StormChaser: What happens next?

StormChaser 01.19.26	bump
jrlikestodance 01.19.26	People will continue to post. Hopefully some staff comes back, some of those who left have popped up here and there since then. Its really up to those left to keep the site active
LouBreed 01.19.26	Without the possibility to register for new users it's going to be hard to keep the site running. But where there's life there's hope.
StormChaser 01.19.26	If money's the issue, and it most probably is, I'm willing to donate, so to whoever might be reading this, shouldn't we wanna save the site by starting a kickstarter or something? We need to be able to get new users if we want this site to live
ncguitar 01.19.26	waiting for some nerd to develop sputneekmusic.com and bring back plug dj hybrid theory with it
LouBreed 01.19.26	@StormChaser sure, I would absolutely donate some money to support such an initiative!
ShartHarder 01.19.26	yeah if there was a donate button id probs throw a few quid over. lack of new member registers is really baffling
RogueNine 01.19.26	I'm not sure the donations would ever reach the right hands. Jeremy seems completely uninterested in even looking at the site now.
JeetJeet 01.19.26	Ngl every time I come on here I feel like I'm on the slowest sinking ship in the world. Site is buggy as shit, multiple features just don't work anymore, registration is closed, mod drama etc. When this place croaks I'll be sad. Found so many gems thanks to this place, chatted with some amazing users, had tons of laughs on here. Idk how much longer this site will keep going but I'm glad I was a part of it, flaws and all.
Gmork89 01.19.26	Thats wild I didnt even know this happened.
RogueNine 01.19.26	Dear Odin no, not the phony exodus music site.
Veks 01.19.26	Nothing can replace Sput and I may even find myself listening to less music if this disappears. RYM sucks and people there are nothing like the people here. The community aspect of Sput can't be found anywhere else which is really sad and says alot about the world we live in. All the new websites are crap and curated. Sput has always felt like talking to friends about music. It is a time capsule of a bygone era of the Internet. And that is what has always made it special.
Futures 01.19.26	^^^
budgie 01.19.26	sites been a lot better since 90% of the ppl left
RVAHC13 01.19.26	As long as I have an account (or two) and can remember my password I’m gonna stay here and not worry so much about what’s to come. I’ll probably get hit by a car tomorrow too but I’m not gonna worry about that either
ShartHarder 01.19.26	unfortunately forums as a thing are kinda dead. i used to be into another hobby and was on a discussion forum for it about 15 years, and even when my interest in the hobby waned I still frequented the forum for the chats, and then it was there when my interest grew again. that forum died and i had no interest in re joining any other site to discuss it, there was no community aspect. social media has killed it and replaced it with the ability to post onto platforms with millions of users but 0 actual conversations. I have recently been on RYM but as far as I can tell there is basically no community aspect there either, just posting reviews and ratings
ncguitar 01.19.26	while this site finally sinks, let us commemorate some great memories along the road I'll start with this review of Annotations of an Autopsy: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/44622/Annotations-Of-An-Autopsy-Dark-Days/
ShartHarder 01.19.26	i will say for sput specifically, the slow down and lack of news articles has been disappointing. i used to be most of my music news here, but now I go to other sites for news and here for posting
brickhed 01.19.26	rym will never hold a candle to sputnik in terms of community, but its the best alternative at this point for curation. now that the security certificate has expired and the whole staff situation it's looking bleak here. every other site like this is mostly dead in the water, but i would be welcome to be proved wrong. forums do exist but they get a few posts a week if you're lucky. some sites have a small but dedicated fanbase (idmforums), but so many websites have moved on to social media and discord which leaves us chumps to rot.
Futures 01.19.26	the security certificate expires all the time, it will go away eventually
Trebor. 01.19.26	Every love story is a ghost story
Maniac! 01.19.26	For what it's worth, I've been building a website to continue the legacy of this place. Sputnik played a pivotal role in my life and I don't want the spirit of the place to go away. If you are interested, you can check out https://mediasnobs.com - it's a work in progress, but you can rate, review, list, and make polls. Just meant to be a place for us to continue talking about the stuff we love. If you do check it out, I appreciate you. If you run into any issues with it, feel free to hit me up directly.
brickhed 01.19.26	yeah coltin is gonna work on soundshelf a bit later since hes busy with stuff right now. so keep an eye on it
bighubbabuddha 01.19.26	The site is way better without them [2]
Hawks 01.19.26	the security certificate expires all the time, it will go away eventually [2]
ShartHarder 01.19.26	I’d love to know what the operating costs are for the site, I’d imagine it’s a few hundred bucks a month to not thousands
Kimm 01.19.26	Hell yeah, Maniac! Gonna make an account this week m/
botb 01.19.26	I’ll be here till the wheels fall off baby
RogueNine 01.19.26	Need Colton to pop in again with those website deets. I'd move there if this all fails.
oltnabrick 01.19.26	Hawks will have his way w our bank accounts
Zac124 01.19.26	It's been sad seeing this site slowly lose users. Like, I swear its 5 comments an hour nowadays. Feels like I only really started commenting here once the ship just started to sink. Still, I find so much great music here and do not plan to leave soon.
