Niamh O'Connor

Learn more about Niamh and her work via her Instagram.

How's everything going for you at the moment?

Up and down but that’s freelance writing for you. I have zero financial stability and consistency with the amount of work I do every month as a freelance writer, but that’s my own fault as I have (sort of accidentally) ended up pursuing one of the most precarious career paths ever. But at the moment I’m trying to be more proactive and confident in navigating the erratic pattern of my income and work. Because no one is going to find freelance work for you or slide a lucrative opportunity into your lap, you have to go out there and get it yourself. You gotta get your feckin’ ass up and work, as Kim Kardashian once said.

So while there has been very little consistency in the amount of work I receive, I am currently trying to change that by tackling some of the challenges I’m facing, which brings me to your next question.

What are the main challenges you're facing?

I am finding it extremely challenging to secure a stable income. I can’t seem to land a consistent freelance part-time/full-time job or a retainer(s) for love nor money.

It’s possibly the result of having a portfolio career in journalism, copywriting and running events. I think some people (corporate companies where I’ve applied for copywriting jobs) are put off by the many different roles I’ve had in the music world over the last decade. But in my opinion, if you’re freelance and working in music, you gotta spin a few plates in order to make a living. I’m proud of the work I’ve done, but I think the lack of permanency on my CV has put off potential contractors and employers. So rather than seeking out roles with corporate companies, I’m now putting myself out there (again) and seeing which jobs are available in the music world, whether it’s in writing-based roles, research, booking, admin or just anywhere I could apply my various skills.

While I’m finding the lack of consistency quite challenging right now, I am hopeful that I’ll get to where I need to be (career-wise) by taking certain steps. For example, I recently created an online portfolio to sum up the different skills I have to offer which will hopefully attract some new and exciting opportunities. I’m trying to be proactive AF, essentially.

How about your music writer peers, do you have much insight from them and are they facing similar issues?

Apart from you Marcus, I rarely talk to my music writer peers, at least in real life! My default presumption is ‘Everyone else is fine’ i.e. not facing any challenges, so I rarely ask anyone how they’re doing, even though I know I could easily drop them an email or a DM. But I just don’t do it!

What would say are some of the deeper issues/catalysts behind the challenges you/other writers are dealing with?

Not enough budget for anything, I guess. I have a feeling people/platforms are not in a strong enough financial position to commission work for writers but that’s just a feeling I have, I can’t speak for them of course.

I think that if spoke to other writers more often, I’d be able to give a more detailed answer. In a nutshell, however, I think the deeper issues stem from a lack of opportunities and money to go ‘round.

What are some of the methods you've employed to navigate the current music writing landscape?

One method I’ve employed is that I do not pitch interviews, reviews (or anything really) to publications unless I receive an email from the editor asking for ideas (like pitches for DJ Mag’s Emerging Artists, for example). I get these ‘we’re open to pitches’ emails in my inbox every few months, which are helpful.

Otherwise, I do not send pitches. This is a time-saving method I’ve employed to navigate the current writing landscape. In the past, I spent a lot of time crafting pitches, particularly for artists and music culture based in Ireland and Athens, as I’ve lived part-time in both locations. However, I rarely pitch anything anymore because almost all my pitches go unanswered, so now I don’t pitch (to save time and emotion lol). Perhaps it’s an obvious rule in freelance writing not to pitch unless prompted, but I only started to understand this much later in my career.

When I availed of your coaching and mentoring services in 2023, this was one of the most valuable methods I employed to navigate an especially tough year in my career. I learnt a lot that still stands to me today, such as dealing with unpaid invoices (after a few clients ghosted me, for example), coming up with rates for my copywriting work and discovering ways to pitch myself for work beyond the music journalism space. I recently learned about the latter, so that’s a relatively new development I’m spending time on at the moment.

Another small method I’ve employed is (sigh) manifesting but not really. I have an Excel spreadsheet where I list my monthly commissions but also the imaginary commissions I’d love to write. For example, ‘DJ Mag Cover with so-and-so’ or ‘Pioneer feature about buttons’ alongside the fee for the feature. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not! It helps me come up with goals though.

How much support do you have from others (writers, friends, family, organisations)?

