About Reflektor Mag
An independent music and culture magazine founded in 2017. Long reads, deep reviews, no filler.
Reflektor Mag is an independent, reader-supported music and culture magazine. We write long. We take our subjects seriously. We assume our readers are smarter than the industry gives them credit for.
What we cover
Music, mostly. Album reviews, concert reports, festival coverage, and long-form interviews. We lean toward independent and left-of-center music — the kind of records that don't automatically make the trade-press cycle — but we cover anything that we think deserves a real conversation. If a stadium record is worth taking seriously, we'll take it seriously.
We also publish features that sit next to music: cultural essays, scene reports, media criticism, the occasional piece on books or film when it's adjacent to our beat. The thread connecting everything is a belief that the thing itself — the record, the show, the artist — is worth more time than the industry gives it.
How we work
We are a small masthead. Three editors, roughly fifteen regular contributors, and a rotating cast of guest writers. We publish three to five pieces per week during the active season, less in late July and late December. We do not have a social media team. We do not chase trending stories unless we have something real to say about them. We do not run clickbait headlines.
Our writers are paid. Our ad placements are limited to label and bookstore spots. We do not accept gifts from PR firms beyond review copies and standard press credentials, and we disclose everything that could reasonably be read as a conflict of interest. The full ethics policy is on this page.
Where we come from
Reflektor Mag was founded in Montreal in 2017 by two music journalists who had both been laid off from larger publications in the same month. The name was borrowed from the Arcade Fire record — not as homage, exactly, but because the editors liked what the word meant: something that reflects. We're not sure we always live up to the name, but we try.
The magazine is now based between Montreal and Lisbon, with contributors across North America and Europe. We run on a mix of reader subscriptions, print issues (twice a year), and a modest advertising program.
How to support us
The easiest way to support the magazine is to subscribe to the monthly dispatch and to share pieces you like with friends. If you have more to give, consider our paid tier — six dollars a month, no ads, early access to features, and two print issues a year.
If you'd like to write for us, see our pitch page. If you want to reach the editors, see contact.