Shfl

Writer FAQ

What is Shfl all about?

My goal with the project is to create an expertise-driven alternative to the big recommendation algorithms. At the same time I don't want it to be captured by whatever is new or currently fashionable, and I want it to be able to recommend any genre or style of music.

What I came up with was a random sampler, but one that you can steer. At first I thought I could build it by just linking to positive reviews already on the web, but I've decided that it would work much better with some additional context around any given recommendation, not to speak of expert input on what actually gets recommended.

What does Shfl publish?

  • Blurbs: A shortish (50-250 words generally, but there's no hard and fast rule) explanation of why someone should give this album a shot. I'm just looking for recommendations that express the taste of a single individual (you) so anything from any time is fair game. It can be incredibly obscure or massively popular. There's plenty of examples in the newsletter.

  • Guides: Generally a 1000-2000 word article about some genre, prolific musician, or other musical topic. Here's the list of all the ones we've published so far, a couple of good examples are Nate Patrin’s on the L.A. Beat Scene or Joe Muggs on the Balearic aesthetic. These are attached to generally between 10 and 20 album recommendations (with blurbs) that exemplify the topic.

  • Collections: A list of albums, generally between 15 and 50, with a title and a short description, with blurbs for at least two of the albums on the list. Not quite as in-depth as a guide, so a good format for more niche topics. Microgenres, regional scenes, individual musicians, label overviews, or best-of-some-year are all OK. Some examples are Shy Thompson’s on Hawaiian Slack-Key Guitar, Jon Dale’s on krautrock obscurities, and Rick Anderson’s on Plainchant.

What are Shfl's rates?

Blurbs get $100 each, guides get $2000, and collections are $500. We publish around 15 blurbs, 3 collections, and one guide per month, feel free to pitch me whenever.

Does Shfl have a sample contract I can see?

Here's my standard contract. If it doesn't work for you let me know, I'm happy to modify it if it works for both of us.

How and when do I get paid?

I generally pay a couple of days after the work has been submitted. I use direct deposit for writers in the US and Wise for those outside. Shfl LLC is organized in the state of California, and I will issue a 1099 in January for all US residents, so before you get paid for the first time you need to supply me with a W-9 form.