Rate Your Music
Encyclopedia
Rate Your Music is a metadata
database where musical (and non-musical) album
s, EPs
, singles
, video
s, bootlegs
, and (as of 2009) movies are rated and reviewed by users. This data is then used to generate recommendations for users and to create rated lists of albums. Weighted averages are used to calculate the ordering for these lists; regular members who write reviews and rate more albums have a greater weight applied to their ratings. It is a wiki
in the sense that users can add, edit and remove content; however, the majority of new, edited content must be approved by a moderator.
Members can also create personal lists of albums and artists to their specifications, keep track of their personal collection of music, help to maintain the music database of artists and albums, converse on the message boards, contribute to the site's production and expansion, and recommend music to other members.
In 2004, Rate Your Music responded to a general demand for newer music by hosting MP3
files of recordings by several users, who agreed to be classified as unsigned artist
s while allowing their original music to be downloaded free of charge from the main server. These artists are able to promote their recordings alongside more famous, established artists, and users can rate their recordings as they would any other artist.
In 2006, the website ceased relying solely on donation
s to fund its expenses and began receiving revenue from other sources. Namely, the two changes were commission-based links to online music retailers, and Google
AdSense
links (which registered users can elect not to view). The user response to these changes was overwhelmingly positive, because of the democratic nature of the decision (which was openly proposed and discussed on the website before implementation), and the relatively unobtrusive nature of the links.
In May 2009, the alpha-testing database for movies was opened on RYM.
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
database where musical (and non-musical) album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
s, bootlegs
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
, and (as of 2009) movies are rated and reviewed by users. This data is then used to generate recommendations for users and to create rated lists of albums. Weighted averages are used to calculate the ordering for these lists; regular members who write reviews and rate more albums have a greater weight applied to their ratings. It is a wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
in the sense that users can add, edit and remove content; however, the majority of new, edited content must be approved by a moderator.
History
Rate Your Music was founded on December 24, 2000 by Atlanta resident Hossein Sharifi. The "RYM 1.0" interface was used from inception up until 7 August 2006, when "RYM 2.0" was launched. This new interface features extra functionality (such as the "go!" feature to search, rate, review and tag releases) as well as the addition of catalog numbers/track listing/record label and live venue/concert information to the database, and was intended to be more aesthetically pleasing.Members can also create personal lists of albums and artists to their specifications, keep track of their personal collection of music, help to maintain the music database of artists and albums, converse on the message boards, contribute to the site's production and expansion, and recommend music to other members.
In 2004, Rate Your Music responded to a general demand for newer music by hosting MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
files of recordings by several users, who agreed to be classified as unsigned artist
Unsigned artist
The term "unsigned artist" or "independent artist" is used in the music industry as a marketing technique.-History and current scene:Many unsigned artists used to sell their music and music-related merchandise without the financial support of a record label, while often seeking a recording contract...
s while allowing their original music to be downloaded free of charge from the main server. These artists are able to promote their recordings alongside more famous, established artists, and users can rate their recordings as they would any other artist.
In 2006, the website ceased relying solely on donation
Donation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
s to fund its expenses and began receiving revenue from other sources. Namely, the two changes were commission-based links to online music retailers, and Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
AdSense
AdSense
Google AdSense which is a program run by Google Inc. allows publishers in the Google Network of content sites to automatically serve text, image, video, and rich media adverts that are targeted to site content and audience. These adverts are administered, sorted, and maintained by Google, and they...
links (which registered users can elect not to view). The user response to these changes was overwhelmingly positive, because of the democratic nature of the decision (which was openly proposed and discussed on the website before implementation), and the relatively unobtrusive nature of the links.
In May 2009, the alpha-testing database for movies was opened on RYM.
Music projects
Recently, members of the site's community have released a few tribute/cover albums as free downloads.| Title | Release date | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| In the Aerorate Over Your Music | Tribute to Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation.... 's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea In the Aeroplane Over the Sea In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is the second studio album by American indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, released in the United States on February 10, 1998 on Merge Records... |
|
| Rate Our Music#02: RYM Sings the Golden Hits of Yesteryear | Various covers | |
| Rate Our Music#03: Straight to Video | Original music inspired by various films. | |
| Rate Our Music#04: Give Me Covers or Give Me Death | Covers of classic punk Punk rock Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock... songs from the 1970s and 1980s. |
|
| Rate Our Music #5: Girls! Girls! Girls! | Covers and originals all featuring the names of women. | |
| Googlecore | A mixtape of releases of the googlecore microgenre. | |
| Rate Our Music #6: Vociferous Dreams - Noisemakers of RYM | Two-disc compilation of original music from noise artists on the site. |