Wikipedia:WikiProject Albums/Sources: Difference between revisions
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| ''[[Kerrang!]]'' |
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| Rock, heavy metal |
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| 5-"K" scale, {{rating|4|5|full=Emoji u1f1f0.svg|empty=Blue square K.PNG|rating=K}} |
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| ''[[Now (newspaper)|Now]]'' |
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| All genres |
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| 5-"N" scale, {{rating|4|5}} |
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| {{url|nowtoronto.com/music}} |
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Revision as of 13:40, 10 September 2015
The following list consists of recommended sources for expanding articles that primarily or exclusively cover musical topics. This list is merely a collection of suggestions, and other good sources may exist. Many of these sources include reviews or links to reviews that can be used to source critical reception sections in album articles, and to add ratings to the {{Album ratings}} template. This list is not exhaustive: Additional websites and print sources may also be used, provided they meet the criteria at Wikipedia:Reliable sources and WP:MOSALBUM#Critical reception. Specifically, reviews should be written by professional music journalists or DJs, or found within any online or print publication having a (paid or volunteer) editorial and writing staff (which excludes personal blogs), and must be from a source that is independent of the artist, record company, etc.
Note: While help in expanding this list is quite welcome, please don't add any items to the list before discussing it first on the talk page. Take a look into the project archives for examples of how it has been done in the past. For example here, here, or here.
Online and print
Publication | Primary focus | Rating system | Country | Website | Back issues |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alternative Press | Rock | 5-star scale: | US | altpress |
[8] |
American Songwriter | Singer-songwriter | 5-star scale: | US | americansongwriter |
|
The A.V. Club | Popular music | Letter grade: B +/– | US | avclub |
|
Bach | Baroque, Bach compositions | Not applicable | US | bw |
Online archives and JSTOR access |
BBC Music Magazine | Classical, jazz, world | 5-star scale: | UK | classical-music |
[9] |
Big Cheese | Rock, alternative, punk | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | www |
|
Billboard | Popular music | Older (between the early 1970s and mid 2000s): various categories such as "Spotlight", "Recommended", "Pick", "Four Star", "Critics' Choice" and "Vital Reissue", as defined in the reviews key Newer: 5-star scale: , scores out of 100 before 2014 (As of November 2014, magazine archive contains 129 pages of reviews, with links to 10 reviews per page, dating back to 2008.) |
US | billboard |
[10] |
Blender | Popular music | 5-star scale: | US | blender |
[11] |
Bluegrass Unlimited | Bluegrass, old-time | No formal scale | US | bluegrassmusic |
|
Blurt | Popular music | 5-star scale: | US | blurtmagazine |
|
The Boston Globe | Popular music | No formal scale | US | bostonglobe |
|
CCM Magazine | Christian – CCM, gospel, rock, heavy metal, hip hop, urban |
5-star scale: , older reviews letter grade: B +/– | US | ccmmagazine |
[12] |
Chart/ChartAttack | Rock, alternative, indie, some pop and hip hop | No formal rating system | Canada | chartattack |
|
Chicago Tribune | All genres | 4-star scale: | US | chicagotribune |
|
Robert Christgau | Rock, popular music | {{Rating-Christgau}}: C+, or | US | robertchristgau |
|
Christianity Today | Christian – all genres | 5-star scale: | US | christianitytoday |
[13] |
Clash | Popular music | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | clashmusic |
[14] |
Classical Recordings Quarterly | Classical | No formal scale | US | crq |
[15] |
Classic Rock | Rock | 10-point scale: 7/10, although the magazine's website omits the review score | UK | classicrock |
|
CMJ | Popular music | No formal scale | US | cmj |
|
Complex | Hip hop, R&B, pop, electronic, rock | 5-star scale: , no formal scale before 2014 | US | complex |
|
Country Weekly | Country | Letter grade B +/–; reviews from 2003 to 2012 use a 5-star scale ; no formal scale before then. Some online archives of reviews omit the rating designation. |
US | countryweekly |
[16] |
Crawdaddy! | Rock | No formal scale | US | pastemagazine |
|
