We are actually one yr into our paid membership providing and, because of all of you who’ve signed up, I can write that Stereogum’s new unbiased period is a hit. We’re a hit by advantage of the truth that we nonetheless exist! You might be little question conscious that dozens of publications each large and small have shut down this yr. Between the dismal promoting local weather, unreliable social media visitors, and different elements, it’s extraordinarily tough for a web based journal to remain afloat. However our readership is bigger than it has ever been and due to Membership we’re heading in the right direction to sustainability.

Crucially, as an unbiased music web site we get to run issues the best way we wish. I don’t simply imply publishing interviews with obscure hardcore bands and reviewing jazz field units, although that’s a part of it. We offer aggressive salaries, advantages, and trip time for our workers. We pay all freelance writers inside one week of their bill. We block total advert classes, equivalent to navy recruitment and get wealthy fast schemes, that we don’t need to promote. We don’t measure an article’s success by its visitors and we don’t pay shut consideration to these numbers anyway. We don’t “experiment with AI-generated content material.”

Stereogum has two tiers of paid membership. The $5/month customary Membership will get you perks like an invitation to the pleasant Stereogum Discord, unique articles and playlists, and entry to the positioning’s pre-2013 archives. The $10/month VIP Membership will get you all that plus a trophy subsequent to your whole feedback and ad-free viewing.

I do know our advert expertise has been brutal currently. I’m on this web site greater than anybody, and I might love to cut back the advert density and disable a few of the extra obtrusive codecs. We merely can’t afford to. Not but, anyway. Over 90% of our income nonetheless comes from promoting so now we have a methods to go earlier than we’re as reader-supported financially as we have to be. However there are some adjustments starting right now that may hopefully nudge issues alongside.

The very first thing is that The Quantity Ones, which has been publishing thrice every week, will now publish as soon as every week (Mondays). We have to chill out the burden on each Tom and the writers protecting information whereas he’s doing analysis for the column. This variation can also be useful as a result of TNOs has already reached 2010 and we need to gradual the tempo so we don’t run into modern-day too quickly. However! We’re carving out time for Tom to write down a model new auxiliary singles column. Beginning this Wednesday, along with The Quantity Ones, each week he’ll evaluation the #1 songs from Billboard’s Different Songs chart (aka Trendy Rock Tracks from 1988-2009) in chronological order. We’ll in all probability finish the collection after we attain 2020, which was when the chart splintered into Scorching Different Songs and Different Airplay. The Different Quantity Ones shall be Members Solely.

Our paying members deserve extra common unique articles in order that column shall be for them. Moreover, Shut Up, Dude: This Week’s Greatest Feedback will now be Members Solely. Due to adjustments our commenting software program OpenWeb made to its API, it takes me without end to construct this countdown I’ve been doing each Friday since 2011. As The Different Quantity Ones is a model new factor and Shut Up, Dude is especially for our energetic neighborhood members, I believe they’re two affordable issues to paywall. I see a number of blogs which have paywalled the flexibility to remark totally, however that’s one thing I’m making an attempt to keep away from.

Together with this information comes a sale (our first, so these don’t occur typically) for new signups to annual VIP membership. VIP often prices $110/yr, however starting now via 7/9 you need to use coupon code INDEPENDENCEDAY for 10% off. So $99 to your first yr of ad-free viewing, entry to all our articles, and all the opposite perks. Alternatively (heh) you possibly can join customary Membership for entry to all paywalled content material, however that’s not on sale this week. If you happen to’re already a Member and really feel omitted, our merch stand is over right here.

In case in doesn’t go with out saying, extra reader help will imply we are able to rent extra writers, throw extra live shows, produce extra authentic movies, and many others. We’ve had a bunch of surprising technical and monetary challenges this yr, and I gained’t get into all of them, however I’ll inform you we wouldn’t even need to be round (anymore) if it wasn’t for our superior neighborhood. We don’t take any of this with no consideration. I hope all of the Members take pleasure in their new column — extra will come — and due to everybody who has supported us.