Rate Your Music

Last updated

Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music logo.svg
Type of site
Social cataloging and community
Available inEnglish (main site)
Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish (forums)
URL
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional and free (required to view and post threads on forums)
Users 1.2 million (August 2024)
LaunchedDecember 24, 2000
Current statusActive

Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online encyclopedia of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also features community-based charts that track highest-rated releases.

Contents

History

The first version of the site, nicknamed "RYM 1.0," allowed users to rate and catalog releases, as well as to write reviews, create lists [1] [2] and add artists and releases to the database.

In May 2009, Rate Your Music started to add films to its database. [3]

Features

The main idea of the website is to allow the users to add music releases of many types including but not limited to albums, EPs, singles, music videos, mixtapes, DJ mixes, and bootlegs to the database and to rate them. The rating system uses a scale of minimum of a half-star (or 0.5 points) to a maximum of five stars (or 5 points). [4] Users can likewise leave reviews for RYM entries as well as create user profiles. [5] [6] Rate Your Music is generated jointly by the registered user community (artists, releases, biographies, etc.); however, the majority of new, edited content must be approved by a moderator to prevent virtual vandalism.

Statistics

As of February 2023, RYM had over 729,000 user-created lists ranging from "popular lists" to "ultimate box sets," which cover various musical genres, including obscure micro-genres. [2] [7]

As of January 2025, the site had over 1.2 million users registered, with over 6.5 million releases added and 144 million ratings. [8]

Impact

Rate Your Music has been credited with helping previously unknown artists and albums rise to popularity, most prominently Have a Nice Life's debut album Deathconsciousness and Sweet Trip's 2003 album Velocity : Design : Comfort . [9]

In 2019, Vice and The Ringer credited Rate Your Music for maintaining the popularity of the band Duster, which had recently reformed after being inactive since 2000. [10] [11] Pitchfork and Junkee noted the website's impact on the career of the anonymous South Korean musician Parannoul, who said that he felt more anxiety than joy after his 2021 album To See the Next Part of the Dream temporarily topped the website's album chart for the year. [12] [13]

Chat Pile guitarist Luther Manhole said, "Our popularity on RYM definitely contributed to us having this career-type-thing, 100%.", as the band's self-released debut EP topped the weekly charts due to fortunate timing. [14]

Reception

Rate Your Music has been received generally favorably. M.O.V.I.N [UP]'s Maurício Angelo praised RYM as "the best guide to discovering new music, in all styles, of any tempo". [15] Hypebot staff found Rate Your Music "snobby and multilingual and people come to show off their various incredible music collections. I’ve loved it for ages". [16] Wired 's Andy Baio deemed it "quirky". [17] Radio Wave's Karel Veselý praised Rate Your Music and Discogs as "[t]he cult music portals". [18]

Flashmode Arabia staff commended RYM as "a fantastic way to discover new music" but critiqued its user experience. [19] The Daily Star 's Deeparghya Dutta Barau called it "one of those hip sites that offer functionality over aesthetics". [20] Similarly, Newonce's staff was somewhat critical, stating the site was "Extremely ugly visually (its creators like the consistency: RYM has not changed the layout to this day), but quite useful". [21]

Centuries of Sound founder James Errington said "[he consulted] websites like Rate Your Music and Acclaimed Music to pick top hits" for his year-by-year mixtapes of the 20th century. [22] Pigeons and Planes 's Adrienne Black highlighted the forums, stating, "if you haven't already spent half your day exploring the above, there are the highly active, engaged threads to dive in to". [1] Evolver.fm's Eliot Van Buskirk advised readers to "Keep a wishlist on rateyourmusic.com". [23]

In an interview with PopMatters , American electronic musician Skylar Spence noted that he would use Discogs and Rate Your Music to find "a lot of cool, old, hidden treasures that way". [24]

Other references

In an article previewing an upcoming Phish Halloween concert, in which the band traditionally covers an album in its entirety, JamBase 's Scott Bernstein noted that all but Waiting for Columbus "[were] in the top 700 on RateYourMusic, which compiles fan ratings". [25]

Selecting "Logan Rock Witch" from Richard D. James Album as their favorite Aphex Twin track, The Quietus 's John Doran remarked "this should result in something that sounds like a mad man’s breakfast of kooky cacophony. (And a quick look at Rate Your Music reveals that plenty of self-professed AFX fans actually do see it this way.)" [26]

Appraising Kairon; IRSE!'s album Ruination, Stereogum's Doug Moore saw that the band "built a big following on Rate Your Music by combining the slightly heftier variants of prog and pysch (sic) with shoegaze". [27]

