Pitch a piece
Two paragraphs. What the piece is, which section it belongs in, and whether you have seen the band. That is the whole thing — we do not want a CV, we do not want clips unless you have them handy, and we would rather read four hundred words of your actual argument than a list of where else you have been published.
pitch@merchtable.exampleSend us a record
Digital is fine and is genuinely preferred — a link that plays is worth more to us than an object. If you want to send the object anyway, and we understand why you would, the address is The Merch Table, 14 Ordell Street, Halbeck. We open everything. We cannot reply to everything.
demos@merchtable.exampleWhat we pay
| Section | Length | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| New Rotation — a review | 600–800 words | $180 |
| Doors — a live report | 700–1,000 words | $200 |
| Sleeve Notes | 700–900 words | $220 |
| Deep Cuts | 800–1,500 words | $320 |
| The Rider | 600–1,200 words, plus the numbers | $420 |
| Long Player | 1,500–2,200 words | $600 |
| — | Paid on publication, within fourteen days, no exceptions and no invoicing portal |
The rest of it
Do you take unsolicited full drafts?
We read them, but a finished piece is harder to say yes to than a pitch, because by the time it exists neither of us can shape it. If you have already written it, send the two-paragraph version anyway and mention that the draft exists.
Do you commission from outside Halbeck?
For Deep Cuts, Sleeve Notes and The Rider, yes, and we do it often. For Doors, no — the section's whole position is that somebody was in the room, and we cannot check that from here.
Can I pitch a section that does not exist?
Yes, and two of the six started that way. If it works as a piece it can run in Long Player; if it works three times it is a section.
Do you pay kill fees?
Half, if we commissioned it and then did not run it, whatever the reason and including when the reason is that we changed our minds. If you filed something unusable we will tell you that instead, and you keep the piece.
How long until I hear back?
Between four days and never. We answer most pitches inside a week, we answer some after a month, and a few get lost in a mailbox that seven people share and one person actually reads. If it has been three weeks, send it again — that is not rude, it is the system working.