The Daily Telegraph | All genres | 5-star scale: | UK | telegraph |
|
Decibel | Heavy metal | 10-star scale: | US | decibelmagazine |
[17] |
Down Beat | Jazz, blues, R&B | 5-star scale: , online reviews have no formal scale | US | downbeat |
|
Dummy | Electronic music | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | dummymag |
|
Early Music | Early music | Not applicable | UK | em |
JSTOR access |
Entertainment Weekly | All genres | Letter grade: B +/– | US | ew |
|
Exclaim! | All genres | 10-point scale: 7/10 or no formal scale | Canada | exclaim |
|
Fact | Popular music | 5-disc scale, | UK | factmag |
|
The Fader | Popular music, folk, experimental | No formal scale | US | thefader |
[18] |
Filter | Popular music | 100-percent scale: 75% | US | filtermagazine |
[19] |
The Fly | Popular music | 5-star scale: | UK | mamacolive |
[20] |
General Music Today | All genres, classical focus | Not applicable | US | gmt |
Latest issue and archives |
The Gleaner | Jamaican | Jamaica | jamaica-gleaner |
||
Goldmine | All genres | 5-star scale: ; or letter-grade scale for reviews posted on staff blogs | US | www |
|
Gramophone | Classical | No formal scale | UK | gramophone |
[21] |
The Guardian | All genres | 5-star scale: | UK | guardian |
[22] |
Harp | Adult album alternative | UK | web |
[23] | |
The Hindu | Indian – all genres | No formal scale | India | www |
|
Hip Hop Connection | Hip hop | 5-point scale: 4/5 | UK | ||
HM | Christian – rock, heavy metal | 5-star scale: , some older reviews 10-point scale or no formal scale | US | hmmagazine |
[24] |
The Independent | All genres | 5-star scale: | UK | independent |
|
The Jamaica Observer | Jamaican | Jamaica | www |
||
Jazz Journal | Jazz | 5-star scale: | UK | jazzjournal |
|
JazzTimes | Jazz | No formal scale | US | jazztimes |
[25] |
Juice | Rock, heavy metal, surf and skate music | No formal scale | US | juicemagazine |
|
Kerrang! | Rock, heavy metal | 5-"K" scale, | UK | kerrang |
|
Latin Beat Magazine | Latin | No formal scale | US | latinbeatmagazine |
[26] |
LA Weekly | Popular music | No formal rating scale | US | www |
|
Limelight | Classical, jazz, pop | 5-star scale: | Australia | limelightmagazine |
[27] |
Living Blues | Blues | No formal scale | US | livingblues |
[28] |
Los Angeles Times | All genres | 4-star scale: | US | latimes |
|
Loud and Quiet | Popular music | 10-point scale: 7/10 or no formal scale | UK | loudandquiet |
[29] |
Magnet | Rock | 10-star scale: | US | magnetmagazine |
[30] |
Metal Forces | Heavy metal | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | www |
[31] |
Metal Hammer | Heavy metal | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | metalhammer |
[32] |
Mixmag | EDM, Synthpop | 5-"headphones" scale | UK | mixmag |
[33] |
Mojo | Rock, popular music | 5-star scale (from 2003 onwards): | UK | mojo4music |
[34] |
The Musical Quarterly | All genres, classical focus | Not applicable | US | mq |
JSTOR access |
The Musical Times | Classical | Not applicable | UK | JSTOR access | |
The New York Times | All genres | No formal scale | US | nytimes |
[35] |
NME | Rock, popular music | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | nme |
[36] (digital) |
Now | All genres | 5-"N" scale, | Canada | nowtoronto |
[37] |
The Observer | All genres | 5-star scale: | UK | theguardian | |
Opera | Opera | No formal scale | UK | opera |
[38] |
Opera Canada | Opera | Canada | operacanada |
[39] (digital) | |
Opera News | Opera | No formal scale | US | operanews |
[40] |
Punk | Punk | US | punkmagazine |
[41] | |
Paste | Rock | 10-point scale: 7.6/10 | US | pastemagazine |
[42] |
Q | Popular music | 5-star scale: | UK | qthemusic |
|
The Quietus | Popular music | No formal scale | UK | thequietus |
|
Rap-Up | Urban, popular music | No formal rating scale | US | rap-up |
|
Record Collector | All genres | Older: no formal scale, then 4-star scale: Newer: 5-star scale: |
UK | recordcollectormag |
[43] |
Reggae Report | Reggae, Caribbean, African, hip hop | No formal scale | US | reggaereport |
[44] |
Rock Hard | Heavy metal | 10-point scale: 7.5/10 | Germany | rockhard |
[45] |
Rock Sound | Rock | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | rocksound |
[46] |
Rock Street Journal | Indian - rock | Letter grade | India | rsjonline |
|
Rolling Stone | Rock, popular music | 5-star scale: | US | rollingstone |
[47] |
Respect. | Hip hop | No formal rating scale | US | respect-mag |
|
Revolver | Heavy metal | 5-point scale: 3/5 | US | revolvermag |
[48] |
The Skinny | All genres | 5-star scale: | UK | theskinny |
