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@ghandi I think johnny reviewed it cause it's fun to hate on stuff sometimes (although I guess he doesn't really hate it but it comes across that way in how he writes about Lana) and also for the thrill of riling up her fans. that's why he changed his name back to Hugh Jon Puddles when he posted it so they would all recognize it's him right away

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but yeah I really don't care about the "optics" of my ratings I just enjoy cataloguing my collection for my own purposes, that's why I literally made my own music rating app that nobody but me uses

And I’d argue the optics of being a contrarian form part of his identity

'Why do you think the staff choose to review these npr Obama playlist core albums?'

lmao

Hmmm I'll be the last to deny that I self-curate; there are a lot of things on this site (and in general) that I think are arbitrary and silly and far less fun to engage with if unless you toy with them at least a little - and the ratings scales is definitely one of them, but I do set stock in them beyond another means of self-expression (i.e. it's an archive that I actually consider personally useful). Absolutely no way are all those ratings within or between increments 100% internally coherent by anyone's metrics including my own, and it's fun to poke fun at that (eg Ashnikko + the sheer premise of the 4.9 rating + the list series where I ranked the entire contents of each increment), but I think there's a big enough difference between playing around with something's optics and *rating* for optics, which, with a few notable exceptions, is not something I've ever actively engaged in (if you want to get into checking or reviewing or repping something for optics, or how non-musical first impressions shape your cognitive frame as a listener, then that's ofc a whole extra conversation lol, but I think the point is clear)
As for whether or not tec is guilty of rating for optics, I have no strong feelings or judgement either way, I just think his taste packs enough serious auteurcore to enjoy poking holes in *its* optics (as with practically everyone else's taste on sput)

You might not care about them but that doesn’t mean there is no influence, even if as slight as rating more leniently albums that enhance your musical identity and in opposition rating more critically albums that oppose your musical identity.

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dog if I cared about my "musical identity" do you think I would have indie rock as the top slice in my pie chart

@johnny of course, I agree with all of that. Let me reiterate: it’s but one small aspect, not the whole. And if it is the whole for someone… well then you’re probably baselineOOO.

“ dog if I cared about my "musical identity" do you think I would have indie rock as the top slice in my pie chart”

Yes 😂

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the only musical identity anyone should ever care about is what they convey through the music they themselves create, if they create any. the purpose of listening to music is not to forge an identity for yourself but simply to farm dopamine

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maybe a little 'tonin action too cause it adds meaning to your life and shit

Nah. Community is often built around identity. A lot of people find a sense of belonging through their musical identity. And finding a sense of belonging is also a way to farm dopamine.

Okay, well if you take rating for optics in the sense of compressing or amplifying select parts of a real opinion in a way informed consciously or otherwise by external priorities (which is what I've understood from the past few comments), then yes lol I can identify with that and would agree that most people do it (alongside personal priorities and with varying degrees of self-awareness). No fun having opinions and not knowing which parts of them you want to emphasise, and why
I initially understood your comment as "rating [purely] for optics", which is ofc a different story

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but when you present your musical identity as this contrived thing that you intentionally curate it kinda defeats the purpose of that. just find stuff you actually genuinely enjoy and then you'll enjoy the community aspect of finding other people who share that enjoyment, not because of the identity it gives you but because it's fun to share things that bring you joy with other people who feel the same way

"Absolutely no way are all those ratings within or between increments 100% internally coherent "
I would use them internally coherently give me the perms. me

Oh yeah, that's why I'll be transitioning to Colton music.com when the great launch happens.

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not allowing people to rate in 0.1 increments is ridiculous and holds this site and RYM back a lot. why should people not be given that freedom

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yes exactly ghandi

Sonemic has it, but Coltonmusic.com will be a thing before that site leaves the beta

@johnny that’s all good bro I misunderstood you at first too I think we are on the same page now