ALARMA: This post is about Rate Your Music, but the same thing applies to Album of the Year
Rate Your Music (RYM) is the number one website for finding music that fits into either of these categories:
- Popular, actually good music you already know is good
- Obscure music that you will HATE listening to, but it makes it look like you have good music taste
One of the main features of RYM, as the name suggests, is the ability to rate and review music. This is cool because it allows any loser to tell you how good or bad an album is, instead of just music critics. The problem with this is that you end up with so many ratings that they just average out, all becoming 3 stars. Yes, good or bad popular albums may have different ratings, but for the most part everything is around the same.
Now, after going on this rant, I'm going to tell you that this doesn't matter. Or at least, it shouldn't. RYM has many other, much better tools for finding music that you like. The problem is that people think this does matter. Having charts is fun, and when using filters, can be really useful. However, there is so much toxicity around the top albums on a random website. It reaches the point where some people start thinking "This album is rated high, so if I don't like it, something is wrong with me".
People can hate things or fall into love with things for the dumbest reasons, and sometimes you have to accept that. There are people who think that Minecraft Parkour Civilization is the greatest thing ever, simply because it has messages of abolishing the upper class (i don't hate you for it, i just thinking becoming a communist over a minecraft series that's entertaining at best is a little #awkward). If you like or dislike something, don't let other people try to tell you why your opinion is objectively wrong.
Now, I still think there is a value to rating music and other things. Although I ignore the rankings from all users on the site, the average ratings from only people you follow is something I still check. I follow people who share interests, so seeing a high following rating means its something that I might enjoy checking out. Also, sharing things you like with others is important. Rating things that you think are good is fun, a great way to let people know more about you, and a fun way to spotlight things you think deserve recognition.
The problem is that some people just continue to rate things simply because they want their albums rated count to be higher. Sometimes you have to give things a try to start actually appreciating them. How are you going to form an opinion on something if you listen to it once and then immediately move on? I will admit, I am guilty of this too. Also, why do people listen to things they know they won't like? You can turn things off, you don't have to listen to something just because it's bad. I understand that there are still times where leaving a negative rating makes sense, for example recent Glass Animals music, but if you already know you aren't going to like something, why put yourself through misery?
Overall, stop ranking music like Miis on a Tomodachi Life island. Enjoy what you enjoy, share what you enjoy, and don't let other people stop you from enjoying it. Unless its Penelope Scott.