Rateyourmusic.com might be the Web site I visit most often. As its title says, it is a site where you can rate albums, but there is a lot more to it than that.
I discovered RYM while trying to find a site that could give me a lot of information about bands and songs, let me voice my opinion about music and talk to other people about music, too. Rateyourmusic.com is just the site for these things and more.
On this Web site, you can see what the rating for an album is based on what other users have rated it. You can then rate albums on a scale from 0.5 to 5 based on your opinion. You can also write reviews on your albums or read the reviews of others.
One of the best parts of RYM is the charts. You can look at charts of the top rated albums of all-time, of a certain decade or of a specific genre. For me, genre charts are the best way to discover new music that I might like.
Besides charts based on the votes of every user, there are lists made by individual users. These lists can be anything from best or worst albums, worst artists, best songs of 2009, or anything else music related. You can find music you’ve never heard of on these lists and you can also make your own lists.
There are also message boards where you can discuss music with others.
Rateyourmusic.com also has pages for movies, so you can rate, review and discuss films, too.
I have been a member for more than a year, and I still find new music to check out. I recommend that anyone who is interested in music give RYM a chance.
– By RYAN RUSER, Dallastown High School
