Jody Thompson - Music Journalist
Lots of aspiring journalists want to write about music or entertainment for a living, but how do you go about getting the kind of job that lets you do just that?
After studying English Literature and Film Studies at the University Of East Anglia, Jody Thomson initially began her life as a journalist on an in-house journalism training scheme, before working for local papers the Eastern Daily Press and Lowestoft Journal for two years.
She then scored her dream job when she became Assistant News Editor on the NME. She later helped launch and became Deputy Editor of Xfm’s X-Ray magazine before joining BBC 6Music as a freelance music news reader. She recently moved to the Daily Mirror where she is Online Showbiz Editor.
We tracked her down to run her through her career to date, and get some tips for other aspiring music journalists out there.
By Ali Haidar
Why did you choose to become a music reporter?
I have always loved music. I was an NME reader from the age of 14, loved writing and was good at it. I thought it would be the best job in the world. It is.
What skills do you need?
You need a passion for music, and you must be able to accommodate new bands and live music. Being a trainspotter about music is pretty de rigeur. Oh, and to be the best pop quiz team member you can be!
Is music journalism your dream job?
It is my dream job, but I’ve been doing it for 12 years now, I am branching out a bit. As to my ideal job – I would be an A&R person for a good record label on shed loads of money!
Did you go to university, and what did you study?
I went to the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and studied English Literature with a minor in Film Studies.
Did you get involved in journalism whilst you were at university?
As soon as I got there, I immediately got involved with the campus newspaper doing music reviews, and then set up the university radio station, which was great – I got to interview loads of bands and did tonnes of gig reviews for my programme.
So, you clearly knew what you wanted to do before you graduated?
Yes, I knew I wanted to be a music journalist before I even started my degree, and I knew which publication I wanted to write for – The NME.
And how, ultimately, did you get into reporting?
I did work experience before I even went to university, at my local newspaper, then later at my local radio station. Working at the radio station was great and they then they gave me a weekend job, working on the Saturday afternoon sports programme at the end of my work experience stint. This led to me doing gig reviews for the evening indie music show.
Do you need a formal qualification to be a music journalist?
Ideally, you would be an NCTJ (National Council for the Training Of Journalists) qualified journalist, but it’s not essential. That training gives you an invaluable knowledge of law, the fundamentals of news reporting and good shorthand skills, which are all invaluable if you’re doing music news. You really do need training to do news, in my opinion, even if it’s just so you don’t get yourself and your publication sued for libel. I managed to get a place on an in-house NCTJ training scheme rather than do a postgraduate qualification. This meant I did six months intensive training, after which I passed all my preliminary exams. I then went straight to work on a local paper while getting paid for the privilege, rather than spending a year at another university or college and having to pay with no guarantee of a job at the end.
How long did it take to get your NCTJ qualification?
I passed my NCE (National Certificate Examination) senior reporter after two years. Then I was promoted to head office, started doing all the music stories, was made Health Correspondent and landed my job of assistant news editor NME a few months later.
How do you feel about music, and what kind of music do you like?
Music is one of the most important things in my life. A day without music is a day not worth living really. My taste in music is massively varied – it has to be in this job. One of the questions I always dread being asked is what’s my taste in music. I pretty much love everything. I would say if pushed, however, that I do err towards indie and alternative, new music, pop, disco, retro classics and Northern Soul. However, I also love a lot of dance music, electronica, metal, country, folk, etc etc.
Who are your favourites, and which new acts are you listening to?
My favourite bands of all time are probably Pixies, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Blur, The Smiths, The Fall and Stereolab. Right now I love Absentee, Elbow, Ting Tings, Adele, Duffy, Black Kids, Foals, Arcade Fire, British Sea Power, Richard Hawley, Feist – the list could go on forever!
Can you name three people you’d like to interview – and why?
Madonna: because I am fascinated by her.
Michael Jackson: because he never gives interviews.
Britney Spears: to find out her real story.
Who is the most interesting person you have ever interviewed?
Richey Edwards, Welsh rock band guitarist [Manic Street Preachers]. Or Peter Greenaway, the film director.
You were there when Richey Edwards carved ‘4 Real’ into his arm. That must have been very disturbing for you.
Yes, I was there. It was possibly the most surreal night of my life and yes, it was very disturbing. But I was just more concerned about getting him to hospital.
I see from the Internet that you got into a row with Jodie Marsh last year which must have been tough?
Yes, I was a bit shocked by her reaction, but my bosses at Radio 1 were 100% behind me. It was upsetting as it was on national television, but she just made herself look really bad for slagging me off so personally when I was just doing my job.
Is it hard to do stories about music and artists you don’t like? How do you cope with the rock n roll culture?
Not at all, it’s your job to inform the reader. As for coping with rock n roll culture, you just have to remember you’re not part of the story, you’re just writing about it.
What do you enjoy about this job?
What I love about this job right now is that I get to see great bands, hear great music and meet great people.
What don’t you like about your job?
Dealing with PRs [publicists representing celebrities or entertainment companies] when you’re trying to get to the bottom of a story or get an interview can be very frustrating. On the other hand, some of them are my best friends. Late nights and early starts are a bit of a killer too.
What tips would you give someone who wanted to have a career like yours?
Get some kind of journalistic qualification. Work really hard to get decent work experience at the kind of place you want to work. No one ever gets a job like this by simply sending in a CV. Start sending in news stories to editors that they can actually use, things like that.
What are the most common mistakes that you see young people making who want a career in the music business?
Arrogance.
This article is part of the unicornjobs.com guide to Working In The Music Business. Click here to go to the guide index.
