10 Top News Sites That Rock Their Music and Entertainment Coverage

From time to time, an industry or subject inspires us to create a best-of list. These are sites that produce out-of-this-world coverage in a crowded arena. In case you’ve missed some of these, you can find them here. If you think your site should be considered, give us a holler and tell us why.

The number of music and entertainment news sites today is endless.

For journalists, the beat has become extensive, ranging from festival and concert coverage to the cultural impact of music.

While some traditional publications have moved away from having music-specific reporters, others will do whatever it takes to keep these niche editors.

With the American Music Awards coming up Sunday, we wanted to pay homage to several sites that continue to deliver stellar music and entertainment news.

Here are our 10 favorites, in no specific order, that help their audiences get their music fix.

1. Complex

Complex reports the latest in music, style, entertainment, sports and sneakers. But it’s really so much more complex than that. The multifaceted site delivers the latest hip-hop news with attention-grabbing headlines and tons of Instagram posts. The site itself has 1.4 million Instagram followers. It definitely is one of the best follows on social media.

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2. Pigeons & Planes

A subdivision of Complex, Pigeons & Planes delivers new music and music news daily, ranging from hip-hop and pop to indie rock and electronic. It’s known to put people on to good music made by good artists, whether they’re established stars or newcomers. Pigeons and planes, which are two complete opposites, have one thing in common: flight. Here, pigeons symbolize the starving artists trying to make it in a world that isn’t made for them. They’re ignored, unwanted, and plentiful. But when the time comes, they take flight. Planes symbolize mainstream artists — finely tuned and associated with major corporations and with a global reach to the masses. Put together, you have Pigeons & Planes.

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3. Goldenvoice

Goldenvoice is your go-to for concerts and festivals. The site promotes concerts in California, Hawaii, Nevada, Alaska, and elsewhere. It promotes some of the most exciting acts in the world. From small club shows to sold out arena tours, Goldenvoice is dedicated to nurturing the best emerging talent and delivering a great live experience for artists and fans. Goldenvoice also helped put on Desert Trip, a three-day music festival in Indio, Calif. This is a great way to stay updated on future shows.

Story to read right now: No stories here, just concerts. But its Facebook page deserves a like and a scroll. 

4. Pitchfork

Pitchfork, also known as the most trusted voice in music, is an online guide to independent/indie music, with daily coverage of indie rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop, metal, and experimental music. Pitchfork publishes daily reviews, features, and interviews, as well as real-time music news. It also produces the Pitchfork Music Festival every year. Pitchfork has opened the door for many artists, including Broken Social Scene. Wired refers to this instant success as “The Pitchfork Effect.” According to Wired, “Pitchfork has found its own way to thrive in an industry that is slowly being niched to death: It influences those who influence others.”

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5. Flavorpill

Whether you’re a native or a visitor, Flavorpill’s got you covered. The site filters cultural happenings and delivers its findings to subscribers via free email. Beginning with a music-based newsletter sent to a few hundred New Yorkers in Oct. 2000, Flavorpill now distributes nine publications to more than 280,000 subscribers across the US and around the globe. Among them, Flavorwire is your right hand for contemporary cultural news and commentary, bringing you timely coverage and incisive analysis of today’s most provocative films, music, books, TV shows, and more, featuring original essays and reported stories.

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6. Noisey

Launched in 2011, Noisey has grown into one of the brightest, most intelligent and dynamic music hubs on the planet — constantly breaking the mold and defining music coverage in the evolving media landscape. Noisey, part of the Vice group, reaches millions of readers and subscribers each month. It’s a must-stop source for new music, investigative journalism, and artist-sourced content. Nevertheless, the site goes beyond storytelling. Noisey throws popular parties and shows worldwide, hosts online listening parties for new records, discovers the freshest and most exciting artists, and produces videos for today’s innovative and creative musicians.

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7. Vulture

Vulture is a mainstream entertainment and culture blog that is part of New York Magazine’s website. It is based in New York, and despite the obvious appeal to New Yorkers, it’s aimed at a global audience. A lot of the content is made up of interviews, features, and recaps of TV shows and films. Along with this, there are book, art, and theater reviews.

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8. Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is the beacon of music and entertainment news. As a trusted site for music reviews, fans always can count on Rolling Stone for great album recommendations. Not only does Rolling Stone offer fine music advice, the site also reports on politics, TV, movies, and sports. Having been around since 1967, Rolling Stone has a long legacy of coverage. Rolling Stone was founded by Jann Wenner, who still is editor and publisher today.

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9. Good Music All Day

Good Music All Day is exactly what it sounds like: good music, all day. It’s extremely popular among college students and millennials. GMAD provides you with perfect playlists for frat parties or even just a great night out with your crew. Since 2009, Good Music All Day has grown into a leading source of information on trends, new music, and new artists. GMAD has been pivotal in establishing artists such as Macklemore, G-Eazy, Chance the Rapper, Krewella, Hoodie Allen, Aer, and MisterWives, among many others. It also has helped market artists to the college demographic.

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10. Dancing Astronaut

For EDM lovers, this one is for you. Dancing Astronaut is the voice of the Electronic Dance Music generation. The site solely is dedicated to quality dance music. Whether you have an ear for trap, techno, deep house, or dubstep, Dancing Astronaut has the latest.

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Marley Glabman is a Client Support Executive at Cision. Follow her on Twitter at @marleyglabman.