[49] |
Sonic Seducer | Dark culture | 10-point scale or no formal scale | Germany | sonic-seducer |
*[50] |
The Source | Hip hop | 5-"microphone" scale | US | thesource |
|
Spin | Rock, hip hop, alternative | 10-point scale: 7/10 | US | spin |
Is no longer run in a print version [51] |
Sruti | Indian | No formal scale | India | sruti |
|
This Is Fake DIY | Popular music, indie | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | thisisfakediy |
[52] |
Triple J | Popular music | No formal scale | Australia | abc |
|
Uncut | Popular music | Older: 5-star scale: From April 2012: 10-point scale: 7/10 (Note: On the magazine's website, reviews published between 1997 and 2012 contain incorrect ratings, in that the original album rating is now rendered as 4/10. When using the online review as a source, editors are encouraged to consult Metacritic or sites carrying Muze-generated product information to confirm the correct star rating; also, to add hidden text explaining the reason that the (star) rating given in the album article differs from that at uncut.co.uk.) |
UK | uncut |
|
Under the Radar | Indie | 10-star scale: | US | undertheradarmag |
[53] |
URB | Electronic, urban | No formal scale | UK | urb |
|
USA Today | All genres | 4-star scale: | US | usatoday |
|
Vibe | R&B, hip hop | 5-star scale: | US | vibe |
|
The Washington Post | Popular music | No formal rating scale | US | washingtonpost |
|
The Wire | Avant-garde, modern classical, jazz, hip hop, electronic | No formal scale | UK | thewire |
|
Welsh Music History | Welsh music | Not applicable | UK | [54] | |
XXL | Hip hop | System based on clothing sizes; scale of small ("S") to extra-extra large ("XXL") | US | xxlmag |
|
Yearbook for Traditional Music | Traditional, traditional dance | Not applicable | UK | ictmusic |
JSTOR access |
Online only
Publication | Primary focus | Rating system | Country | Website | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AbsolutePunk | Rock, alternative, indie | Percentage scale: 93% | US | absolutepunk |
Only use staff reviews |
About.com | All genres | 5-star scale: | US | about |
Only cite critics that are marked as "Yes" in this table: Wikipedia:WikiProject Albums/Sources/About.com Critics Table |
AllHipHop | Hip hop | 10-point scale: 7/10 | US | allhiphop |
|
All About Jazz | Jazz, blues | No formal scale | US | allaboutjazz |
|
AllMusic | All genres | 5-star scale: | US | allmusic |
Do not indicate the "Album Pick" designation, do not use genre sidebar, do not include reviews that include only a star review and no text review |
Alternative Addiction | Rock, independent | 5-star scale: | US | alternativeaddiction |
|
AltSounds | Rock, independent | 10-point scale: 7.6/10 | International | altsounds |
|
BBC Music | All genres | No formal scale | UK | bbc |
Do not use mirrors of Wikipedia |
Blabbermouth.net | Hard rock, heavy metal | 10-point scale: 7.5/10 | US | blabbermouth |
News items should not be used for BLP statements, and if another source can be found for information given, use that source instead. Reviews are acceptable for use in all articles. |
The BoomBox | Hip hop, R&B | No formal scale | US | theboombox | |
Canoe.ca | All genres | 5-star scale: | Canada | jam |
Portal for Sun Media newspapers in Canada |
Classical Net | Classical | No formal scale | US | classical |
|
Cokemachineglow.com | Pop | No formal scale | Unknown | cokemachineglow |
|
Consequence of Sound | Popular music | 5-star scale: | US | consequenceofsound |
|
Country Standard Time | Country | No formal scale | US | countrystandardtime |
Originally a print magazine from 1995-2009; site does not include all reviews from the magazine's history, so print copies may also be cited |
DJBooth | Hip hop | 5-star scale: (Converted from headphones) | US | djbooth |
|
Drowned in Sound | Rock, independent | 10-point scale: 7/10 | UK | drownedinsound |
Only use staff reviews |
ExploreMusic | All genres | No formal rating system | Canada | exploremusic |
|
HipHopDX | Hip hop | 5-star scale: (Converted from X's) | US | hiphopdx |
|
The Huffington Post | Popular music | No formal rating scale | US | huffingtonpost |
|
Idolator | Popular music | 10-star scale: | US | idolator |
|
Jesus Freak Hideout | Christian - popular music | 5-star scale: | US | jesusfreakhideout |
Avoid user reviews (distinguished as yellow stars instead of red) |
The Line of Best Fit | Popular music | 10-star scale: | UK | thelineofbestfit |
|
Loudwire | Rock, heavy metal | 5-star scale: | US | loudwire |
|
