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fewer reviews for discovery

(I've suggested ideas to increase the number of reviews, but Allmusic doesn't seem to be interested in doing so.)  To be selected for a review, Allmusic's criteria are being tied primarily to pre-release buzz.  So its criteria are favoring commercial music styles, heavily-marketed albums and established artists with a large fan base.

These criteria disfavor eclectic music, indie labels and new artists who aren't being heavily marketed.  When Allmusic used to review albums in the past regardless of pre-release buzz, I could discover many albums (thru Allmusic's reviews) that didn't receive coverage elsewhere.  For example: an archival compilation of a niche cultural music that was released by a specialty label.  As Allmusic's reviewer described it:

the music you always knew existed but had no idea where to look for.... This is not merely a novelty record -- though if it were it would be the best one ever -- but a bona fide collection of field recordings of some of the weirdest music ever produced in America.

I miss discovering reviews like this, about a musical tradition that I had no idea where to look for.  This album was the second volume, which seemed unplanned because the previous volume hadn't been numbered at all.  The previous volume had positive reviews, like Allmusic's, that likely helped it sell enough for an unplanned investment in its sequel.  The previous volume didn't have any pre-release buzz, because the reviewer commented: "There's no point in mentioning the names of songs or artists because you've never heard of any of 'em anyway."

Two years after the previous volume, the second volume curated more field recordings for another positively reviewed compilation.  This exemplified how reviews benefited albums that were in greatest need of and most deserving of being selected for review.  Not only can reviews boost album sales, but reviews can also be a way for your users to discover new music!

If another archival compilation like the Anthology of American Folk Music is released (not a reissue and not repackaged as Now That's What I Call American Folk Music) today, can it meet Allmusic's criteria to be selected for review?  Assuming Allmusic's and other influential publications all answer "no", then the archival compilation's musical impact will be silenced.

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You aren't wrong.

Back in the heyday of AllMusic, there were hundreds of freelance writers and a much larger editorial staff. Covering archival and more obscure albums were part of the daily routine (despite a passionate but limited audience).

One of the reasons we were interested in developing the User Review system was in the hopes that if the editorial staff wasn't able to cover the more obscure releases, knowledgeable music fans might contribute their insights and help to fill some of these holes.

In looking at the example you brought up, the Texas Bohemia album has received zero user ratings, no user reviews, and 26 pageviews over the past 12 months. It does seem like a very compelling release, but our audience has not shown much interest in it. This is unfortunate, because I like to think that AllMusic is a place where people can come and discover unusual and important artifacts of musical history.

The good news is that we still cover archival compilations and releases, but (as you point out) not at the rate we once were able to.

Some recent examples:

High in the Morning: The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1973

Before the Day Is Done: The Story of Folk Heritage Records 1968-1975

Miles Out to Sea: The Roots of British Power Pop 1969-1975

John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop

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