Zac124 01.19.26	RYM is great for many reasons but the discussion boards on there are shit. Its why Sput is so much better.
RVAHC13 01.19.26	@botb wheels already fell off now we’re all in back pushing
gabba 01.19.26	I like pushing, but wish I was stronger.
Sowing 01.20.26	https://youtu.be/nHwx38E8Jjg?si=xmvesDwdRndCv5Xo
AlkemestRedux 01.20.26	I'd throw in some money too if that would help get this place up and running fully again. I used to use this site back from like 2013-16 and just chatting about music and reviews helped keep me sane. Came back earlier this year with a more recent account since I forgot my old password and would be super bummed to see this place fold now.
Dewinged 01.20.26	@Maniac! You maniac, I created an account. Sput is been out for two days for me, I thought that was it. But here we are again. It's been like this for years XD
Jmal00 01.20.26	Needs more thrash but other than that I’m pretty sure this site is doing swimmingly.
Maniac! 01.20.26	@Dewinged, sweet dude. Take a look around and let me know what you think!
Emim 01.20.26	mx could just stop doing this stupid ass emperor of mankind impression and pass the site on to someone who cares instead of pissing all over what little reputation and userbase we have left
Dmax28 01.20.26	I love this site so much. I gotta make a copy of all my ratings so I don't forget about all these albums if sputnik ever disappears
jmazza137 01.20.26	Man, I didn’t even know the site was in this bad of shape. I’ve been coming to this site for around 15 years now(time really does fly). It’s easily my favorite music site on the web - especially compared to other sites out there. I respect the musical opinions/writeups of a ton of people here and they have inspired me on numerous occasions to check out different types of music outside my comfort zone. I don’t know much about what happened or what will happen from here on out, but it’s been a blast visiting and being a part of this site. I’ve learned about so much great music in a way I couldn’t have without this site being here. I hope it continues to exist because it would be a really sad thing to lose. It has meant a lot to myself and I’m sure it’s meant just as much to other users as well. If money is the issue, maybe some kind of donation drive would help? I’m not sure the root cause of the issue so I don’t have many more suggestions than that.
Hyperion1001 01.20.26	just keep posting friends.
Futures 01.20.26	"family."- vin diesel
JayEnder 01.20.26	SSL is fixed? Sweet, I've been having issues with my credit card so I might have to come after one of you mfs Seriously though. All the genuine love for Spirit, Diva, ThyCrossAwaits and others we've lost proves that this place is more than just a music site (as corny as that sounds) this place is so important to me and I genuinely wouldn't know what to do with myself if the ship finally goes down for good. Found so much cool music and made so many good friends that have changed my life. RYM just doesn't have a community of real people like sput does.
FrozenFirebug 01.20.26	I HAVE A 10 STEP PLAN FOR REVIVING THE WEBSITE 1. WIN THE POWERBALL LOTTERY 2. WIN THE POWERBALL LOTTERY AGAIN 3. HIRE A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR TO FIND THE WEBSITE'S OWNER 4. PURCHASE THE WEBSITE WITH FUCK YOU MONEY 5. REMOVE ALL THE INSIDIOUS REDIRECTS IN NEWS LINKS SOMEHOW 6. UNFEATURE ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS FOR ALBUMS I LIKE AND VICE VERSA 7. ADD A LOGIN CLAUSE YOU HAVE TO CHECK IF YOU HAVE RATED ANY LIMP BIZKIT RELEASE UNDER A 2.5 THAT SAYS "I HEREBY CONFIRM I [USERNAME] AM A STUPID IDIOT" 8. ADD ANOTHER LOGIN CLAUSE FOR USERS WITH OVER 20% BLACK METAL IN THEIR PIE CHART THAT SAYS "I [USERNAME] WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY REPENT OF MY SINS AGAINST MORALITY AND TASTE AND PURSUE MEANINGFUL ENDEAVORS AND RIFFS INSTEAD OF THEOLOGICAL ILLITERACY AND TREMOLO PICKING" 9. ALSO PURCHASE RYM AND PITCHFORK AND TURN THEM INTO REDIRECTS FOR SPUTNIKMUSIC 10. FIX ACCOUNT CREATION (not as important) what do u think of my plan
Kimm 01.20.26	mediasnobs.com
Kimm 01.20.26	mediasnobs.com [2]
Kimm 01.20.26	mediasnobs.com [100]
Kimm 01.20.26	I'm also never leaving sputnik again tho
butt. 01.20.26	I’m here till the bitter end baby. As long as we can all migrate to an equivalent after this place shutters
RVAHC13 01.20.26	Pls don’t redirect RYM or pitchdork traffic here
JWT155 01.20.26	I went from a regular nearly two decades ago to mostly a lurker, I’m completely behind on what happened a year ago/the mod situation and too afraid to ask 🤷‍♂️
brickhed 01.20.26	we speak naught of it lest this list turns into raving madness
NudeTayne 01.20.26	nukes Frozen with a JDAM
Lasssie 01.20.26	Id be lying if i said i dont miss some of the users that went away with the exodus but im just glad this site and faithful users are still active. I always panic a little when the sites goes down for a couple of days lol Can you make mediasnobs look exactly like sputnik pls ;)
kevbogz 01.20.26	what happened last summer?
