Staff
Reviews 646 Soundoffs 102 News Articles 98 Band Edits + Tags 345 Album Edits 2,230
Album Ratings 3161 Objectivity 73%
Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am Joined 01-01-70
Review Comments 43,941
| For The Meds & FAQ v. 2024
Your central location for questions/bugs/assistance. Please read the FAQ before posting any requests, and provide links. Please also read the community guidelines/rules posted in the first comment if you don't want to get banned. | 1 | Air Review
Q: I'm new here and submitted a review. Why is my review not showing up on the website's main page?
A: All first reviews must be approved by a moderator before they will appear on the list of new user reviews. | 2 | Submission
Q: What are the rules for submitting a review?
A: Reviews of any album must come on or after their official release date. If you review an album prior to its official release date, you must provide a link to a valid stream in the first comment of your review. Moderators will delete reviews that are published prior to their release date. The same rules apply even if the album has leaked. | 3 | edIT
Q: How do I edit my review after it has already been submitted?
A: Navigate to your profile, then click "Edit My Uploaded Reviews/Albums". | 4 | Patience Ophelia
Q: I submitted an edit to an artist/album, but the changes haven't taken effect.
A: All changes to the database must be approved. Once they have passed through our moderation queue, you will be able to view any changes made. | 5 | Newsboys
Q: I submitted a news article, but it never showed up on the front page.
A: News articles can be rejected for a number of reasons. The most common is that someone else already submitted the same story before you did. Other reasons can include poor grammar or lack of adequate content. Also, to ensure your articles function properly, be sure to bookend any included website URLs with [A] and [/A], and any youtube video links with [Y] and [/Y]. Here's an example of how to embed a YouTube video in a news article: If the full URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSKQRDq3RkM, then the embed would be: [Y]fSKQRDq3RkM[/Y]. Please note that you only use what comes after the "v=" portion of the link. | 6 | Write This Down
Q: What is the difference between a review and a soundoff?
A: A review is meant to be an in-depth analysis of an album, EP, live release, or compliation. A soundoff is informal, and is meant to very briefly describe your opinion. | 7 | The Singles
Q: Can I add or review singles?
A: No. Singles are not one of the approved release formats in our database and will be deleted. | 8 | The Features
Q: How do I get my review featured on the front page?
A: As a general rule, we only feature high quality reviews of new releases. While staff and contributor reviews take precedence, moderators also check the site for user reviews that can be featured. It never hurts to ask for a feature if you feel yours fits the criteria and might have been overlooked. | 9 | The Forum
Q: What happened to the forums?
A: This portion of the site what shuttered by the site's owner. A replacement is supposed to be in the works, but until then, this is the best place to get your questions answered and have any requests addressed. | 10 | Avatar
Q: Where can I change my avatar?
A: Currently, this option has been disabled by the site's owner. This ability is expected to return at a time TBD. | 11 | PASSWORDS
Q: How can I reset my password?
A: See above. Yes, this means you must remember your password or otherwise risk losing access to your account. | 12 | Fucked Up
Q: Why can't I create an account on this site?
A: Account creation is currently unavailable, and the mods have no power over this. We are hoping this will be fixed/addressed ASAP.
Q: I have an account but I don't remember the e-mail / want to change the e-mail / want to change my username.
A: We still can't modify anything for you. Get back into the DeLorean and try again. | 13 | Artwork
Q: Why is my album artwork not uploading?
A: Best practice is to ensure the image is a JPG file that is 200kb or less, with dimensions of 500x500 or less. If you are still encountering issues after verifying these details, then feel free to post a request here. | 14 | My Favorite
Q: When I try to edit my "favorite bands section", no changes are saved.
A: While this aspect of user profiles is flawed, best results have occurred when using Firefox as your web browser. Be patient when saving/refreshing, and be sure to have your text copied so that you can easily re-paste if it doesn't take the first time. This section can also be removed from your profile by going to Edit Profile Options > Turn Off Favorite Bands > Set Display. | 15 | Blacklisted and the Banned
Q: Why am I banned?