In a piece concerning Mark E. Smith, Patrin noted that The Fall's This Nation's Saving Grace was "the album that Rate Your Music still ranks as their best by a sliver as of less than 24 hours after Smith’s death". [28]

Covering the Japanese band Fishmans album 98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare , The Michigan Daily 's Sayan Ghosh noted the "classic music lover’s past-time of perusing through internet boards such as Rate Your Music". [29]

In response to Swedish symphonic metal band Therion's album Beloved Antichrist , Stereogum 's Ian Chainey opined that "extremely fickle user bases of Rate Your Music, Encyclopaedia Metallum, and Prog Archives all rate Therion’s albums highly". [30]

Commenting on the release of Retribution Body's album Self Destruction, Tiny Mix Tapes 's Lijah Fosl offered "a reminder that 'dark ambient' is more than just a random rateyourmusic.com categorization". [31]

In a review for American musician Yves Tumor's album Safe in the Hands of Love , The Brown Daily Herald 's Katherine Ok associated plunderphonics with "crate-digging, list-obsessed 'Rate Your Music' users". [32]

The website gained a decent amount of traction in February 2023 after music sites reported on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly overtaking Radiohead's 1997 album OK Computer as the top rated album on the site. [33] [34]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Bob Dylan at Budokan</i> 1978 live album by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan at Budokan is a live album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released August 1978 on Columbia Records in Japan only, followed by a worldwide release in April 1979. It was recorded during his 1978 world tour and is composed mostly of the artist's "greatest hits". The performances in the album are radically altered from the originals, using almost all the musicians that played on Street-Legal, but relying on a much larger band and stronger use of woodwind and backing singers. In some respects the arrangements are more conventional than the original arrangements, for which the album was criticized. For a few critics, such as Janet Maslin of Rolling Stone, the differences between the older and newer arrangements had become less important.

Stereogum is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.

Wobbler is a Norwegian progressive rock band formed in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal Storm (webzine)</span> Heavy metal website based in Estonia

Metal Storm is a webzine specializing in various forms of heavy metal music. It is based in Tallinn, Estonia, but caters to an international audience, symbolically recognized by the acquisition of an EU domain in 2008. The site features a database of over 5,000 bands, alongside album reviews, news and interviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interpol discography</span>

The discography of American rock band Interpol consists of seven studio albums, nine extended plays (EPs), and fifteen singles. Interpol was formed in 1997 by New York University students Daniel Kessler and Greg Drudy, with Carlos Dengler and Paul Banks joining later. Drudy left the band in 2000, and was replaced with Sam Fogarino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have a Nice Life</span> American post-punk band

Have a Nice Life is an American rock band founded in Middletown, Connecticut in 2000 by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga.

<i>98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare</i> 1999 live album by Fishmans

98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare is the third and final live album by Japanese dub band Fishmans. It documents the band's final live performance with frontman Shinji Sato. The show was recorded and filmed at Akasaka Blitz on December 28, 1998, and was first released on September 29, 1999, by Polydor Records in Japan. The album title roughly translates to "A Farewell of Men: December 28th, 1998", a reference to the tour name, and to bassist Yuzuru Kashiwabara's departure from the band and the end of the band's three-piece era. The performance was released on DVD under the name Otokotachi no Wakare 98.12.28 @ Akasaka Blitz in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass Appeal Records</span> American record label

Mass Appeal Records is an American independent record label founded in 2014. The label is the music division of the Mass Appeal Media Group. In May 2014, it was announced that American rapper Nas was launching an indie label with Mass Appeal with Peter Bittenbender of company Decon. The label's current roster includes artists such as: Nas, DJ Shadow, Mannie Fresh, Fashawn, Black Milk, and Keyon Harrold.

<i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i> 2015 studio album by Kendrick Lamar

To Pimp a Butterfly is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the United States, with production from Sounwave, Terrace Martin, Taz "Tisa" Arnold, Thundercat, Rahki, LoveDragon, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Boi-1da, Knxwledge, and several other high-profile hip-hop producers, as well as executive production from Dr. Dre and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Guest appearances include Thundercat, George Clinton, Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley, and Rapsody.

