What is Rockhaq?

Rockhaq is an open music journalism platform. See our What Is Rockhaq page for more information and go on Tour or Join us.

Who runs Rockhaq?

Rockhaq was set up by me, Michelle Dhillon, a news and music journalist and editor. After I set up NG Magazine (Nottingham’s online entertainment guide), I decided to create Rockhaq; an open music journalism platform that anyone can join.

But I’m not a proper journalist/photographer – can I still join?

Of course! Rockhaq is an open platform – this means that anyone over 16 can join us. We’re not looking for professionals. If anything, we’re looking for raw talent. It would help if you know a bit about music and bands, but enthusiasm is best and our panel’s feedback is a key part of the process. If you want to take photos then you’ll need a decent camera to do it. And no, there’s no upper age limit. Even your dad can join – if he’s up for it

Why do you need to know so much about me when I join?

Names and email addresses are standard on lots of websites now. But addresses and contact numbers? We’ll need them to get in touch and send mission items and instructions to you if your review, interview or photos are the highest rated. We’ll never give out your details, except where it’s needed to send you anything, and even then we’ll tell you first. See our Privacy policy for more.

What does ‘beta’ mean? Is your site broken?

No way! We’ve used this word because we’ll be adding more features to Rockhaq for members over the coming months, this isn’t the final product. We’d really appreciate your feedback or ideas about what you’d like to see more of and we’ll do our best to bring it to you. Get in touch here.

Why do I have to pay to become a Rockhaq member?

One of our aims is to find great music reviewers and live music photographers. If we can do this and help to develop your skills, we’ll be able to offer more one-of-a-kind missions. The fact that this is all online sadly means it’s open to abuse, so we can’t have just anyone joining. We’ve got to make sure that you’re keen to contribute and will value being a member of the Rockhaq community.

There’s a lot of different people involved in Rockhaq and we obviously need to pay our ongoing costs and make sure each premium member has enough space to upload their work, but we’re keen to keep your membership fees as low as we can while securing gig tickets, CDs and the opportunity to get up close and personal with your favourite acts. We’re pretty sure you’ll never experience how to be a music journalist in a better, more affordable or socially dynamic way than this.

Why can’t I just go straight into choosing missions?

Again, because we want to make sure we give missions to the best music writers and gig photographers on Rockhaq. To do this, we’ll need to see that you post good work and that you’re trustworthy and keen to be a reliable community member by meeting deadlines and anything else that’s needed. Check our Community Guidelines for more.

Is it safe to pay online?

We’re confident about using Paypal, it’s a secure way to pay online. Read more about Paypal‘s terms and conditions.

What does ‘intro’ price mean? Will it go up?

Our intro price will only last for a few months as it’s a special offer. It will increase after that as we will add more intensive features into the site which will affect our costs, but only by a small amount. After that, the cost of a premium membership won’t increase. Do ask us if you have any more questions.

What do I get for joining?

You’ll get your own user profile page on Rockhaq to build your online reputation, unlimited reviews, interviews, videos and photograph uploads and can try to win Rockhaq missions if your work is highly rated. Missions can include gig tickets, interviews, CDs or downloads, access to secret gigs and more. Each week’s highest rated work will be featured on our homepage. And each time you get a friend to sign up, you’ll get paid some of their joining fee as a thankyou from us. It could end up being completely free.

Do I own copyright over everything I upload?

We’re not interested in owning your work, owning copyright over it or somehow making money out of it. This is a learning experience so you’ll own the copyright over everything you submit, write and upload. Rockhaq is covered with a Creative Commons 2.0 UK Licence. For photopasses, you might be asked to sign a photo release form with a record label to make sure you’re happy to be covered by their own seperate legal terms. Also, if you are given review CDs or downloads, these may be watermarked or you will be asked to confirm that you won’t distribute them or upload any tracks anywhere else. We’ll always tell you if this is part of the mission though. You can find out more about photo release forms and chat about them in our tips area.

Can I upload reviews I’ve written for other publications/organisations?

Yes, but If someone else wants you to write a review for their paper or website, it’s up to you to check what the score is before putting it on here as you could be fired or sued by them. It’s completely up to you to make sure you own copyright over any work as we’re not legally liable for any work uploaded here that’s not yours. You’ll always be asked to confirm that you own any work before its uploaded to Rockhaq. For more info, check out our User Terms.

Can I abuse other Rockhaq members?

No, abuse or attacks on other Rockhaq community members isn’t cricket. Any members who ignore this run the risk of having their account suspended or deleted. Check out our Community Guidelines for more.

Why ‘Rockhaq’?

Because almost every other name I could think of was already taken. I think the word hack is suited to the site. Go forth, haqs, and enjoy your bounty! Go on Tour or Join us.