FurtherDown 01.20.26	Soo money is the primary reason why new accounts can't be created? Also I'm not the most frequent poster but I come here very often and majority of music I listen to is from this site. Hope it endures even if it isn't as active as it used to be.
evilford 01.20.26	I know what. U did last summer hehe
StormChaser 01.20.26	great plan, Frozen yeah I'll def be here until the wheels come off, just feels like we need SOMETHING to happen. colton's website is dead, no? no activity for 4 months, and respectfully, it's colton lol i'll czech out mediasnobs, Maniac, but I think we all want this site to work instead, like everybody said, this place is one of the last vestiges of good internet and just means too much to too many people for it to go down as unceremoniously as it seems to be going down LET'S FUCKIN RIOT YO also, let's not discuss what happened over summer in this thread, pls and tyvm
evilford 01.20.26	I've periodically been asking in the meds thread since account creation died what the plan is. There is no plan. This is basically a lame duck website
Ray91 01.20.26	found some good shit through this site and the community aspect really elevates it from other websites of the same cannon. However, I can only imagine the time and effort the running consumes so smh leaving sooner or later is understandable. from a user perspective it could use a little desing update but other than that this shit still rocks
zakalwe 01.20.26	The real issue is the absolute state of the music industry. The original plan of the rebellious to ‘kill the scene’ succeeded and as a result we have an absolute deluge of shite touted by all and sundry who insist on shoe horning every talentless schleb into whistled up genres that are a mockery of what went before while festivals are attended by gormless fuckers ‘glamping’ on a credit card and capturing it all solely for the purpose of social media likes. Nevemind the death of sput, music died.
Ectier 01.20.26	Im just here for vibes and new music
evilford 01.20.26	No idea what zak just said
Veks 01.20.26	Not wanting to stir the pot, I am happy the site feels more free now than it was a few years ago. No more word police or intolerant tolerant people.
StormChaser 01.20.26	think maybe that has something to do with the erosion of cancel culture as well, veks (if that isn't happening, hopefully i'll will it into existence) zak, music lives. subcultures died because poverty isn't as widespread as it used to be
Ectier 01.20.26	Also mainstream musics rough and not great butna lot of the other random genres and non popular stuff is thriving. Subcultures are dying out a bit and becoming rarer due to.social shifts and monetary reasons, people are more concerned about putting food on the table and getting to the next day than anything else
Flugmorph 01.20.26	damn I had no idea any of that was going down last year... im sad.
Ectier 01.20.26	Yeah was some crazy shit
StormChaser 01.20.26	honestly i don't feel any spiritually or intellectually richer having read all of that nonsense
Ectier 01.20.26	Im not invested enough for random internet drama, have more pressing life things to worry about
smaugman 01.20.26	why can't new members register, and what was the mod drama about?
rage11111ro 01.20.26	I don't like this one bit, I hope that somehow the site will survive
Hawks 01.20.26	We've been talking about this site dying for years, you guys are super dramatic lol. I'll be here until the wheels fall off.
StormChaser 01.20.26	dude, you being the contributor to like 18/20 reviews last week or something is what prompted me to write this post in the first place. i mean kudos to you, but damn, if that's not alarming idk what is. this is DEFINITELY not the first site-is-dying conversation, but like has anything been done to prevent it from dying in the meanwhile? think it's good to get the juices flowing and conversation started every once in a while, especially with the slow traffic nowadays. especially since none of us leftovers want this shit to be dead obviously
Hawks 01.20.26	I try my best thats for sure lol. But yeah, less writers means less reviews, but the few staff/contribs that we do have is a good core and there's been plenty of users writing good reviews. Just go with the flow and enjoy the site. There's also TONS of users that rate/lurk, but don't actually comment. We'll be just fine lol. Also, trying to get more interviews for us all to enjoy. We'll keep this train rolling one way or another.
Jurtz 01.20.26	I'll be here until the wheels fall off. [2]
InFlamesWeThrash666 01.20.26	The captain sinks with the ship after all
LouBreed 01.20.26	I think the new users registration issue persisted way before the summer, no? @Storm, you're right, I don't want to just sit and watch it burn.
Flugmorph 01.20.26	do the good work Hawks I trust.
ShartHarder 01.20.26	anyone know what the root cause of the user registration issue is?
Hawks 01.20.26	There was a site hack in 2022.
