 | |
| Type | Onlinemusic magazine |
|---|---|
| Format | Internet |
| Owner | Scott Lapatine |
| Editor-in-chief | Scott Lapatine |
| Founded | 2002; 23 years ago (2002) |
| Language | English |
| OCLC number | 1142733705 |
| Website | stereogum |
Stereogum is a dailyInternet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
Stereogum was one of the firstMP3 blogs and has received several awards and citations, including thePLUG Award for Music Blog of the Year,Blender's Powergeek 25, andEntertainment Weekly's Best Music Websites. The site was named an Official Honoree of theWebby Awards in the music category and won the OMMA Award for Web Site Excellence in the Entertainment/Music category. In 2011,Stereogum wonThe Village Voice's Music Blog of the Year.[1]
The site was launched on January 1, 2002 by Scott Lapatine with a focus on music discovery and hostingMP3 files.[2] It was named after a lyric from the song "Radio #1" by the French electronic duoAir.[3]
In late 2006,Stereogum received an investment fromBob Pittman's private investment entity The Pilot Group.[4] In November 2007, it was purchased bySpinMedia (formerly known as Buzz Media). April 2008 saw the launch ofVideogum, a sister site focused on television, movies, and Web videos.Videogum later closed.
In December 2016,Eldridge Industries acquired SpinMedia via the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group for an undisclosed amount.[5]
Stereogum's firstSXSW event in 2006 was hosted by then-emerging comedianAziz Ansari and featured a headline performance fromTed Leo. In the years since, Stereogum's events have included sets fromBen Gibbard,[6]Sky Ferreira,Mitski,Beach House,St. Vincent,Deerhunter,Japanese Breakfast,Rico Nasty,[7] and other popular acts.
Popular musicians have been known to participate inStereogum's active comments section, such asFather John Misty,Weezer'sRivers Cuomo, andFleet Foxes'Robin Pecknold.
In July 2017,Arcade Fire created the parody site Stereoyum featuring a "Premature Premature Evaluation" of their then-forthcoming albumEverything Now.[8]
In January 2020, it was announced that Scott Lapatine, the site's founder and editor-and-chief, had reached an agreement to purchase Stereogum from the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, making it once again an independent publication.[9]
Stereogum senior editor Tom Breihan began writing the column "The Number Ones" in January 2018, in which he reviews, analyzes and provides historical context for everynumber-one single on theBillboard Hot 100.[10] In November 2022,Hachette Book Group publishedThe Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal The History Of Pop Music, a music history book by Breihan based on his column.[11][12] In July 2023, Breihan began a counterpart column available to the site's subscribers in which he reviews thenumber one singles on theBillboard Alternative Airplay chart.[13]
In July 2007,Stereogum releasedOKX, a tenth anniversary tribute toRadiohead'sOK Computer. Cover songs were solicited from fourteenindie rock artists includingDoveman,Vampire Weekend,John Vanderslice,David Bazan,Cold War Kids,My Brightest Diamond,Marissa Nadler,Chris Funk ofThe Decemberists, andChris Walla ofDeath Cab for Cutie. The album can be heard free of charge athttp://www.stereogum.com/okx.
Other freeStereogum compilation albums include:Drive XV, a tribute toR.E.M.'sAutomatic for the People (featuringRogue Wave,Meat Puppets,Sara Quin, andDr. Dog);Enjoyed, a tribute toBjörk'sPost (featuringLiars,Edward Droste,Dirty Projectors,Final Fantasy, andAtlas Sound);Stroked, a tribute toThe Strokes'sIs This It (featuringReal Estate,Owen Pallett,Peter Bjorn & John, andThe Morning Benders);MySplice Vols 1-4:, an annualmashup collaboration withteam9; andStereogum Presents... RAC Vol. 1, the first release fromGrammy-winning producerRAC.
In 2020, as part of a fundraising effort to keep the site operational and independent,[30] an original 55-track compilation of covers of songs from the 2000s by various artists titledSave Stereogum: An '00s Covers Comp was released as an incentive for donors to the site'sIndiegogo campaign.[31][32] The campaign totaled over $370,000 in donations.[33] It debuted at #1 on Billboard's Compilation Albums chart and #11 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart.
