Jump to content

Sputnikmusic: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tectactoe (talk | contribs)
13 edits
Undid revision 1298272463 by Skywatcher68 (talk)
Tags: Undo Reverted possible conflict of interest
Undid revision 1298273102 by Tectactoe (talk) Continuing persistent vandalism
Tags: Undo Reverted section blanking
Line 30: Line 30:
Each album analysis shows the score given by the reviewer, but also the score given by the other reviewers on an associated page where an [[average]] is calculated from all the scores. A bar chart also shows the number of ratings each score has received for each album.
Each album analysis shows the score given by the reviewer, but also the score given by the other reviewers on an associated page where an [[average]] is calculated from all the scores. A bar chart also shows the number of ratings each score has received for each album.


== Controversy ==
In June of 2025, a large dispute erupted between much of the entitled babies comprising the staff team, and Sputnik's moderation team regarding the transparency and accountability of the moderators' actions. The altercation was initiated by the allegedly unceremonious demotion of staff writer normaloctagon<ref>{{Cite web |title=normaloctagon: {{!}} Sputnikmusic |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?memberid=1234487 |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=www.sputnikmusic.com}}</ref>, an act that included the deletion of all his past contributions to the site. In reality, he was demoted for failing to contribute in a meaningful way. Other major staff grievances included reports of repeated misogynistic language and behavior as well as the recurring defense of alleged Nazi propaganda from two of the site's main Editors, Sowing and Willie.


In 2017, Sowing received criticism for defending [[Brand New (band)|Brand New]]'s lead singer and guitarist, [[Jesse Lacey|Jessie Lacey]], after initial reports of his sexual misconduct broke, saying regarding the victim, "''...as if she probably didn't beg to send him the nudes.''"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moderator Sowing post in thread for Brand New's album "Science Fiction" after news of Jesse Lacey's sexual misconduct broke. |url=https://tectactoe.neocities.org/img/sow.jpg}}</ref> In October of 2019 in a site blog post, Sowing was under fire again for his quote, "''Are we going to start identifying Ted Nugent as Republican-Rock? Green Day as Democratic-Punk? Britney Spears as Whorecore?''"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sowing's Diary Entry #2: Things That Grind My Gears - Christian Music, Genre Labeling, and The New Civil War |url=https://jomageddon.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sputnikmusic-sowings-diary-entry-2-things-that-grind-my-gears-e28093-christian-music-genre-labeling.pdf}}</ref> Users felt his use of the word "whorecore" was both insensitive and misogynistic. In June 2025, Willie was informed by several people that a user on the site was creating lists full of known racist and neo-Nazi bands and labeling them as "essential" albums. These concerns were met with contempt and the lists remained not only active, but featured on the site's homepage with Willie saying, "''...we don't personally know every album in the database, and will not be researching every released before a list is featured. It's not going to happen.''"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Editor Willie's response to being told a user was purposely creating inflammatory neo-Nazi lists on Sputnikmusic. |url=https://jomageddon.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/screenshot_2025-06-02_at_14.04.14.webp?w=1024}}</ref>

Unable to arrive at agreeable terms, the moderation team understandably banned most of the staff involved in the dispute and removed their special site permissions, as lists of demands and ultimatums aren’t respected in even the most casual professional environments. Willie told the ex-staff members their positions would be reinstated if they signed a document saying that they wished to remain on the Sputnik staff. As a result, 27 staff writers formally resigned by refusing to sign the document, confirming that they no longer wished to contribute to the site. The user base is largely split, with one user referring to Willie and Sowing as “fascists,” illustrating their lack of understanding of the word.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-27 |title=Sputnikmusic Staff Exodus |url=https://jomageddon.wordpress.com/2025/06/28/sputnikmusic-staff-exodus/ |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=Jomageddon |language=en}}</ref> In the aftermath of this event, website traffic allegedly rapidly declined with many of the site's major contributors no longer able to publish reviews. There is no actual evidence of this as the site’s most active thread in months is currently active discussing the above, and reviews continue to be generated by other users and staff. Despite its years long downward trajectory, Sputnikmusic will likely endure, despite the repeated promises of the staff members who quit. Two of the staff fired are not welcome back. It has not been publicly confirmed which two.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Check Website Traffic In One Click {{!}} Traffic Analytics |url=https://www.semrush.com/analytics/traffic/traffic-overview |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=Semrush |language=en}}</ref>


==Album of the Year==
==Album of the Year==

Revision as of 13:42, 1 July 2025

Not to be confused with Sputnik (news agency).
Sputnikmusic
Type of site
Music website
Available inEnglish
Founded2005; 20 years ago (2005)
Founder(s)Jeremy Ferwerda[1]
URLsputnikmusic.com

Sputnikmusic (abbreviated as Sputnik) is a music website that publishes music reviews and news entries. The site hosts both professional and amateur content,[2] covering metal, punk, indie, rock, hip-hop, pop and other styles. Its reviews are used by the review aggregate Metacritic.