DoofDoof 01.20.26	‘sites been a lot better since 90% of the ppl left’ I feel like I shouldn’t agree with budgie on this point but…maybe We’ve been left with the crème de la creme of users
Hawks 01.20.26	[2]
Demon of the Fall 01.20.26	yeah, it's a damn shame, but the powers that be aren't concerned about pulling this place out of the doldrums (or so it seems... I mean the evidence is fairly glaring on the face of it, anyway). I took a sabbatical in the aftermath of the great exodus. I really did think that would be the last nail in the coffin for Sput, but it survived thanks to those that remained (just about) and the alternatives didn't appeal, so I returned. Sput may be a dying relic of a website but importantly one of the last examples of an age since lost. As others have said, the social aspect here is just so much stronger than elsewhere.
gabba 01.20.26	aye
Dewinged 01.20.26	Amen, Demon.
Christbait 01.20.26	Even though there was an exodus, the folks that are still here seem to be the ones who didn't make this site their entire personality. People are friendly to interact with (although we're still rightfully dogpiling morons who seep into the political threads) and, even though it's fewer than usual, the community remains supportive, creative, and engaged. I'm hoping for more opportunities to review albums as I certainly don't want Hawks or the few contributors who remain to feel overburdened to keep engagement up. But I certainly appreciate the work that's been done in the wake of the bullshit.
Hawks 01.20.26	I don't feel overburdened at all bro! I love writing and I'm more than happy to keep up the output. I love seeing users still reviewing though. We may be looking to add to our contrib/staff in the near future as well if anyone is interested. The more good writers, the better.
Maniac! 01.20.26	@Storm, I hear ya. I'm still lurking around here too. Just wanted to make sure people knew there was a place to go in the worst-case scenario. RYM is good for cataloguing but sucks for discussion. Same for Letterboxd for movies. That's what makes this place unique
Sevengill 01.20.26	I love this place and I love you guys. this has been a little oasis for me through good times and bad. writing reviews here got me my first gig covering shows and I met/interviewed some of my favorite musicians in the world. it gave me purpose when I felt broken, confidence when I was searching, and comfort when I was sad. even probably helped me socialize properly between my shit years getting bullied in high school and my cool years at college. I've made so many friends in real life and online from my experiences here. it got me into the genre where I started a band and then met my girlfriend at one of my concerts. please save Sput.
Hawks 01.20.26	Well said Seven bro! Sput 4ever.
BigBlob 01.20.26	I didn't know there was an exodus but I did notice some certain users no longer posting actually made this site better lolz
jrlikestodance 01.20.26	I would rather be on here with y'all than on social media with people I do know
Hawks 01.20.26	Same here.
mindleviticus 01.20.26	Sputnik is literally the only place I can be on to talk about metal, rym sometimes in the comments boxes but it's not nearly the same as here. I have like no irl friends anymore that actually like it that I talk to on a regular basis
LouBreed 01.20.26	@Seven, that's an epic story! I only got an email once asking me "Would you like to write articles advertising our product on your blog Sputnikmusic.com?"
BigTuna 01.20.26	sputnik forever
dannooo28 01.20.26	i have no idea what happened so if there's a TLDR that'd be awesome but either way i really hope this site doesn't completely die lol i've found so much music here that i'll be discovering new things until i kick the bucket
troyofyort 01.20.26	This is the only music site I give a damn about discussing on. Obviously even this site has its biases but its so much better than the other big ones that have a scary af near hivemind in its "niches". If I was a better writer I would def contribute to reviews.
BAT 01.20.26	Just google sputnik staff or something, my kinda skim summary is they were sticking up for somebody being de-modded, asked for more say about decisions like that from the admins, admins said no tensions rose and they left on principal. There's a lot of over simplifying/loss of context there buuut yeah that's the general impression I got as someone personally uninvolved with behind the scenes sput
BAT 01.20.26	Also seems like the certificate stuffs fixed on mobile at least, past week edge browsers like the only one that'd treat the site like normal for me
hel9000 01.20.26	This is literally the only site I like going on anymore. I’d donate to keep it going without a second thought but idk if that’s helpful or even the issue. But I’ll be here til it shuts down.
Gyromania 01.20.26	I too am more fond of the current pool of users, but I worry about the site’s longevity
RunOfTheMill 01.20.26	I made a mediasnobs account. Seems cool. Just need a way to add to the database like on Sput. Love sputnikmusic.com, hope it sticks it out
Maniac! 01.20.26	@RunOfTheMill - The search should import most anything you're looking for automatically. If not, hit me up.
trilo 01.20.26	imploring mx to stop being a fucking bum and hand the site over to someone already. i and a few others have offered to volunteer fixing the site. the lunch money from ad revenue can't be that valuable smh
ChoccyPhilly 01.20.26	Whilst I have turned into a full time lurker here, I still love this site and use it for so much of my music inspiration. Sputnik 4eva
gabba 01.20.26	I do miss a lot of users like dedex, DadKungFu, tectactoe, Trifolium, someone, kkarron, but I’m also happy for many who stayed. I still love it here.
Gyromania 01.20.26	yo Maniac! mediasnobs is still running?!