Ten Ten were an American new wave band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984. The band was composed of guitarist/vocalist Mark Lewis, bassist Peter Bell, keyboardist/guitarist Don Ruzek and drummer Lee Johnson. They are best remembered for their 1986 hit "When it Rains" and their cover of the Plimsouls hit "A Million Miles Away". They disbanded in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockhampton (band)</span> American hip-hop group

Brockhampton were an American boy band/rap collective founded in 2014 in San Marcos, Texas. Led by Kevin Abstract and formed partially through the online music discussion forum KanyeToThe, the group's final line-up consisted of vocalists Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, and Dom McLennon, vocalists/producers Joba, Bearface, and Jabari Manwa and producers Romil Hemnani and Kiko Merley, as well as graphic designer Henock "HK" Sileshi, photographer Ashlan Grey, web designer Roberto Ontenient, and manager Jon Nunes.

<i>Queen of Time</i> 2018 studio album by Amorphis

Queen of Time is the thirteenth studio album by Finnish heavy metal band Amorphis, released worldwide on 18 May 2018 through Nuclear Blast. This is the first album since 1999's Tuonela to feature original bassist Olli-Pekka Laine who rejoined the band in 2017, making this the first time since 1994's Tales from the Thousand Lakes that all four original band members played together on an album. The album was produced by Jens Bogren, who was described as "a true brother in spirit."

<i>Crumbling</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Mid-Air Thief

Crumbling is the second studio album by South Korean folktronica artist Mid-Air Thief. The album features vocals by South Korean indie singer-songwriter Summer Soul. It was released on July 31, 2018. It was nominated at the Korean Music Awards in 2019 in the categories "Album of the Year" and "Best Dance & Electronic Album" and won the latter.

Black Dresses was a Canadian noise pop duo consisting of Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, formed in 2017. Their debut album, Wasteisolation, was released independently in 2018. The duo released three additional albums, Thank You (2019), Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches (2019), and Peaceful as Hell (2020), before breaking up in 2020 in response to harassment received by McCallion. Despite maintaining their declaration of disbandment in 2020, Black Dresses released three additional albums, Forever in Your Heart (2021), Forget Your Own Face (2022), and Laughingfish (2024). Upon releasing Laughingfish, the band announced that it would be their final album.

Bonny Light Horseman is an American folk band consisting of Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman. They released their debut eponymous album in January 2020. Their second album, Rolling Golden Holy, came out in October 2022. Their latest release, Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free, was released in June 2024.

<i>OK Human</i> 2021 studio album by Weezer

OK Human is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on January 29, 2021 by Crush Music and Atlantic Records. Featuring a baroque-pop influenced sound, inspired by albums such as Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Sings Newman (1970) and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966), the album was recorded entirely with analogue equipment and features a 38-piece orchestra. The album was preceded by the lead single "All My Favorite Songs", released on January 21, 2021. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. OK Human is the first of two Weezer albums to be released in 2021, followed only four months later by Van Weezer.

<i>To See the Next Part of the Dream</i> 2021 studio album by Parannoul

To See the Next Part of the Dream is the second studio album by the South Korean musician Parannoul, released independently on 23 February 2021, and later that same year through Longinus Recordings and Poclanos. Parannoul, an anonymous artist of whom little information is known, recorded the album over several years in his bedroom using very limited equipment. To See the Next Part of the Dream has been variously characterized as a shoegaze, lo-fi, emo, and indie rock record. All instruments are virtual and the volume of most songs usually reaches clipping levels. The lyrics relate to Parannoul's depression and struggles, and the record contains references to 2000s culture, especially Japanese media. Following its release, the album gained popularity on the Internet and garnered a cult following. To See the Next Part of the Dream was critically acclaimed and was considered to be one of the best albums of 2021.

<i>After the Magic</i> 2023 studio album by Parannoul

After the Magic is the third studio album by South Korean shoegaze musician Parannoul. It was released on January 28, 2023 through Topshelf Records, making it his first album not to be self-released. The album was preceded by two singles: "Insomnia" on November 9, 2022, and "We Shine at Night" on January 11, 2023.

<i>Come In</i> (Weatherday album) 2019 studio album by Weatherday

Come In is the debut album by Weatherday, a solo project of the Swedish musician Sputnik, released on 29 April 2019. The album was entirely written, performed, and recorded by Sputnik, who used minimal equipment and varied recording locations. It has been described as emo, lo-fi, noise pop, and indie rock. Following its release, Come In gained a cult following online on sites such as Rate Your Music, Album of The Year, and Bandcamp. Critics praised the album's wide breadth of sound and emotional lyrics and performance.