Reception

Metacritic incorporates Sputnikmusic's staff reviews into its review aggregate ratings.[3] The site was cited by The Guardian[4] and Neil Daniels.[5] Michael Miller wrote that "you're likely to fine [sic] a wide variety of opinions in the site".[2] A Master's thesis utilized Sputnikmusic's music database for its research, due to its "focus on non-mainstream artists" and its "encompassing database".[6] The ethnomusicologist Jorge Mercado Méndez references Sputnikmusic as an 'acclaimed' review source adjacent to Pitchfork,[7] while musicologist Giuseppe Catani cites Sputnikmusic's Alex Robertson alongside the NME.[8]

Stratification and rating systems

On Sputnikmusic, there are four levels of reviewers, which differentiate professional and amateur content:[9]

  • Staff Reviewers: these are the editors who contribute to the professional section by producing analyses and reviews. Their reviews are referenced on Metacritic. There are currently 10 Staff Reviewers.
  • Contributors: These writers are recognized by the current Staff members as good enough writers to be featured. Nevertheless, they are not taken into account by Metacritic or Wikipedia. There are currently 7 Contributors.
  • Emeritus: status given to former Staff members who no longer contribute to the site. Their reviews are considered professional. There are currently 75 Emeriti.
  • User: this category includes all other people who are not listed at a higher level. They can add new reviews, artists and albums to the database, as well as edit and submit reviews or lists.

The Sputnikmusic notation system is based on a 5-point system, starting at 1.0 and ending at 5.0 in 0.5 steps. Each note is associated with a word, ranging from "Awful" for 1.0 to "Classic" for 5.0. Staff members are also allowed to score in 0.1 steps.

Each album analysis shows the score given by the reviewer, but also the score given by the other reviewers on an associated page where an average is calculated from all the scores. A bar chart also shows the number of ratings each score has received for each album.


Album of the Year

Year Artist Album Source
2006 Converge No Heroes [10]
2007 Burial Untrue [11]
2009 Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion [12]
2010 The Tallest Man on Earth The Wild Hunt [13]
2011 Bon Iver Bon Iver [14]
2012 Swans The Seer [15]
2013 Julia Holter Loud City Song [16]
2014 Flying Lotus You're Dead! [17]
2015 Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly [18]
2016 David Bowie Blackstar [19]
2017 The National Sleep Well Beast [20]
2018 Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour [21]
2019 Laura Stevenson The Big Freeze [22]
2020 Charli XCX how i'm feeling now [23]
2021 Mastodon Hushed and Grim [24]
2022 Ethel Cain Preacher's Daughter [25]
2023 JPEGMafia and Danny Brown Scaring the Hoes [26]
2024 Charli XCX Brat [27]

References

  1. ^ "Sputnikmusic - Musicians of Sputnik #5: Kannatama « Staff Blog".
  2. ^ a b Miller, Michael (2012-06-24). The Ultimate Digital Music Guide: The Best Way to Store, Organize, and Play Digital Music. Pearson Education. p. 538. ISBN 9780132982856.
  3. ^ The Administrators of Metacritic. "Sputnikmusic". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  4. ^ Swash, Rosie (9 March 2007). "Does Joss Stone need to go to album rehab?". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  5. ^ Daniels, Neil (2014). Killers: The Origins of Iron Maiden, 1975-1983. Soundcheck Books LLP. pp. 39–40. ISBN 978-0957570023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  6. ^ Levine, Lauren E. (May 2015). Act Like a Punk, Sing Like a Feminist: A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Feminist Themes in Punk Rock Song Lyrics, 1970-2009 (MA). University of North Texas. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  7. ^ Méndez, Jorge Mercado (July 2022). "1". Caribbean Vaporwave: The Internet as Social Amplification (PhD thesis). Kent State University. ProQuest 2734709294. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  8. ^ Catani, Giuseppe (2020). Pick & rock: Quando la musica va a canestro. Arcana. p. 177. ISBN 9788862318822.
  9. ^ "Staff". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  10. ^ "mx: Staff Picks: Top 15 Of 2006 | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  11. ^ "mx: Staff Picks: Top 50 Albums Of 2007 | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  12. ^ "mx: Staff Picks: Top Albums of 2009 | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  13. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2010: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2011: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2012: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2013: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2015: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  18. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2015: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2016: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2017: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2018: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  22. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2019: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  23. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2020: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2021: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2022: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2023: 10 – 1". Sputnikmusic. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2024: 10 - 1". Sputnikmusic. 21 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sputnikmusic&oldid=1298273170"