Maniac! 01.20.26	Rebuilt it from the ground up, Gyro! It's a whole new beast. You can rate/review/create lists/create polls for albums, movies, tv, books, and video games. profiles and everything
ChoccyPhilly 01.20.26	Also I would totally donate if that's an option. I've been here for 13 years now and this site has formed a huge part of my late teenage and young adult life and music taste
Demon of the Fall 01.20.26	the answer to the OP's Q is quite simply, 'the site dies, slowly'... and then some of us migrate to the next best thing, which may end up being Maniac's site (sounds cool, will check. Ta). I have very little faith even financial incentive(s) / donations will keep this place alive as there's no line of communication and if such a thing was possible, I believe it already would have happened by now.
AlkemestRedux 01.20.26	Agreed ChoccyPhilly. Looking back at my old account is like a time machine to varying degrees of depression and drug abuse in my early 20s, but also very nostalgic and a time when I was digging into to a ton of new music. Having a resurgence that now too, minus the depression and drugs, thanks to Sput so it would be a bummer to see it die. Plus the community here is pretty great too.
Gyromania 01.20.26	Maniac: I'm gonna check that out, man! Rly glad to hear that place is still alive and kicking. I miss the days of doing content for you guys, even though things didn't end on the best terms haha.
Maniac! 01.20.26	Yeah. I hated having to shut it down the way I did. But we're back now! Might even start a staff team again
RogueNine 01.20.26	mutters there are still a few who really oughta go. But we've retained a lot of good people and many of the pills are gone. It's a shame though that some really good people got the wool over their eyes and left. I don't blame people for feeling like the end is closer, given activity and such.
Shamus248 01.20.26	I'll be here till the end. Hopefully we'll all be here long enough to see an 85 yr old Hawks posting about some "REC HAWKS POLKA MUSIC"
Hawks 01.20.26	AGREED!!!!
MO 01.20.26	yea ride or die m/
RVAHC13 01.20.26	what are next
Shamus248 01.20.26	I do apologize for my slacking in posting reviews as of late. I promise i wanna live up to the contrib tag that I am genuinely and boundlessly grateful to have received. work/life has just been kicking my ass and then i cracked my head and got 3 staples just after christmas soooo yea, i've def been distracted lol
artificialbox 01.20.26	@BAT the worst thing about the whole debacle for me is that the person we left the site for just up and vanished and didn’t contribute anything to the new project we started. so the whole thing was for nothing lol. we stood up for an ungrateful asswipe who, in retrospect, didn’t deserve it. Definitely learned my lesson to not place any stock in online social dynamics after that. Much love to the fellas still working over at gatekeep, I am proud of them for sticking to it, but I harbour too much resentment.
Hawks 01.20.26	Damn Art bro, I didn't even know that lol.
smaugman 01.20.26	which sputnik user was this, artificialbox?
Hawks 01.20.26	normalocatgon
JoyfulPlatypus 01.20.26	Pretty sure it was normaloctagon. And he wasn't de-modded, rather stripped of his contributor title. And staff members were unhappy and wanted him reinstated and for a new moderator to be named. Obviously an agreement wasn't made.
Lasssie 01.20.26	Wasnt it someone that got staff and didnt even know about it and then got unstaffed or something
Hawks 01.20.26	Nope, he knew lol.
JoyfulPlatypus 01.20.26	That was a bit of a side controversy lol but I don't think that's what people were mad about.
Maniac! 01.20.26	"I'll be here till the end. Hopefully we'll all be here long enough to see an 85 yr old Hawks posting about some "REC HAWKS POLKA MUSIC"" dist=ligs
Hawks 01.20.26	Men = men
Shamus248 01.20.26	Okay bros, i have a day off work, I'm sitting here at my desktop, and my creative juices are beginning to f l o w once more! Rec me a terrible album you've heard recently so that i may tear it a new asshole in the form of a review
Hawks 01.20.26	Sleep Token
RVAHC13 01.20.26	@artificialbox tell them to get on back here whenever, we could always use help pushing the cart I’d like to start reviewing again soon, work has all my evenings spoken for which is normally when I like to write
LouBreed 01.20.26	Manwhile, we have 5 user reviews in one day today! Don't stop, people of Sputnik!
Hawks 01.20.26	[2]
Futures 01.20.26	we keep doing this thread monthly now lol. but really sput can't be killed man. it will outlast the heat death of the universe. people made threads like this in 2015! sput is still here and it is what you make it. sure it's a smaller community now, but it's so tight knit. i love what we have here. keep rockin brothers m/
JayEnder 01.20.26	"I would rather be on here with y'all than on social media with people I do know" hard [2]
JayEnder 01.20.26	Good riddance tbh I do miss Steak and bubs particularly. Also a handful of other bros that I just realized I haven't seen heads or tails of in months.
Shamus248 01.20.26	LMAO i have noticed roughly a 300% decrease in pretentious self-fart-smelling in the last calendar year I jest and tease in good fun, but that dude was not friendly, at least not to me. Seemingly went out of his way to be unwelcoming or unfriendly in our handful of interactions
Hawks 01.20.26	Like I said, twat indeed lol.
RunOfTheMill 01.20.26	Never interacted with them, but didn't want to based on what I'd seen.
jrlikestodance 01.20.26	I ain't leaving
Aids 01.20.26	The people who run this site are complete idiots and the staff/contrib/user writer pools are all weaker than they've ever been. It's a shame bc this website used to be kinda good.
