All Music Guide- Who are


Many of us go to allmusic.com to get info and reviews on music. Nowhere on their site do they describe who their reviewers are. They say “Our editorial staff and network of writers represent many of the most knowledgeable experts in music..." No names or specifics.

Why do we give these folks credibility, when we don't know who they are? Also, they don't describe clearly how they determine their star ratings?

Their business objective is not to give balanced musical reviews. As they say, "Licensing remains the core of our business today". That's fine. I just want to know who their reviewers are, and what qualifications- if any- they bring to their reviews.

We elected a president because many voters didn't question his credibility. We need to be more critical thinkers & consumers.

Is it not reasonable to request/demand from allmusic a listing of their "expert" qualifications and clarification on their star criteria?
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Showing 2 responses by pabelson

Let me ask you a question: Why do YOU give these folks credibility, when you don't know who they are? They are just offering their opinions. No reviewer/critic, in any field (including audio, by the way) has or deserves any special credibility. Take it for what it is: one reasonably thoughtful person's opinion of the worth of a particular recording.

I find Allmusic (as well as published guides by other companies) most useful for music I'm not familiar with. They can also help me figure out where to start with a new artist, or suggest what else I should try if I already like one or two works by a particular artist. But I don't expect to agree with them all the time, and I often don't.
I'd add the caution that I have found numerous instances where the star ratings and the capsule reviews on allmusic don't agree. A review will call an album the artist's best work, but it will have fewer stars than some others. In just about every such case, I've agreed with the reviewer rather than the star rating (though occasionally I agree with neither).