Melodic | Rock, independent | 5-star scale: | International | melodic |
|
Metal Storm | Heavy metal | 10-point scale: 7.6/10.0 or
no formal scale |
Estonia | metalstorm |
Do not use guest reviews, recognizable by a tag, or staff reviews from before 2009 |
MTV | Popular music | No formal rating system | US | mtv |
Searchable artist bios, discographies, album commentary, and other artist information can be found here. |
MusicOMH | All genres | 5-star scale: or no formal scale | UK | musicomh |
|
NH7 | Indian - Indie, alternative | Letter grade | India | nh7 |
|
Noisecreep | Hard rock, heavy metal | No formal rating system | US | noisecreep |
|
No Ripcord | Popular music | 10-point scale: 7.5/10 | UK | noripcord |
|
NPR Music | All genres | No formal scale | US | npr |
|
Nothing But Hope And Passion | Popular music | No formal scale | Germany | nbhap |
|
Perfect Sound Forever | Alternative, electronic and experimental music | No formal scale, reviews are only included in overviews of musicians careers | United States | www |
Discussion |
Pitchfork Media | Popular music, independent | 10-point scale: 7.6/10.0 | US | pitchfork |
|
Playlouder | Popular music, independent | 5-point scale: | UK | web |
|
PopMatters | Popular music | 10-star scale: | International | popmatters |
No formal rating for reviews published before 2005 |
Punknews.org | Punk, heavy metal, independent | 5-star scale: | US | punknews |
Use staff reviews only, recognizable by a tag |
RapReviews.com | Hip hop | 10 point scale: 6/10 | US | rapreviews |
|
Resident Advisor | Electronic | 5 point scale: 3/5 | Global | residentadvisor |
|
Roots Archives | Jamaican and Reggae | Not applicable | www |
A discography database | |
Roughstock | Country | 5-star scale: ; no formal scale on pre-2011 reviews; reviews phased out in 2014 | US | roughstock |
|
Slant Magazine | Popular music | 5-star scale: | US | slantmagazine |
|
Spinner | Rock | No formal rating system | US | spinner |
|
Sputnikmusic | All genres | 5-point scale: 3.5/5 | US | sputnikmusic |
Use staff and emeritus reviews only, recognizable by tag |
Stylus Magazine | Popular music | Letter grade: B +/- | US | stylusmagazine |
|
Taste of Country | Country | 5-star scale ; some old reviews use 10-point scale (7.5/10) | US | tasteofcountry |
|
Ultimate Guitar Archive | Rock, heavy metal | 10-point scale: 7/10 | International | www |
Only cite articles written by "UG Team" or any members within its group. |
VH1 | Popular music | No formal rating system | US | vh1 |
|
Wondering Sound | All genres | 5-star rating: | US | wonderingsound |
Reviews before 2014 are unrated. |
Aggregates
Metacritic can be used to give an aggregate score of an album's reception. However, avoid citing the review excerpts listed below the aggregate score; instead, seek out the reviews in full and cite them individually. {{Album ratings}} has a |MC=
parameter that can be used to display the aggregate score for an album. When describing the score in prose, be sure to note that the score is an aggregate and how many reviews it is based on. For example:
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 46/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
The Devil's Rain received mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 46 out of 100, which indicates "mixed or average reviews" based on 11 reviews.[1]
- ^ a b "The Devil's Rain – Misfits". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help)
Instrument-specific
Publication | Instrument | Country | Website | Back issues |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bass Guitar | Bass guitar | UK | bassguitarmagazine |
[55] |
Bass Player | Bass guitar | US | bassplayer |
[56] |
Bass Quarterly | Bass guitar | Germany (in German) | bassquarterly |
[57] |
DRUM! Magazine | Drum kit | US | drummagazine |
[58] |
Electronic Musician | Synthesizer, production equipment | US | emusician |
[59] |
Guitarist | Guitar | UK | musicradar |
[60] |
Guitar Player | Guitar | US | guitarplayer |
[61] |
Guitar World | Guitar | US | guitarworld |
[62] |
Keyboard | Keyboard | US | keyboardmag |
[63] |
Modern Drummer | Drum kit | US | www |
[64] and [65] |
Vintage Synth Explorer | Synthesizer | US | www |
Not applicable |
Other sources
A physical album's liner notes are generally a good place to find writing and production credits for a personnel section. Some records are also released with additional writing that may be helpful with an article's recording and/or composing section. The album notes can be properly sourced with the {{Cite album-notes}} template.