Futures 01.20.26	maybe that's why you got like 1 nice comment in that positive user thread about you bro
trilo 01.20.26	not having pika’s lame imitation of 2000s sput trolling shitting up threads is nice but yeah we lost a lot of good users. hope some come back one day. i get most of my new release recs from sput and i’ve def felt a lack of that since they left
Retter42 01.20.26	This site has 9 lives. We've only used 6 so far.
Christbait 01.20.26	"The people who run this site are complete idiots and the staff/contrib/user writer pools are all weaker than they've ever been. It's a shame bc this website used to be kinda good." Your last review was nearly 12 years ago, bro. Lead by example and show us all how good of a contributor you can be rather than badmouthing the few good folks trying to keep this site running.
Hawks 01.20.26	Lmao Aids.
jrlikestodance 01.20.26	Aids is wrong cuz i am now active on the site
JoyfulPlatypus 01.20.26	@Aids - my response to your comment is the name of the last album you reviewed.
RogueNine 01.20.26	It's literally the same mod team of the last decade so either the site's always been good or always been bad.
Aids 01.20.26	I'm not going to "lead by example." I don't write anymore. But I do miss when this site had good writing on it. (my writing was absolute dogshit) you can be all sensitive about my opinion if you want "maybe that's why you got like 1 nice comment in that positive user thread about you bro" lmao I really do not need validation from this website's current user base. I'm good. Sick ass burn though, you got me so good.
Christbait 01.20.26	"I'm not gonna do anything, I just want to complain about it" Really effective approach. Can't believe this was the talent we let escape from the site.
Futures 01.20.26	why are you here then? seriously. you aren't mandated to be here thankfully.
Aids 01.20.26	because I like rating albums and reading music reviews. Just because I don't like the community and think the admin staff is misguided doesn't change any of that. Why does this bother you so much? I don't hate users individually or anything. You all seem fine. This website is just a shadow of what it used to be and that is too bad imo. It's not that big of a deal idk why you need to be so upset that one person thinks this website isn't as good as it used to be.
RVAHC13 01.20.26	Johnny introduced me to some great bands
Futures 01.20.26	don't be a pussy. you came out firing saying this site is ran by idiots (the same idiots who have been in charge in the whole time) and that the writing quality sucks. don't act like an asshole and cry about getting clapped back.
Aids 01.20.26	you're so, so mad I'm sorry but like.... this is my opinion. It's not worth getting so rage-y about it. Imo of course. you do whatever you want.
RogueNine 01.20.26	There's still plenty of good writing to go around. A larger staff pool would be nice, but there's time yet. Poor writing has never been exclusive to one sput era anyways.
Futures 01.20.26	i'm not mad uhh uh you're mad bro! and yet, you are still here.
Voivod 01.20.26	What happens next is keep calm and keep Sputniking if you want.
Aids 01.20.26	yeah because I like rating albums, discovering new music, and reading music reviews. Is that ok with you sir?
Futures 01.20.26	it would be if you were a normal person who anyone here tolerated, alas.
Aids 01.20.26	I don't think this website is perfect, yet I still use it Futures: explodes with rage
Aids 01.20.26	lots of people "tolerate" me here hunny but keep raging I guess
Futures 01.20.26	is that really all you got?
Aids 01.20.26	sorry, did we have a fight or something at one point? why are you so personally offended that I think the writing quality has (overall) taken a dip? I see that you are a contrib. I'm sorry if you think I was saying YOUR writing is bad. I was not. I just think that the exodus lowered the overall quality of writing. I feel like a lot of people would agree. Why are you responding to this by saying that everyone on this website hates me and I have no worth lmao. very strange line.
Christbait 01.20.26	Here's the thing: you are operating under the mentality that a lot of the oldheads seemed to have persisted with until their ego outsized the room and they took their ball and went home. You think you can wander into a thread that is really trying to be proactive in terms of: 1) recognizing that, yes, the site is slowing, but 2) it's the remaining staff and contributors who will ultimately keep the site going. Not the assholes who abandoned it, but the people who recognize a decent community when they see one. So you take the opportunity to insult those who stayed behind with some (I assume) tongue-in-cheek bullshit insult that really doesn't fly in the wake of the exodus and the folks left picking up the pieces and rebuilding. There's probably more bonding amongst the rank-and-file that you haven't been privy to but that didn't stop you from making an ass of yourself. And for what? You clearly don't want to contribute positively yet your intent on coming here is to discover new music and read reviews from the same people you shat on 3 posts earlier. That sort of mentality should have died with the old guard. You want to be edgy in 2026 but you come off as just some aged out dickbag who, like the dudes who left this site, cannot stand to take feedback for when you've stepped in it. Practice some humility, my guy. You'll find people tolerate you better when you don't shitpost like you're still 20 years old. Like, I assume you gotta be in your mid-30s and yet this is how you engage with a niche music website?
