We’re swamped by information.
I’m old enough to remember, aeons ago, when the only ways to discover new music releases were MTV and a few specialized magazines. If you had a favorite band, most likely, you’d have to wait until the album was released to read an accurate review or hear the artist’s vision on the album in an interview on TV.
There was a lack of information that today’s digital age has replaced with limitless abundance.
At the same time, these were the golden days for music magazines. They didn’t have as much competition as they do now; plus, if you worked for an established music publication, you could be the first to get the news.
Back in the day, connecting with the artists was also much more difficult. Independent journalists had to find clever ways to get the information from the labels, who weren’t interested in independent magazines in the first place.
But then the internet era began, and the way we share information changed once and for all. A lot of independent journalists started opening blogs and realized they could have more access to news stories, press releases, and information than ever before.
We might believe that social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or even YouTube are gaining ground online. And while this is true to some extent, I like to think they’ll always be an extra source of information, and the stories and reviews of our favorite blogs are still what makes music so vibrant.
There are a lot of people who still prefer to follow music blogs to stay up to date, and even big magazines like Rolling Stones, Kerrang and Mojo have opted for a rich and engaging online version.
Without further ado…
Today I want to share with you a list of the 21 top music bloggers to follow in 2023.
I’ll be giving the spotlight to their main writers and offering an overview of the music blog they write for. You may recognize some of them from some popular websites, while others are still relatively unknown. Needless to say, they all share fantastic music content.
Alex Young at Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound is an independent, New York-based online magazine that features news on music, television, and film. They post content daily and describe themselves as the missing link between mainstream pop culture and the underground.
With a variety of content from news, concert reviews, and releases, you can expect a vast amount of good-quality content every day from this established, worldwide-known blog.
Dave at BrooklynVegan
BrooklynVegan is a New York City multi-genre music blog that features international music news, album reviews, live show and festivals, tour dates, and even a little bit about the music industry and tech news.
BrooklynVegan’s main focus is to cover all the events in the New York area. So if you’re planning to spend a few days in New York, this is the blog you want to read to find out who’ll be performing while you’re there.
On the other hand, if you’re an artist and want to spread the news about your upcoming concert in the city, the music blog BrooklynVegan should be on top of your list.
Chris Deville at Stereogum
Stereogum was founded in 2002 and had been growing steadily ever since, becoming one of the most visited music blogs worldwide. Stereogum is an independent online magazine that publishes daily content on music news, song premieres, and their unique “Premature Evaluation” reviews.
Stereogum notoriously was one of the first online magazines to feature artists like Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, and Billie Eilish. If you’re an unpublished artist and have some great content to share, send it over to Chris, and you might get lucky.
Mark Redfern at Under the Radar magazine
Under The Radar is an indie music magazine known for its in-depth and engaging interviews with established and small artists alike. The blog features exclusive news, reviews, and interviews that never fail to surprise me. They’re also famous for their sometimes witty sense of humor.
Aside from their digital content, they also print two or three physical issues a year, distributed across North America and internationally.
Jason Grishkoff at Indie Shuffle
Indie shuffle is an indie music blog focused on discovering new music and playlists. Though indie is the main genre, you may find a variety of genres here, including hip-hop, electronica, soul, and folk.
The idea behind the website was to replicate the way we share music with friends. Indie Shuffle includes an in-house music player powered by SoundCloud, where you can listen to the most recently-reviewed songs and add your comments to them.
Ivo at Stereofox
Another music recommendation blog similar to Indie Shuffle. Stereofox posts daily content, mostly interviews and album reviews.
What makes Stereofox interesting is its fantastic music player that allows you to browse through different genres like rock, indie, and blues. You can also browse music by moods from chill to groovy and upbeat.
Liz Scarlett at Louder Sound
Louder Sounds covers everything rock-related like alternative, hard rock, punk, and indie. It’s the house of Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, and Prog magazines. Their content includes the latest news in rock and metal and exclusive interviews with artists ranging from rockstars to independent acts.
Make sure to read Liz’s article 10 bands that rip off Black Sabbath but get away with it, which is her favorite article she’s written for Louder.
Norman Lebrecht at Slippedisc
Slippedisc is a classical music blog founded in 2007 by music journalist Norman Lebrecht, with the sole purpose of being a reliable source of information for anyone interested in the world of classical music.
Unlike others blogs, Lebrecht does not write reviews on concerts or albums but rather gives information on the lives and projects of people involved in classical music.
Mark Millar at XZ Noize
XZ Noize is an independent blog founded in 2014 based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They provide insightful reviews on music, books, and classic albums, as well as interviews, news, and opinions on a wide range of musical genres.
Make sure you check out their podcast, where Mark chats with some of the most interesting people working in the music industry.
