• Good music interviews are often given by knowledgable journalists.Portrait of a styled professional model. Theme: teens, music. image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
  
  When you're interviewing a band, you have to know the band very well--their background, their albums, their influences and where they're going with their musical career. While interviewers ask basic questions, they can't come into the interview clueless or without an understanding of the band. Interviewing a band for a magazine, website or other publication requires the ability to connect with people, be unapologetically curious and find important information. Most journalists, according to United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, have a bachelor's or master's degree in communications, journalism, English or media.
  
  

Be Prepared

• Interviewers should come up with new questions.Music image by Emil Maga from Fotolia.com
  
  Be prepared before coming into the interview--you don't want to run into a situation where you ask for answers you should already have known. According to Media College's website, you should do your homework before interviewing the band or artist. If a band was awarded for a song, for example, you should know this so you don't ask "have you ever won an award for your music?" Avoid embarrassing journalistic fumbles by researching the band. Check their websites, Myspace pages, blogs and other publications' coverage of their music. Don't ask the same questions other publications have asked.
  
  

Ask Important Questions

• Ask meaningful questions and get meaningful answers.question mark 4 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com
  
  Ask the hard-hitting questions. Go beyond "what are your influences?" and talk about the deeper meaning in the band's songs, the ways they deal with journalistic critique and how they handle the ever-changing nature of the music industry. These sorts of questions get the band to open in deeper ways that makes them think about the nature of their craft.
  
  

Write Your Questions Down

• Write a list of questions down before arriving.paper and pen image by Melissa Schalke from Fotolia.com
  
  Have a list of questions written down. Don't wing the interview. While some interviews will naturally take a direction of their own, most people will find it easier to stay on track with a question list. Let the band suggest questions they might like you to ask as well, as this allows you to get extra information.
  
  

Listen Carefully

• Make sure you properly record your interview.recorder image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
  
  Listen carefully to the answers the band is giving you--especially if you're writing down their answers with a pen and paper. If you're using a recording device, you can go back to listen again. However, writing with pen and paper can be difficult at times. Don't be afraid of asking your subject to repeat themselves a few times, if you need to.