request is for an interview.

When a media outlet covers both rap and R&B, you can keep a single record and specify the relevant style. This avoids confusing a musical preference with an exclusive specialism. Finally, check the format and contact channel: a self-declared profile or an editorial address does not guarantee publication.

Music media in Belgium: what connection to your project?

To target a Belgian outlet, distinguish its location, the music it covers and the audience it serves. A Francophone outlet may cover international artists; a local radio station may restrict its music programming to a specific territory. Linguistic proximity alone does not make every contact relevant.

BX1 describes a local Brussels outlet and a radio schedule made up of music produced by artists from Wallonia and Brussels. Its contact page routes enquiries by service. This information prompts you to check your territorial fit; it is not an open music-submission process.

+TTFB presents itself on Groover as a digital music outlet based in Belgium, showcasing its musical culture. The profile lists rap, R&B and urban pop among its preferences. Check this editorial line before proposing a project from outside the Belgian scene.

Three reference points to prepare your selection

• Territorial link: presence, collaboration, concert or news in Belgium. Indicate only what is factual and useful.
• Language: specify the project’s language and check the outlet’s content; “Belgian” does not automatically mean French-speaking.
• Format: audio programme, article or social format. Send your request to the relevant service.

For an artist established elsewhere, explain the context that makes your release relevant to this audience, without assuming a general openness to foreign artists. Keep any observed restrictions and the date of verification. This section provides location-specific leads; it is not an exhaustive national list of contacts available to all artists.

Music media in Switzerland: specify your presence in Switzerland and your request

Switzerland comprises several language regions and editorial teams with different specialities. When proposing a release, distinguish a Swiss project or one based in Switzerland from a foreign project seeking to reach this audience. A music platform and a broadcaster’s general contact do not serve the same function.

mx3 presents itself as the portal to Swiss music, connected to music editorial teams and radio stations. Its Official FAQ reserves group and artist accounts for Swiss nationals or residents in Switzerland. Registration is stated as free. The presence of a track on the platform does not guarantee programming: music editors select according to their own criteria.

The RTS contact page Avec vous is intended to direct a request to the broadcaster and must not be presented as a universal submission form for music to RTS’s stations.

Clarify your approach in Switzerland

• First check eligibility for the service you are using. Do not choose a different account type to bypass conditions intended for artists.
• Identify the editorial desk, the programme or the language region that fits the project and the format you are seeking.
• Explain your connection to the territory when you have one: residency, collaboration or concert. Do not assume this is sufficient to secure coverage.

For a foreign artist without Swiss residency, these pointers mainly help avoid misdirection. Look for an official procedure suited to your situation before submitting materials. The examples shown here do not constitute a comprehensive directory of Swiss media open to international submissions.

Music podcasts: what story can you bring?

For an artist, a podcast can be a space for an interview or for discovery. A request should therefore propose a topic and people able to tell the story. This differs from seeking music to be used as a theme tune or musical illustration, which involves a different need.

Cœur Cœur Cœur officially links a Cœur Podcast series and interviews within an outlet for emerging music in Île-de‑France. The existence of these formats does not establish a permanent opportunity to appear on an episode. Old dated calls displayed on the homepage should not be considered still open.

Starting Block describes a Campus network meeting dedicated to artists, venues and initiatives in a territory. This format provides a lead for a local story, with a published partnership contact, but does not automatically secure an interview.

Present an episode proposal

• A topic: tell the story of the creative process, a collaboration or the life of a scene, rather than asking only to talk about your single.
• A contact: Identify the person who will be available and their role in the project. Confirm their participation before announcing an appearance.
• Materials: Indicate any items useful for the interview, such as a production story or archive material, and specify the permitted uses you are aware of.

Listen to an episode to understand the tone, length and how music is featured. Then check the contact channel and ask whether your subject would be suitable. A general music submission link does not guarantee an invitation to the podcast. The editorial team retains its choice of topic, format and schedule.