David Klemow at Dancing Astronaut
Dancing Astronaut is an American media platform founded in 2009 that covers primarily electronic dance music.
They mainly focus on music festivals and concerts, but they do also review the best music releases and share news on the electronic dance scene.
Matthew Perpetua at Fluxblog
Fluxblog was the first MP3 blog to ever go online. It was created by Matthew, who is the ex-director of BuzzFeed and a regular contributor at Rolling Stones, Pitchfork, Vulture, and MTV.
Fluxblog focuses on short music reviews and Spotify playlists, which makes it ideal for readers in a hurry who just want to discover new music on the go.
Greg Kennelty at Metal Injection
Known as the best heavy metal blog, Metal Injection is the go-to blog to read the lasts new, album reviews, and tour dates of your favorite artist in the metal scene.
Metal Injection doesn’t only cover metal music, though: they write about politics and tech, with two columns called Politics in Metal and Tech-Death Tuesday, respectively. They also have a weekly podcast, Rip Livecast, where they talk about, you might guess, metal music!
Victoria Polsely at Earmilk
Earmilk is a music magazine with contributors all around USA and Canada. It started as a small mp3 blog and, over time, became one of the most respected music blogs worldwide. They mostly focus on sharing the latest hits and underground discoveries across all music genres.
They might not be widely known, but if you want to discover some new underground talent, Earmilk is an unmissable music blog.
Alvin aqua Blanco at Hip-Hop Wired
Hip-Hop Wired is, as you may guess, a blog dedicated to informing readers about the latest on hip-hop culture and rappers.
The blog covers a variety of topics, providing a wide overview of the hip-hop culture that goes way beyond the music scene. Hip-Hop Wired features news about politics and tech that affect the hip-hop community, so it’s undoubtedly one of the best music blogs to stay up to date with this music genre and the culture around it.
Caesar at Caesar Live N Loud
From music lovers to music lovers. Focused on positivity and a passion for music in all its forms, Caesar Live N Loud states that they do stay out of technical criticism. This online magazine’s purpose is to share music and offer new artists a platform to reach a bigger audience.
Here you’ll find a plethora of music content, updated regularly, including music videos, news, playlists, tour dates, interviews, and much more.
Dean Cramer at Kings of A&R
At King of A&R, they’re always looking for new voices to feature in their music blog. The online magazine features reviews, weekly discoveries, and interviews with emerging artists, as well as general music industry news.
Kings of A&R is famous for having featured several artists before they became successful. Their Indie Invader column is worth checking out if you want to listen to the hidden gems of indie music.
Mandy Rogers at EQ Music
A new pop blog that focuses on finding a new emerging artist to feature on their website. Here you can find music news as well as interviews with a variety of international artists.
Music reviews on EQ Music are always spot-on and engaging, making it the ideal source of information for anyone interested in the freshest releases, especially in the alternative electronic music and new pop scenes.
Chris at Gorilla vs. Bear
The legendary Gorilla vs. Bear is a music blog based in Texas and founded in 2005. They write about relevant artists with no specific genre, and the online magazine has been defined by Rolling Stones as one of the “Best Music Blogs, and by The Independent UK in their “25 Best Music Websites”.
Once called “The New Yorker of hipster blogs”, Gorilla vs. Bear has maintained the indie feel and curatorial style that made it popular, so it’s undoubtedly one of the most interesting music blogs out there.
Justin Gage at Aquarium Drunkard
An independent blog based in Los Angeles, Aquarium Drunkard focuses on daily reviews, interviews, and features.
Every week, they discover incredible new music globally, exploring a wide range of experimental genres such as psych, jazz, avant-garde, folk, garage, funk, and beyond.
Will Oliver at We All Want Someone to Shout For
Founded in the summer of 2008 by Will Oliver to show his friends what he was listening to, We All Want Someone to Shout For turned into a website that shares music discoveries, exclusive interviews, and news, and now also offers coverage for concerts in New York City.
They accept new music through SubmitHub, so if you’re playing one of the music genres they cover, make sure you get in touch with them.
Joshua Weidling at Digital Tour Bus
Digital Tour Bus was born from Joshua’s idea to change the way people interact with their favorite bands. One of the most interesting features of this music blog is their famous series Bus Invaders, which takes viewers inside the buses of artists and bands to get a glimpse of their road life.
Now Digital Tour Bus has upgraded into a more sophisticated online platform, with more videos and extra content. The Preshow Rituals is a new series where they dig into what artists do before going on stage.
Last note on music bloggers
I’m sure there must be many great music bloggers out there I forgot to mention in this list (I wanted to include so many more but had to stop at some point). I tried to cover a variety of genres, hoping to bring some new websites and writers onto your radar; if you think I left out some fundamental music blogs, please let me know!
Have fun, and stay creative!
