The following is a list of some websites with 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. Additional sites and sources may also be used, provided they meet the criteria at Wikipedia:Reliable sources and WP:ALBUMS#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.
Professional review sources[edit | edit source]
| Review site
|
URL
|
Rating system
|
Format
|
Remark
|
| Allmusic
|
http://www.allmusic.com
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
Do not indicate the "Album Pick" designation
|
| Alternative Press
|
http://www.altpress.com
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
| Artistdirect
|
http://www.artistdirect.com
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
Contains mirror reviews from Allmusic. If the review is a mirror, use the original instead.
|
| The A.V. Club
|
http://www.avclub.com/reviews/music/
|
A/B/C/D/E/F scale
|
A+, B, or C-
|
|
| Billboard
|
http://www.billboard.com/#/new-releases/
|
No formal scale
|
favorable
|
|
| Blender
|
http://www.blender.com/index.aspx
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
| Canoe.ca
|
http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/AlbumReviews
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
Portal for Sun Media newspapers in Canada
|
| Chicago Tribune
|
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/
|
4-star scale
|
3/4 stars11px11px11px
|
|
| Consequence of Sound
|
http://consequenceofsound.net/
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
| Crawdaddy!
|
http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com
|
No formal scale
|
favorable
|
|
| Drowned in Sound
|
http://drownedinsound.com/records
|
10-point scale
|
7/10
|
|
| Entertainment Weekly
|
http://www.ew.com/ew/music/reviews/0,,,00.html
|
A/B/C/D/E/F scale
|
A+, B, or C-
|
|
| Exclaim!
|
http://www.exclaim.ca
|
No formal scale
|
favorable
|
|
| Kerrang!
|
http://www.kerrang.com
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
Do not use the Ks
|
| Los Angeles Times
|
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/album_review
|
4-star scale
|
3/4 stars11px11px11px
|
|
| Metal Storm
|
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/reviews.php
|
10-point scale or
no formal scale
|
7.6/10, or
favorable
|
Do not use guest reviews, recognizable by a tag, or staff reviews from before 2009
|
| Metal Hammer
|
http://www.metalhammer.co.uk
|
10-point scale
|
7/10
|
|
| Mojo
|
http://www.mojo4music.com/blog
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
Few reviews available online, Disc of the Day Archive (unrated) can be used for older albums
|
| MusicOMH
|
http://www.musicomh.com/albums
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
| NME
|
http://www.nme.com/reviews
|
10-point scale
|
7/10
|
Rating at bottom of review
|
| Pitchfork
|
http://www.pitchfork.com
|
10-point scale
|
8.7/10.0
|
Precision to a tenth of a point
|
| PopMatters
|
http://www.popmatters.com
|
10-point scale
|
7/10
|
No formal rating for reviews published before 2005
|
| Punknews.org
|
http://www.punknews.org/reviews
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
Use staff reviews only, recognizable by a tag
|
| Q
|
http://www.qthemusic.com
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
Reviews unavailable online
|
| Robert Christgau
|
http://www.robertchristgau.com
|
{{Rating-Christgau}}
|
C+, (2-star Honorable Mention)11px or (dud)
|
Has his own specific rating system
|
| Rock Sound
|
http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews
|
10-point scale
|
7/10
|
|
| Rolling Stone
|
http://www.rollingstone.com/
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
| Slant Magazine
|
http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
| Spin
|
http://www.spin.com
|
10-point scale
|
7/10
|
|
| Sputnikmusic
|
http://www.sputnikmusic.com
|
5-point scale
|
3.5/5
|
Use staff and emeritus reviews only
|
| Stylus Magazine
|
http://www.stylusmagazine.com
|
A/B/C/D/E/F scale
|
A+, B, or C-
|
|
| Uncut
|
http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/reviews
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
| USA Today
|
http://content.usatoday.com/community/tags/topic.aspx?req=ssts&tag=reviews^music^life
|
4-star scale
|
3/4 stars11px11px11px
|
|
| Vibe
|
http://www.vibe.com/news/reviews
|
5-star scale
|
3.5/5 stars11px11px11px11px
|
|
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 Metacritic's 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:
| Professional ratings
|
| Aggregate scores
|
| Source
|
Rating
|
| Metacritic
|
48/100
|
| Review scores
|
| Source
|
Rating
|
As a matter of policy, reviews from these sources are not considered professional and should not be included, either in {{Album ratings}} or in the article's prose:
Reviews and ratings which only summarize other reviews and ratings should not be included either:
