FAQFAQs
Frequently asked questions about Jazz UK:
Can I subscribe to JazzUK?
Certainly - just click here
Can I write for JazzUK?
We're always interested in hearing from potential new contributors who understand the magazine's role, structure and editorial policy and whose writing is lively, lucid and literate. We're happy to consider material from both new and established writers and items written by musicians and other professionals in the field. Bear in mind, though, that this is a pocket-sized magazine published six times a year: there are limits on how much content we can carry and the magazine's frequency means that you may not hear from us (beyond an initial acknowledgement) for some time. Again, please don't follow up initial enquiries; we promise we'll be in touch when we need you. Please submit your ideas to editor@jazzservices.org.uk in the first instance, attaching an existing example of your writing if you have one (or make one up by writing a few paragraphs on a subject of your choosing). Please don't send complete reviews or features intended for publication speculatively.
Can I write you a letter for publication?
We welcome letters on any jazz-related topic and publish a selection in most issues; please see the details on our letters page.
How do I advertise in JazzUK?
Start with our online media pack here.
How often do you publish?
JazzUK is published bi-monthly in both printed and online editions six times a year, with issues covering December/January, February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September and October/November. Each issue appears on or by the first day of the first of the two calendar months covered by that issue. Please bear this schedule in mind when sending items for editorial consideration.
I'm a musician/record label. How do I get my CD or DVD reviewed in JazzUK?
Start by sending us your disc. All discs for review should be sent to JazzUK, First Floor, 132 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SW. Please don't send them to our Cardiff office, our Freepost subscriptions address or anywhere else. However, if you already send review samples directly to any of our contributors as well, that's fine. Please don't write, e-mail or phone asking whether we'd like to receive a review copy. While we can't promise to review everything we receive, provided the release meets our criteria for review (see below) the answer is always yes, since we won't know whether we can review your disc unless we hear it. We're more than happy to review on the basis of advance copies or CD-Rs. We receive hundreds of discs for consideration, so unfortunately we can't acknowledge their receipt or confirm the delivery of a particular disc. We aim to review a couple of dozen discs per issue and the final selection is made quite close to the magazine's publication date, so we're rarely able to confirm which discs will be reviewed in a given issue until then. Please note that staff at the Jazz Services office have no involvement in the review process and that all decisions relating to CD reviews are made by the Editor and freelance contributors. JazzUK is primarily exactly that; the magazine's emphasis is on British artists (whether UK-based or not) and artists from elsewhere who have chosen to reside in the UK. International bands are also of interest if British musicians are involved. We cover all styles of jazz and occasionally related forms such as improvised music, but we'd be unlikely to consider music that's closer to conventional rock, blues, folk or world music unless there's a very strong musical or personnel-based connection with the above.
I'm a photographer. Will JazzUK publish my work?
JazzUK's small (A5) format and emphasis on providing the reader with as much good reading as possible (our feature articles are typically 1200 words in length) tend to restrict the scope for original photography unless the material is rare or unusual, so we generally use images from our own extensive library. However, we very occasionally do need original shots, often at very short notice. We need large hi-res digital images (300dpi or better) and it helps if you have an online library and can respond promptly to requests. You're very welcome to submit your details to editor@jazzservices.org.uk, but please don't follow this up once you've had our acknowledgement; if we know you're there, we promise we'll come to you if we think you can help us.
I'm a promoter/venue manager/performer. How do I get my gig(s) listed in JazzUK?
Our gig listings are free and deadlines are published in each issue of the magazine. Please send the relevant details to listings@jazzservices.org.uk For a detailed description of the information we require in order to include your listings, please see our listings guide under Live Jazz. You will need to include the following information each time you supply your listings: venue name, street address, town, postcode and telephone number (all this can be supplied just once for each issue if there are a number of gigs at the same venue), band/artist name(s), gig date(s), start time(s) and entry/ticket price(s). Please note that we need to receive details of residencies for every issue if you want them to be listed; we can never be sure if a residency has ended without our having been informed, so we don't carry this information over from one issue to the next. Rather than including them with your listings, press releases and any other editorial items should be sent to editor@jazzservices.org.uk, where they will be read by both the Editor and the News Editor. The less time our Listings Editor has to spend forwarding these to the correct members of staff, the better both our news coverage and listings will be.
Where should I send press releases?
All press releases and any other correspondence relating to editorial content should be e-mailed to editor@jazzservices.org.uk in the first instance, although you are of course welcome to copy these documents to any of our contributors with whom you are in direct contact. It helps if your press releases are supplied within the body of your e-mail rather than as attachments. Please provide a brief description in the subject line: something as simple as 'New venue opens in Ourtown' or 'Latest album from Ivor Mouthpiece' is fine. Anything that just says 'Press release' or similar tends to go to the bottom of the pile; we receive a very large number of press releases and we need tell them apart quickly and easily. On a bad day the Editor will assume that any e-mail headed 'No subject' isn't actually about anything and will react accordingly. If you do use attachments, the same applies; a press release with the filename 'Press Release' may be the only one you wrote that day but it'll be the tenth we've received, so it helps if we can distinguish them. Document names originally intended for your reference only ('jazz171209' or 'Maureen final draft Monday morning') don't help either. Please don't follow press releases up unless you have new information to add; we promise we'll use your news if we can. Photographs, on the other hand, will need to be zipped and sent as attachments to the same address. We are always pleased to have free-to-use press images on file and will credit them when used if this information is supplied at the time of submission. These images need to be at 300dpi or better. Giving the individual shots informative filenames - who's in them, who took them and where - is encouraged.
Will you interview me or the artist I represent?
JazzUK's feature content is almost entirely interview-based; typically there are half-a-dozen such pieces of varying length in each issue, so proposals are welcomed provided they fall within the magazine's editorial remit. Again, please don't follow these up unless you have new information to add; if we're able to act on your suggestion, we promise you'll be hearing from us.
Will you preview/review my gig/event?
We have regional correspondents in many parts of the UK but due to limits on personnel and space we can't cover everything we're invited to, much as we'd like to. That said, we're always pleased to be asked and you'll certainly hear from us if we can attend. We may well write about what you're doing in advance even if we can't review your event, so please keep us advised. Send all details to editor@jazzservices.org.uk; if you're in contact with a contributor in your area, please keep them informed as well.
