Find Out the Secrets of the Top Music Bloggers

Find Out the Secrets of the Top Music Bloggers Suzy S. Do you have a music blog, or aspire to start one? Whether youre hoping to get into music journalism or if you simply want to publish concert album reviews for your friends, blogging is a great way to sound off on all things music. But if you want to become the next hot music blogger, youll need to get ahead of the pack.   Just being a music fan isnt enough these days, so check out these industry secrets (courtesy of Mashable.com) to get you on your way 1. Hot For Teacher Yes, it seems like a rather obvious tip, but to write about music, you need to know about music â€"- and not just the vinyl in your own record collection. Andrew Phillips, former editor in chief of MOG, advises: “Listen to an inconceivable amount of music, especially if you don’t like it. There’s a huge difference between being a music fan and a music advocate…. The most effective bloggers (and writers) are the ones drawing from a genuinely deep well of knowledge.” And don’t limit the fact-finding mission to sitting in your room like a tragically hip, headphoned Boo Radley â€"- go to shows. Go to “good” shows, bad shows, basement shows, loft shows, shows where the only people in the audience are you and the bartender. You never know who’s going to be the next big thing; as Nicole Wasilewicz, senior music editor of FREEwilliamsburg.com, says, “As knowledgeable as you may feel about music, there’s always someone out there that’s smarter than you and has more time on their hands. It’s a constant game of catch-up. Also, pay special attention to opening bands.” 2. Cant Buy Me Love So you’re all studied up and ready to write. The only question is: To what illustrious publication should you lend your vast and impressive skills? Well, if you’re skint on experience, chances are that unless you’re that kid from Almost Famous, it’s going to be a while before pubs are going to be beating down your door. And with that, we bring you perhaps the most disdainful piece of advice out there: Write for free.   You can’t get ahead without clips, and sometimes the payment you receive for said clips is experience and a foothold in the industry.   Jason Diamond, editor in chief of Jewcy.com and founding editor of Vol. 1 Brooklyn, says: “If you’re offered to write a low or non-paying piece by a website that is influential, has a lot of traffic, or you just totally respect, take it.” Now, that’s not to say you should keep writing, sans cash, indefinitely. But doing some writing for a website you really dig can get you exposure and, subsequently, the momentum you need to launch yourself toward a legit gig. 3. Here I Go Again (On My Own) Still, if you don’t want to submit to the wily ways of “the man” (i.e. someone else’s blog), might we suggest you start your own? Really, there’s no excuse in this day and age for an aspiring blogger to not be in possession of his or her very own URL. Furthermore, once you have your own blog in place, you can either try to leverage it into its own, money-making entity by selling ads, etc., or you use it as a kind of portfolio. You can also form link exchanges with other blogs â€"- just shoot the editor an e-mail â€"- which will help you build connections in the space, or join a blog aggregator, like MOG.   However you use it, it’s as essential for any up-and-coming music blogger to have a domain as it is for him or her to have ears. Whatever your goals may be with your music blog, make sure to have fun with it!   Write about what you love and let your personality shine.   Whats your favorite music blog to read?   Do any of you own there have your own blog?   Leave a comment below! Like these posts?   Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!   Click here to subscribe. You might also like How to Break Into the Music Biz Without Even Playing   a Note 5 Music Industry Leaders You Should Know

How to Study for the Quantitative Reasoning Section of the GRE

How to Study for the Quantitative Reasoning Section of the GRE When you first begin preparing for this portion of the exam, the seemingly endless variety in math problems may overwhelm you. Such a wide array of mathematical concepts are covered, making it seem impossible to digest them all. That is why committing a substantial amount of time to them is key. In fact, the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE may be the most time-consuming in terms of studying. But dont freak out just yet not all of these problems are going to be foreign to you. In fact, youre likely to remember a lot of them, or at least recall the processes relatively quickly. This is because the math on this exam represents a very lengthy time span in the your academic history. Problems you will face will range from recognizing prime numbers to identifying permutations to solving for x in complex equations.Although you wont be able to predetermine which of the many possible problems youll need to solve on the exam, you can adequately prepare yourself for what ways these pr oblems will be presented to you. This wont be like past math tests youve taken; there are very specific forms that these questions will take that if you make yourself familiar with, the exam will go far more smoothly for you.One question type you will see will ask you to compare two quantities. These two quantities wont be given bluntly, however. One or both of them will be some sort of equation that youll need to solve, i.e. 3x/4y. There will often be a side note of given information necessary for you to know in order to solve the problems, i.e. x y, or something along those lines. Every problem has different circumstances, but you will always have the same set of answers to choose from for this question type. You will either choose that one of the quantities is greater than the other one, that they are equal, or that it can't be determined with the given information. So when it all comes down to it, the definitiveness in the answers of this question type is quite simple. Study up on the tricks to determine just enough to figure them out.Once youve made yourself familiar with the comparison of unknown quantities, all you have left to worry about is prepping yourself for direct problem solving and data interpretation. The remaining questions will range from word problems to breaking down equations to comprehending various graphs and charts. The tricky part is re-learning all of these things. If you majored in something that kept you studying these concepts every semester, then you probably wont have as much intense reviewing to do. However, if math hasnt been kept as an integral part of your curriculum, youll really need to sit down and vigorously go through a lot of material so giving yourself plenty of time to study before test day is absolutely crucial. A lot of these things will probably come back to you easily, such as concepts like y-intercepts and the Pythagorean Theorem (a^2 + b^2 = c^2). But there will inevitably be a ton of equations and methods yo u havent thought about in a long time that will definitely require some work to comprehend once again. You will face complex geometry, large ratios, percentage-fraction conversions, and much more. The best thing to do is practice the problems extensively. More importantly, determine right away what sorts of things the on-screen calculator will allow you to do this calculator wont be able to do everything. Look into the details about this specific calculator so you will know which concepts it can help you with and which ones it cant so you will not be dependent on it for the wrong things. Additionally, youll know which concepts you dont have to waste time figuring out how to solve by hand.Get yourself well acquainted with these ideas and this section should be yours to work through like a champion!