Veks 01.20.26	A special breed of person takes time out of their life to write about things they dislike and go to places where people are having a good time and try to spoil it. You must be very unhappy.
Beardog 01.20.26	Site is fun wish it keeps existing agreed. Also people need to stop being so negative towards eachother lmfao
Futures 01.20.26	i think most of us just find it bizarre a person who only contributes negativity and being a dick while saying the site sucks still uses it regularly. then gets shocked when people pushback. it's very weird behavior. that's simply it.
Aids 01.20.26	I'm sorry if anyone felt that I was insulting them individually by saying that 27 staff writers leaving have meant that the overall writing quality has taken a dip. I am not trying to dunk on anyone for using this site or writing reviews. I use this site and used to write reviews. Sorry I came into this thread. I shared my opinion about a website that I used to love and still use and apparently I really pissed some people off. I am truly sorry about that, I was not trying to be an asshole. I'll leave this thread now. Enjoy it.
markjamie 01.20.26	No new users = slow death of site. And it is beyond me how something like that can't be fixed.
Emim 01.20.26	"I do miss Steak and bubs particularly. Also a handful of other bros that I just realized I haven't seen heads or tails of in months" bubs found me in some random reddit thread I commented in lol
Aids 01.20.26	I only contribute negativity? I leave positive comments on reviews and lists all the time. I don't understand where this is coming from. I'm sorry for being/coming across as a dick. It was not my intention. I just wanted to share my opinion on the weird place that this site is in. Should have used different language. I'm still confused by the reaction but so it goes.
Beardog 01.20.26	Your language was just horrible Aids why are you wondering people got mad xd
Veks 01.20.26	Also miss Steak.
Christbait 01.20.26	"The people who run this site are complete idiots and the staff/contrib/user writer pools are all weaker than they've ever been. It's a shame bc this website used to be kinda good." There is literally zero context to any of that in your initial post. Can't you understand how a lot of people would find that post to be undeservedly insulting? And then instead of recognizing that, you doubled down again and again. "It sucks that so many good writers left the site but I hope we can continue to get good writers and contributors to hopefully match the quality of those who aren't coming back." See the difference?
JoyfulPlatypus 01.20.26	so what are you guys having for dinner tonight, I've got leftover Dominos to get through tbh
Voivod 01.20.26	-- No new users = slow death of site. Not so sure about that, especially in the age of AI slop. The last thing any real user would want is bots generating "content" here.
Beardog 01.20.26	I'm going to sleep now how about that
Veks 01.20.26	I just had kfc spicy hotwings.
JoyfulPlatypus 01.20.26	Voivod out of left field with a lowkey terrific point
Shamus248 01.20.26	You said you were leaving lmao Plz don't tho. You've made this a classic sputnik thread and I'm desperate for entertainment so plz meet this moment
Shamus248 01.20.26	I'm putting sweet potato fries in the air fryer!
Retter42 01.20.26	This thread has made my day. Maybe Sputnik is on the up swing?
arthropod 01.20.26	I admit to have ingested two bites of a baguette. As for the state of writing on Sput, https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/90459/Night-Tapes-portals--polarities because I can lol. Anyway, I think the writing quality here is rather fine and I'm glad to see some "new" people getting into it.
Veks 01.20.26	Sputnik shall never die. One does not simply leave Sputnik. Our soul is inexorably linked to this place and even if we physically leave, a piece of us remains behind. We never forget our time here... and we eventually come back. It may take years. But we always come back. There is no escape. You are here forever.
lyzakthellama 01.20.26	bring back skele and crandynewman
Futures 01.20.26	even if i'm the last one left posting, i'll be here. there will never be another sput. so let's make the best of it.
unclereich 01.20.26	"the worst thing about the whole debacle for me is that the person we left the site for just up and vanished and didn’t contribute anything to the new project we started. so the whole thing was for nothing lol. we stood up for an ungrateful asswipe who, in retrospect, didn’t deserve it. Definitely learned my lesson to not place any stock in online social dynamics after that. Much love to the fellas still working over at gatekeep, I am proud of them for sticking to it, but I harbour too much resentment." LMAO this is so fucking funny
RVAHC13 01.20.26	It’s so cold in my apartment I turned sideways and my nipples ripped a hole in my shirt
Futures 01.20.26	a high of -11 here in wisconsin friday
RVAHC13 01.20.26	Greetings from northern IN, it sucks here too lol
Christbait 01.20.26	"As for the state of writing on Sput," For real. There is still a ton of talented writers on this site. Hell the amount of reviews Hawks has pumped out while still maintaining a certain quality level should be commended. As should Dr. Gonzo and all the work he's been doing getting interviews off the ground and trying to promote the social media aspects of the site. I'm just astounded that someone can come in here and just flatout be like, "not good enough" and then pretend they didn't blanket insult the entire site.
Hawks 01.20.26	I very much appreciate the kind words brother, thank you!