References

  1. 1 2 Black, Adrienne (April 10, 2014). "15 of the Best Music Forums on the Web". Pigeons and Planes. Complex Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Douglas, Nick (April 4, 2018). "How to Find New Music You'll Actually Like". Lifehacker . Univision Communications . Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Rateyourmusic.com". Mahalo.com . Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ Madden, Mike (March 15, 2014). "Meet Tymeshifter, the Incredibly Prolific Rate Your Music User". Noisey. Vice Media . Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ Tannenbaum, Rob (July 2, 2015). "Your La Monte Young Listening Guide". Vulture . New York Media LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. ↑ Vieira, Rafael (June 30, 2015). "Rate Your Music: os melhores discos de todos os tempos". Whiplash.Net (in Portuguese). Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Rate Your Music: Welcome!". Rate Your Music. February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ [ dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Have A Nice Life Aren't Joking". Kerrang!. March 22, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  10. ↑ Coney, Brian (August 27, 2018). "The Slow Return of Duster, the Lo-Fi Trio Who Secretly Changed Indie Rock". Noisey. Vice Media . Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  11. ↑ Richardson, Mark (February 22, 2019). "Back to the Stratosphere: How the Rarest Music in the World Comes Back". The Ringer. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  12. ↑ Gui, James (March 28, 2024). "Parannoul and the New Generation of Korean Indie". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  13. ↑ He, Kristen S. (March 20, 2024). "The Resurrection And Rewriting Of Shoegaze History". Junkee. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Chat Pile: The Success No One Was Expecting". Bandcamp Daily. September 9, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  15. ↑ Angelo, Maurício (December 18, 2015). "Rate Your Music: crowdfunding para a nova versão "Sonemic"". M.O.V.I.N [UP] (in Portuguese). revistamovinup.com. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  16. ↑ "8 Different Ways To Discover Music In 2015". Hypebot.com. February 20, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  17. ↑ Baoi, Andy (December 14, 2011). "Spotify vs. Rdio: Who Has The Exclusives?". Wired . Condé Nast . Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  18. ↑ Veselý, Karel (December 8, 2015). "Kultovní hudební databáze Discogs a Rate Your Music kráčí vstříc mobilní budoucnosti". Radio Wave. Czech Radio . Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  19. ↑ "RateYourMusic Case Study: an Examination of RYM's UX Flaws". Ar.flashmode.tn. November 26, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  20. ↑ Barau, Deeparghya Dutta (December 13, 2018). "Discovering music". The Daily Star . Transcom Group . Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  21. ↑ "8 serwisów społecznościowych, na których kiedyś traciliśmy czas". Newonce.net (in Polish). August 8, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  22. ↑ Voon, Claire (October 9, 2017). "A Mixtape for Every Year of the History of Recorded Sound". Hyperallergic . Hyperallergic Media Inc. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  23. ↑ Buskirk, Eliot Van (May 8, 2013). "How To Collect Music in These Overwhelming Times". Evolver.fm. The Echo Nest. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  24. ↑ Harrison, A Noah (October 2, 2015). "Vaporwave Ambassador-Turned-Future Funk Heartthrob Talks about Change: A Chat with Skylar Spence". PopMatters . popmatters.com. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  25. ↑ Bernstein, Scott (October 17, 2013). "Phish Halloween Preview". JamBase . JamBase Inc. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Aphex Twin: Quietus Writers Select Their Deep Cuts". Thequietus.com. August 22, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  27. ↑ Moore, Doug (December 12, 2017). "The Best Metal Albums Of 2017". Stereogum . Valence Media. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  28. ↑ Patrin, Nate (January 25, 2018). "Remembering And Rediscovering Mark E. Smith And The Fall – Stereogum". Stereogum . Valence Media. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  29. ↑ Ghosh, Sayan (February 18, 2018). "Sayan Ghosh: Fishman's '98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare'". The Michigan Daily . University of Michigan . Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  30. ↑ Chainey, Ian (February 28, 2018). "The Black Market: The Month In Metal – February 2018". Stereogum . Valence Media. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  31. ↑ Fosl, Lijah (August 8, 2018). "Jason Lescalleet's Glistening Examples label drops three new glistening albums: listen now". Tiny Mix Tapes . tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  32. ↑ Ok, Katherine (October 8, 2018). "Yves Tumor releases Warp Records debut". The Brown Daily Herald . The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  33. ↑ Krol, Charlotte (February 2, 2023). "Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly' overtakes Radiohead's 'OK Computer' as top rated album on Rate Your Music". NME. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  34. ↑ "To Pimp a Butterfly Surpasses OK Computer as Top Album on Rate Your Music". February 1, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.