My friends and family are so encouraging of me to keep doing what I’m doing and that has really helped my confidence in writing.

Other writers too, can also be so complimentary about an article I’ve written and I hate to admit it, but I kind of depend on external validation in order to keep going with writing. I cling on to compliments and positive feedback for dear life! So support for my work means a lot.

My mum thinks I should retrain in a different field entirely so I can have more stability. I agree with her at times, but I don’t know what industry that would be. I’ve been writing for 10 years, so I feel like surely there’s something or someone out there who could benefit from hiring an experienced writer but maybe that’s also a bit naive. I don’t know.

How could writers be supported more... especially within the arts/music?

I’m sure grants are helpful. I applied for a grant last year and didn’t get it but I’m glad I tried. I learnt a lot about the application process and lost my mind several times along the way but it was a good challenge. Maybe more grant opportunities for writers could be a form of support. But I feel like that’s a watery answer to the question. I think it’s because I don’t know the answer to that one either, aside from grant opportunities.

I'm curious about the positives. What's going well for you at the moment and what's exciting you about music writing?

I enjoy every opportunity I get to write for Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta’s platform The Bridge, and thankfully I’ve had a few opportunities to do so! I started contributing to The Bridge in 2023 after you introduced me to the editor Ryan Keeling. Since then, I’ve written a few long-form forensic articles about DJ culture, careers and tips. I usually throw myself into the research and writing process and obsess over things a bit. It’s probably because I love sharing knowledge about DJ stuff and the music industry and want to do my darned best to do so in the most accurate and accessible way. Plus, the feedback from Ryan is always on-point and I don’t feel l crap afterwards or think ‘Wow I’m actually a shite writer, in fairness.’

Elsewhere, I’m still contributing to DJ Mag regularly, so it’s nice to maintain some semblance of consistency since my first commission from the magazine seven years ago. So that’s going well. It’s the only print publication I write for, and for me, it’s a treat to see my work in print, it never gets old! I also like how DJ Mag are now doing three different magazine covers for their quarterly editions. Their latest cover offerings with Shanti Celeste, De-Ben Gogo and Patrick Mason are gorgeous!

I am also working on my first feature for Discogs’ Vinylogue series. I’ll be interviewing Poly-Ritmo about all things vinyl.

Big question, but, if you could wave a wand and magically solve the issues we're facing, what would be your main targets for positive change?

I’d probably magic up targets for independent publications to hire more staff and cover more music. There’s definitely more music than there is journalists and reputable platforms right now.

I think I’d also create more opportunities for writers to work with brands. Then writers could lend their storytelling skills to whatever campaign a brand is working on. It’s very capitalist of me to suggest that idea and far from anything ‘underground’ but I do think that working with a brand that has actual money would help supplement a writer’s income. I’ve seen lots of brands collaborate with dance music outlets recently, like Converse collaborating with Resident Advisor and Dr. Martens working with Crack Magazine. However, the downside of working with brands is that many of the bigger, multinational corporations are not ethical, so that’s not ideal for bringing positive change aside from the income-earning part. It’s a capitalist idea, as I said. Not great either!

Any advice for emerging freelance writers?

I find that working on my own can be quite isolating and can lead to what I call ‘The Vortex.’ The Vortex happens after I’ve been alone for a couple of hours, deep into a draft. When I sit back and read over the draft, I swiftly spiral into The Vortex, thinking ‘This is the biggest load of schlop I’ve ever written’ and then it’s a quick mental descent from there, plunging further into The Vortex.

That’s when it’s time to leave the house or wherever you’re working from. Go outside, touch a tree, pet an animal. Going to the Big Tesco in my area makes me feel normal again. Something about all the shiny and colourful things everywhere help to reset my mind. So basically, my advice would be, if you ever find yourself in The Vortex after writing on your own for a large chunk of time, just eject from the space you’re writing from and get some nature and/or normalcy into you.

Here’s a practical tip for emerging freelance writers that I book-marked ages ago after I saw DJ Mag journalist Ria Hylton re-post it. It’s a very useful list of tips for pitching to editors, written by Dayna McAlpine (deputy editor of the HuffPost UK):

Tips: https://x.com/daynamcalpine_/status/1628156465008586755