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Contribute

We’re always looking for people to contribute to the website. You don’t necessarily have to commit to a regular amount of work. Some of you might do 1,000 words every month, some might contribute an 80-word piece once a year. On the downside, all of this is unpaid – it’s just for fun. If this stuff is a job for you, I’m afraid we’re not the right place.

Anyway, how’s it going to work? Let’s go through each area one by one.

If you’d like to contribute to SOURCE, a good place to start would be to write us a preview. These are short and snappy pieces about upcoming events like gigs, comedy shows, club nights, etc. If you’re an experienced writer you might want to dive straight into reviews or features, but we’d warn against sending us longer pieces out of the blue in case we’ve already got it covered or can’t use it for whatever reason. In any case, the best thing to do is to send us an email outlining your experience and what kind of things you’re interested in writing about. It’s really handy if you can provide a link to work you already have online, or send an attachment with some samples. If you want an idea of the sort of things we cover, just have a look around. Having said that, you’ll probably have a better chance of getting published if you’ve got a focus that we don’t cover all that much – or better still, one we haven’t even thought of. You’re really into jazz metal? You can’t get enough multimedia art mash-ups? Great, providing you can write and the topic is roughly up our street, we’d like to hear from you. Right now we could do with writers into hip hop, art, clubs or food.

Below you’ll find details about the different kinds of pieces we’re after.

We cover lots of live music on the SOURCE website and we like our reviews to be accompanied by original and dynamic photos taken on the night. If you fancy getting into the pit, and you have the right gear, get in touch. Often we’ll try to pair you up with a writer to make sure we’ve got both bases covered; other times we might put out a call for pics of a particular gig, venue or event. Though we can’t pay for photos, we can certainly help out with arranging press tickets – and obviously provide you with a credit and link to your portfolio. Often our photographers are contacted by bands and promoters who’ve seen their work on this site. We know it’s a cliche, but it does lead to other things.

Unfortunately we’re not in a position to accept interns or offer work experience placements. However, if you’re a student or a budding journo we’re more than happy to consider submissions – and we try to give feedback where we can. Believe it or not, our current team were all nervous first-timers once upon a time.

We try and cover the best gigs by visiting bands but also plenty of Brighton music too. Writing about Brighton bands will give you a better chance of publication. For information get signed up to the Resident list, check venue and band websites and get yourself on their mailing lists and social media. We’d also like to cover more stuff like club nights and comedy shows. Art exhibitions, theatre and film are good too. 120 words each.

If there’s a band you’d like to review we can help you arrange press tickets. After decades of supporting the local music scene SOURCE is widely respected by promoters, venues and bands around town. Sometimes you might be asked to write a preview ahead of the show in exchange for press tickets; promoters want punters upfront and the benefits of live reviews are much harder to quantify. Reviews are typically 400-800 words, though they can be longer for festivals or special events.

This is the holy grail. We’re always chuffed to have good news stories sent in. Anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere on the site generally counts as news. Charity stuff, band news, Brighton people winning awards, coverage from outside of the town, surveys. Any news, basically. But make sure it doesn’t read like a press release. Add your own slant, that’s what you’re here for. 120 words again.

If you spot anything new in Brighton then knock up a few words about it: venues, galleries, pubs, cafes, whatever. This stuff is much more important than it might first seem as the support we give here really helps our relationship with new people. Any submissions like this will make us very happy indeed. Although, as with news, avoid the bland press release style. We try to be supportive of the local community, but we like to do it in our own words. All 120 of them.

We pick a subject and choose the best six examples of it. Iggy Pop’s best six songs, the six best music movies, Mike Leigh’s best half dozen, etc etc. These are usually a joint effort, so each entry need only be 80 words.

Reviews of things made in Brighton, be it music releases or books, zines etc. Keep it local. Often this stuff might not have an outlet elsewhere, so it can make for interesting content. Sourcing pictures might be difficult, however. Once again, 120 words.

A big one this. About 1,000 words on something you’ve never done before. James had colonic irrigation, watched The Godfather and broke his arm snowboarding. Nick went to a gay sauna, did internet dating and had a back, sack and crack wax. Laura rode a bike. What have you never done? We’ll chat about any ideas you have.

Get in touch! Get involved!

So that’s about the size of it. Any questions let us know. Also, let us know if you have got anything you’re involved in going on – we’ll make a special effort to promote our contributors’ band/art/whatever. However, we do ask that promoters don’t write about their own gigs – we’re supposed to be impartial and we don’t want to read like a press release. We look forward to your contributions. But send us an email first – pieces on spec (especially longer pieces) might not make it onto the site and we wouldn’t want you to be disappointed.

Contribute - Brighton Source