Futures 01.20.26	aight good talk lets do this it again next month fellas
arthropod 01.20.26	Yea. Our reviews in general fare well, but even if they don't, we still have the community aspect. Each first review of the given album is no less than opening a thread for it, and these are just as valuable.
artificialbox 01.20.26	“bring back crandynewman“ holy fuck yes. Long Live Stooma!
Hawks 01.20.26	Agreed Art.
Sevengill 01.20.26	this place peaked with pizzamachine
unclereich 01.20.26	remember when the mezz crew had to one up the norma crew and came out of hiding in an attempt bully Hyp in what amounted to the most pathetic scene sputnik has ever witnessed?
Confessed2005 01.20.26	I've been here since 2005 - if the site did go under, I would be upset but it is entirely possible to keep it alive.
RunOfTheMill 01.20.26	> bring back skele and crandynewman omg yes
Rowhaus 01.20.26	Great thread
RogueNine 01.20.26	Nah I don't think I buy that Voivod. Sure there may be some new Ai users but I'd guarantee the new influx of actual users would be worth it.
markjamie 01.20.26	It's just mathematics... if we can't get new users there is only one direction the userbase can go. And it's not up. I still don't understand why it can't be fixed. Did I miss a comment explaining it? "We got hacked in 2022" doesn't explain why we can't fix it.
artificialbox 01.20.26	@markjamie the account registration was tied to the forum infrastructure somehow, so with the forums nuked there is now an incompatibility issue in the code. i don’t know shit about coding but it sounds like a nightmare to clean up. they would probably have to set up a completely new system for registration and then somehow integrate it into this already janky frame.
markjamie 01.20.26	Okay. Thanks heaps for the info. I'm getting that it would take heaps of time, expertise and money and maybe the current owners aren't that invested to do it?
JerseyJimmy 01.20.26	honestly, I don't mind the lack of new members. gives the place an air of exclusivity that RYMoids can't penetrate. all I really want at this point is to be able to change my username and avatar again. I like cycling through avatars. it's like the internet version of getting a haircut.
Emim 01.20.26	"Rebuilt it from the ground up, Gyro! It's a whole new beast. You can rate/review/create lists/create polls for albums, movies, tv, books, and video games. profiles and everything" The one review I wrote for it like 15 years ago better still on there or I stg
Hyperion1001 01.20.26	> bring back skele plz no
ChoccyPhilly 01.20.26	I mean I have unfortunately become the tech bro I swore I would never become Hey mx, give me the keys to repair our site plz
Butkuiss 01.20.26	Honestly I just stopped coming here because the lack of dark mode burns my retinas. Fix that and maybe we can talk.
Emim 01.20.26	It's good for your eyes
Maniac! 01.21.26	@mimsy I tried finding it on the wayback machine. Couldn't find it, however looking through forgotten memories from a decade ago was kinda cool
kevbogz 01.21.26	2016 was peak sput agreed
Emim 01.21.26	I'm sure I have it on an external hard drive somewhere. It was not worth saving though. I'm pretty sure it was for the movie Lockout with Guy Pierce lol
Veldin 01.21.26	Outside of Sput how do y’all find out weekly releases?
Maniac! 01.21.26	lmao nice. well come check out the new site. it has a lot more things to do on it now also, the discord: https://discord.gg/9kWUYwR7q7
Wilt 01.21.26	Hey I'm new, or definitely newer considering how long the site has existed. I got a lot of great music suggestions from your reviews for a few years before making an account, and have kept up with music recs new and old since despite mostly being a lurker. My day job and my after-hour freelance work is all in music and this site has seriously opened me up to endless amazing albums that are continuing to make my 20s feel less scary and overwhelming. Thanks for that. I practically don't know anyone here but this community has always seemed so fun to participate in. Is there a Discord where people talk music? As much as I enjoy logging on and sharing updates about bands and sometimes music art stuff, it would be great to hop on Discord on my phone during lunch and chit chat for a bit.
CyberTaco 01.21.26	This website and it's community are responsible for so many formative moments and musical discoveries for me its kinda crazy. I never really thought about it. I was a cringey tween browsing lists and reviews constantly and now I just pop in every month or so to find something new because I still see this place as a weird sort-of home. Definitely took it for granted. Love all you freaks
Futures 01.21.26	i always love reading comments like that wilt and cybertaco. ya'll lurkers are the lifeblood of the site. forget about that because it's easy to not notice. appreciate you. join us in the comments more! the more voices the better. so many good people here.
Emim 01.21.26	@maniac I've been in the discord for days, but just haven't used discord much lately. I'll need to stop by more often
naughtcturnal 01.21.26	Viva la revolución
butt. 01.21.26	-torts
NudeTayne 01.21.26	Find out on next week's episode of Dragonball Z
Emim 01.21.26	Wake me up when it's the one with future Trunks
zaruyache 01.21.26	"Outside of Sput how do y’all find out weekly releases?" rateyourmusic shows me releases for artists i've rated, following labels on bandcamp and waking up to all the notifs on friday morning, uhhh scouring metallum
JerseyJimmy 01.21.26	I personally just don't participate in Discord servers much, I find them really overwhelming. still, might as well join it to check for new releases and such.