Being the annoying music person I am, I finally made a Rate Your Music account and am in the process of going through cataloging some of my favorite records, new and old. I enjoy having lists of various mediums I enjoy (film, literature, music), and figured with my usage of Goodreads and Letterboxd, I’d find the music variation.

For those who don’t know, Rate Your Music (RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases. Users can catalog records, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also features community-based charts that track the highest-rated releases.

The platform is definitely a way to become a music fan drone, someone who only listens to music that’s critically acclaimed. Regardless, it’s a great platform to discover more music, which is a win for me. My account is here if you wish to see what I’m rating. As a rule of thumb, I’m going to avoid rating my own bands or bands I know. It’s strictly meant for cataloging purposes, even if I roast a few mainstream records I despise (sorry MGK).