Alex Suskind
Alex Suskind is a freelance writer and editor who covers music through concise news stories and curated release lists for Pitchfork and other outlets. His work centers on the moments when artists share new material or open their archives, from a Carly Rae Jepsen single premiere to Neil Young giving residents of Greenland access to his entire music catalog. The headlines on these pieces foreground the core hook of each story — wanting to be more than friends on a new pop song, a set of albums you should hear this week, or a full archive suddenly made free — which keeps his coverage tightly focused on what has just become available. Taken together, these stories show him working within the release cycle, highlighting music that is out now or newly accessible rather than producing extended critical essays.
New songs and release announcements
At Pitchfork, Suskind writes news items that announce and frame fresh releases from prominent artists, including Carly Rae Jepsen’s song “On Wires.” The headline “Carly Rae Jepsen Wants to Be More Than Friends on New Song ‘On Wires’” spells out both the emotional theme and the format — a new song — reflecting his focus on clear, descriptive framing around individual tracks. This kind of coverage positions him to handle straightforward announcement stories where the key task is to convey what the song is, who it is by, and why its release matters now.
Curated roundups of albums out now
Suskind also takes part in collaborative roundups that guide listeners through the week’s notable releases. In “15 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now,” he appears alongside colleagues to highlight a slate of records, contributing to a format that surveys multiple artists and genres in a single piece. This shows that he works comfortably in curated list structures that emphasize breadth and discovery, pointing readers toward new albums rather than drilling deeply into any one project.
Legacy artists and archival projects
Beyond his work at Pitchfork, Suskind reports on legacy artists and the ways they treat their catalogs. In a news story about Neil Young gifting full access to his music archive to every resident of Greenland, he covers a gesture that combines artist initiative, digital distribution, and fan access. The piece explicitly nods to Pitchfork’s “Best New Reissue” review of Young’s Chrome Dreams, indicating that he is attentive to archival releases and connects news about artist archives with critical perspectives on those projects.
Work across outlets and formats
Suskind describes himself as a freelance writer and editor who contributes to Pitchfork, Paste, Vulture, and The Guardian and has authored two books. This mix of music reporting, broader arts-and-entertainment writing, and book-length work positions him as a versatile culture journalist whose music coverage sits within a wider understanding of how artists build and share their work. For music stories, that versatility translates into a focus on timely, release-driven pieces — from single-song announcements to multi-artist album lists and catalog-access news — that can fit smoothly across different mastheads and formats.
4 more music journalists.
Abby Webster
Abby Webster zeroes in on the storytelling side of contemporary pop, writing for Billboard about how songs build worlds around K-pop groups, fictional pop stars and ambitious soundtracks. She covers K-pop projects through close, song-by-song features, like her track-by-track piece with SEVENTEEN’s Vernon and The 8 on their EP ‘V8,’ and fan-centered lists such as “7 Best Moments from BTS’ Long-Awaited Return.” She treats soundtracks and fictional acts with the same rigor, mapping the inspirations behind “The Vampire Lestat” soundtrack and profiling in-universe groups like HUNTR/X and Saja Boys as if they were chart acts. Through Chart Beat stories on projects like “KPop Demon Hunters,” she connects these releases to industry strategy, global fandom, and the business systems that turn pop narratives into durable IP.
Ali Shutler
Ali Shutler links chart pop, alternative music and fan culture with the ways songs move through festivals, streaming platforms and games. He is a freelance culture journalist specialising in music, writing news and features for NME and other music and culture titles. He covers breakout chart acts, legacy artists whose catalogues are resurfacing, and how audiences rediscover songs via TikTok, streaming or in‑game soundtracks. His reporting on streaming-era pop and live festival moments tracks virality, catalog access and fan behaviour as part of the story of a track. He also examines music, gaming and visual art crossovers, treating game soundtracks and artist-led campaigns as part of a wider cultural map. Alongside this, he profiles emerging chart artists for outlets including The Telegraph, Vice, The Independent, Dork and Upset, focusing on early-career trajectories and fan culture.
Annette Sharp
Annette Sharp is a veteran gossip and entertainment columnist known for direct, opinion-led coverage of celebrity power struggles and reputational crises across television and the music industry. She now writes high-profile columns for the masthead, after a decade on a well-read gossip column and a move to News Corp in 2008. Her real beat is the friction between public image and behind-the-scenes behaviour on flagship TV programs, including breakfast shows, reality formats and other long-running franchises. She focuses on who drives conflicts, who is exposed and who benefits, using ratings history, production decisions and industry mechanics as context. Sharp covers on-air personalities, executives, advisers and musicians, treating television and music as workplaces with competing egos, contracts and alliances, and blending reporting, media commentary and critique in a narrative column format.
Annie Marino
Annie Marino is an editorial assistant who covers how music acts and character-driven entertainment turn into toys, collectibles, and recurring content. She works across The Toy Book, The Toy Insider, and The Pop Insider. Her beat sits at the meeting point of music, pop culture personalities, and the toy and collectibles market, with a focus on news about new launches and branded releases. She reports on music icons becoming collectible dolls, tracking how toy makers position performers within signature ranges and licensed collaborations. She also covers kids’ characters and animated content tied to toys and children’s media, following new cartoon episodes that keep brands active for young audiences. Across her stories, she treats artist branding and character-led storytelling as product strategy, watching how entertainment becomes tangible merchandise and ongoing content for fans.