A: Chances are, you already know. It goes without saying that any derogatory language targeting a specific group of people will not be tolerated, along with any form of harrassment/threats/doxxing/explicit content. Generally speaking, engaging in behavior that makes the site less enjoyable for others is not acceptable and users will be dealt with at the moderators' discretion. While most bans are temporary, some bands may be permanent. If you feel you've been unjustly banned, feel free to email sputnikreviews@gmail.com with the title "Requesting Ban Reason". You may also email me at sowingsputnik@gmail.com. | 16 | The Birds Are Spies, They Report to the Trees
Q: How do I report unsavory comments/poor behavior?
A: Whether it's on a review thread, news article, list, or blog post, there is a button below each user's comment to "report this post". Please click it when needed so that the moderators can swiftly address the issue. Deliberate abuse of the "report" function (i.e. reporting non-issues or using it as a weapon in a personal beef) may result in the reporter receiving a temporary ban. | 17 | Scores
Q: What are the rules for rating albums?
A: Troll-rating of a discography (see: all or most of an artist's albums) with a 1.0 score can result in a ratings wipe. Using alts or separate accounts to influence ratings either positively or negatively will also result in a ratings wipe for any offending accounts, and may also be accompanied by a ban. | 18 | Disapproval
Q: What is the significance of my approval rating? Can I do anything about "troll negging"?
A: Approval rating is determined by the ratio of users who find your reviews well-written (this can be found at the bottom of any user-written review, next to the "Was this Review Well Written?" inquiry). While the approval rating does not carry any significance regarding who we select to promote as staff and contributing reviewers, we still acknowledge that it can be frustrating to see your score plummet for no good reason. If you feel like someone has it out for you, please report it here and the moderators will check to see if your "negs" are valid or the result of trolling. | 19 | Two
Q: Why can't I rate some albums lower than a 2?
A: Certain albums have been deemed as "classics". You can still rate them lower than a 2, but a review is required to support your opinion. | 20 | Break Character
Q: I just added an artist or album with an ampersand. Why is it duplicated and/or otherwise messed up now?
A: The ampersand causes issues with artist and album names, so please kindly use the full word "and", even if it's not how the artist or album title is technically stylized. If you do use an ampersand by accident, please report it here so we can fix it. PS: Most non-Roman (for lack of a better word) characters will not work, so it's best to avoid them. If you aren't sure, ask here first. | 21 | Humble Gods
Q: How do I become a contributor or staff reviewer?
A: Occasionally (typically once per year, often in February), we will review any openings we have and post a news article with a link to an application. While there are no set-in-stone requirements for either position, it is generally expected of both contributors and staff to cover new releases in order to keep our publication current. If your aim as a user is to get promoted, focusing on new releases is a good way to get recognized. Other than that, try to write high quality reviews. Reading staff/contributor/emeritus reviews here (as well as other professional sites) is a good way to improve. It's also a good idea to seek proofreading from trusted peers, and/or read your review aloud back to yourself. The more you review, the easier it will become to access your own unique writing voice. | 22 | Spam Allstars
Q: How many lists/reviews can I post in one day?
A: ONE. It is considered in poor taste to publish several consecutive lists or reviews in a single 24 hour period, as this pushes others' work off the front page faster. There's no reason the multiple works you've written can't be slow-dripped one day at a time. Failure to adhere to this rule may result in deleted reviews/lists and permanent loss of data. | 23 | Excuse Me, Who Are You?
Q: What do all the different roles/titles mean?
A: The default permission level is user and this comprises the majority of the site. Users can still have reviews featured, post lists, and do most things that other users with elevated titles can do. Contributors are recognized as having established themselves as talented and consistent reviewers. Contributors also tend to be the first people considered to fill staff vacancies. Staff members are considered professional writers and their work is included on Metacritic. Staff members also receive access to the blog and promo copies of albums, which they may review prior to the actual release date. When a staff member "retires" in good standing, they become an Emeritus of Sputnikmusic. Their writing, when they submit pieces, is still considered to be staff-quality. Moderators/Editors work in tandem to oversee the day-to-day needs of the site. An overview can be found here: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/staff.php | 24 | Call My Name
Q: I'm not feeling my username anymore and would like to change it. Is this possible?
