What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

“Listen. Listen to music, listen to your peers, listen to people you disagree with, listen to people talking about something you’ve never heard of. The more you listen to, the more you have to bounce ideas off when you’re getting your own thing going.”

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

“Burning bridges. Starting arguments with other writers can be fun or cathartic (or even necessary), but if you’re not careful they can also escalate into ridiculousness and/or genuine hostility pretty quick unless you’re diplomatic. “And when it’s in (internet) public it might be easy to get a rep for being someone who’s hard to deal with, even if it’s just a thing that flared up because you’re having an unusually bad day. Choose your battles well — calling someone out for being culturally ignorant can be important; spitting venom because they said something snarky about your favorite artist should probably slide.”

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

“Any question about how useful ranked lists might be for music criticism. (Speaking for myself, I find playlists a lot more interesting.)”

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