Sputnikmusic Explained

Sputnikmusic should not be confused with Sputnik (news agency).

Sputnikmusic
Type:	Music website
Format:	Internet
Founder:	Jeremy Ferwerda^[1]
Language:	English

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". 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.
• 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.
• Emeritus: status given to former Staff members who no longer contribute to the site. Their reviews are considered professional.
• 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 and ending at in steps. Each note is associated with a word, ranging from "Awful" for to "Classic" for . Staff members are also allowed to score in 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 Wild Hunt	^[13]
2011		Bon Iver	^[14]
2012		The Seer	^[15]
2013		Loud City Song	^[16]
2014		You're Dead!	^[17]
2015		To Pimp a Butterfly	^[18]
2016		Blackstar	^[19]
2017		Sleep Well Beast	^[20]
2018		Golden Hour	^[21]
2019		The Big Freeze	^[22]
2020		How I'm Feeling Now	^[23]
2021		Hushed and Grim	^[24]
2022		Preacher's Daughter	^[25]
2023		Scaring the Hoes	^[26]

Notes and References

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