As long as the information being contributed is not overly promotional, unduly self-serving or biased, the artist or record label's website may be acceptable sources. These sites often provide detailed information about an artist's discography. However, since many band websites are recreated entirely upon the release of a new studio album, URL's or information may be moved or deleted, and articles are left with the phenomenon known as link rot. To avoid this, try to find a different source with the same information, or web archive of the original source. For assistance with web archiving, see Wikipedia:Using the Wayback Machine.
Statements given in interviews with an artist, producer, or any other music personnel are reliable for statements about the person themselves and the work they are involved in, such as their band, compositions, etc. However, they are not reliable for statements about other living persons. Any statements about another person should be supported by the individual in question or else a reliable source.
If the artist in question was subject to any form of recorded audio or video in the possible form of a television documentary or an informational DVD/VHS, this may be an acceptable source of information. To cite information from a source like this, use either {{cite video}} or {{cite episode}}, whichever is most applicable.
If an artist or recording act has existed for a significant period of time and/or has made a great impact on their scene or music in general, it's likely that someone has written a book on the topic. An easy way to search through books is with a quick Google Books search. Google Books will provide links of several possible locations to obtain a copy, and will sometimes provide select passages of the book for previewing. To cite a book as a source, use the {{cite books}} template.
Non-English sources
- For more, see Wikipedia:Verifiability#Non-English sources
English-language sources are preferred, as this is an English-language encyclopedia and languages other than English are not understood by a large number of readers. However, if few sources exist, those in languages other than English may be included, especially if the language is especially relevant to the subject in question. Sources in any language must meet the above guidelines, including Wikipedia:Reliable sources and WP:ALBUMS#Reception.
Christian music
For sources pertaining primarily or specifically to Christian music of all genres, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Christian music/Sources.
Korean music and k-pop
For sources that deal with South Korean culture, including k-pop and other forms of Korean music, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Korea/Reliable sources.
Sources to avoid
Websites with user-generated content should never be used as sources since they have little or no editorial oversight. This may include other general wiki-style sites such as Wikia, and album-related sites such as Discogs or Rate Your Music. This is also important to be cautious of on websites that publish user-submitted album reviews. For sites such as AbsolutePunk, Sputnikmusic, and Jesus Freak Hideout, be sure to select only the staff-written reviews.
Self-published sources are generally unacceptable as references on Wikipedia. An artist's social networking site, such as Facebook or Twitter, in addition to personal blogs and forum posts, should largely be avoided. If the information being added from one of these websites is truly notable enough for inclusion, a publication will likely report about it.[1][2]
Online retailers such as iTunes and Amazon.com should also be avoided. It can be seen as inappropriate to directly link to a site where one can purchase the subject in question. Wikipedia's role should not be used to advance the sale of an album. Generally speaking, all of the information found on online retailers can be found at a number of other sites. Track listings, release dates, record label, album covers and track lengths can all be found at AllMusic. The content and reviews found on online retailers may also be biased in that these sources want you to buy their product.
AllMusic's genre sidebar should be avoided. Previous discussions at WP:ALBUMS and RSN have evinced that they can be incongruous with the reviewer's prose, which should take precedent over the sidebar (e.g. AllMusic's sidebar classifies Rhythm Killers as "reggae", while the reviewer observes "no reggae in sight"; likewise, AllMusic's sidebar says that Staind includes the post-grunge genre while the reviewer says that the band "no longer sound like post-grungers...").
List of unreliable sources (with link to relevant discussion)
Reviews and ratings which only summarize other reviews and ratings should not be included either:
- Artistdirect's reviews from AllMusic
About.com
The reliability of About.com is debated. Some writers have expertise in music criticism, some do not. Please consult the Table of critics to see if a particular writer is reliable. Do not cite critics that are marked as "No" in the discussion.
See also
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Albums
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Albums/Article body
- WP:GOODCHARTS – list of recommended sources for international album charting
- Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources
- Wikipedia:Offline sources – an essay in support of print media as sources on Wikipedia
- Wikipedia:Citing sources
- Shared Resources#Music – list of reliable offline music sources offered by WikiProject Resource Exchange
Footnotes
- ^ On December 11, 2010 Rise Against tweeted that they were almost finished recording their new album.[1] A day later, Alternative Press and PunkNews.org published this as news citing Rise Against's tweet as their source.[2][3]
- ^ Following the death of their bassist, Paul Gray, heavy metal group Slipknot were unsure if they would continue as a band. A series of tweets from their lead singer Cory Taylor were posted about his feelings on the matter, and published shortly thereafter by Blabbermouth.net, Noisecreep, Gun Shy Assassin and Chart.[4][5][6][7]