A: At this time, no. Please see Item #12 if you're confused. | 25 | Codes In The Clouds
Q: I'm getting redirected to shady websites. What's that about?
A: There is still lingering malicious code leftover from an injection attack many years ago. Notably, you will want to avoid "old" news articles, i.e. anything with an ID in the URL less than or equal to 40000. The moderators are aware of this and there's not much we can do. Like some other issues in this FAQ, we're hoping for a permanent fix. You can feel free to report them, but with ~40000 scripts, it'll be a slow trek back to a clean slate. If you encounter malicious redirects elsewhere (reviews, lists, blog, recent news articles, etc.) this is not expected and should be reported immediately. | |
Sowing
01.14.24 | New year, new list.
Here are some general community guidelines/rules. Please follow them or face the possibility of getting banned:
> No posting of explicit content (including usernames or custom names)
> No harrassment, threats, or other forms of aggression and/or toxic behavior
> No racism, homophobia, sexism, or discriminatory remarks of any nature that could make another user feel unsafe or unwelcome
> No engaging in off-topic discussion of potentially sensitive topics (including but not limited to religious, political, or other highly personal discourse) in a disrespectful way
> No provocative or inflammatory comments
> No spamming or shitposting (this includes publishing multiple lists per day, or relentlessly bumping old threads, etc)
> No troll-negging, stalking, or otherwise being creepy
> No impersonating another user in an ill-intended or potentially malicious way
> No doxxing or unwanted sharing of personal information
> No troll rating (discog 1's especially) or attempting to positively/negatively influence the average score of an album via alt accounts
> Do not waste moderators' resources, i.e. reporting comments that do not actually break any rules for the lolz
> Generally speaking, do not act in unsavory ways that makes the site less enjoyable for others | efp123
01.16.24 | It’s hilarious people can’t join the site lmfao… sorry you guys! Find a different retirement home | JohnnyoftheWell
01.24.24 | Please merge this page https://www.sputnikmusic.com/bands/Doji-Morita/95768/
into this one https://www.sputnikmusic.com/bands/Douji-Morita/32046/
(though fwiw 'Doji Morita' is a preferable romanisation - will amend this once the smaller page has been merged) | Demon of the Fall
01.25.24 | Hi Sowing,
I'm working on a list (currently featured) and when I hit submit for an edit, it deletes one of my entries from elsewhere (it also doesn't add the edited submission). I had 101 entries originally, now on 97
I didn't realise it was happening at first, just that my new edit hadn't updated so I tried a few times
Any idea what may be going wrong please? | Demon of the Fall
01.26.24 | I worked it out, this release is broken somehow... adding it to a list causes random deletions
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/79703/Ichiko-Aoba-0/ | Sowing
01.26.24 | Demon: Sorry, just now got a chance to look into this. Numeric 0's won't work in the list feature because of the site code. My workaround is to do a space then enter the number 0 (when entering the album into the database). I had to do it way back in the day with Low Roar's album titled 0. I changed Ichiko Aoba's album name accordingly and tested it in a list of my own, and it now works. Let me know if there are any other issues with your list that you can't fix.
Cylinder: Done, but you may need to clear your browser cache before the new artwork appears. | someone
02.08.24 | also, i found at least four of my soundoffs were deleted in recent memory. is that a common glitch or sth? the albums were not moved resulting in wiping of comments or ratings from what i'd gathered, nor were the soundoffs offensive or anything (maybe the Avenged Sevenfold one, but i doubt anyone got mad about me calling it a "butt dream"). anywho, just trying to find out some lil pieces of info on the matter. i know the site's been hanging on by a thread, so i wouldn't be surprised to hear it was a faulty wiring thing | cylinder
03.20.24 | I’ve seen some lists that have over 101, how are people doing that? You just keep hitting “add item”? | Ryus
03.20.24 | just a bit of html trickery, cant actually do it on the site's ui | bloc
03.28.24 | Damn I did not know about 10, 11, and 12. That's pretty serious. | onionbubs
04.10.24 | do band bios not update anymore lol i'm trying to change erra's to reflect a recent lineup change and it is not doing anything | Sowing
04.10.24 | Changes take a while to get approved. Does the bio now reflect what you submitted? If not resubmit and I'll inspect. |
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