The Web Reviewing Community Statement

Whoever you are, welcome to the Web Reviewing Community (WRC)! As hard as it is to give a general definition of what we are, a possible one would be that we're a group of open-minded, friendly disposed individuals, all of whom are united by one thing and one thing only: a desire to share our love and knowledge of music with other people. Not just the love of music as something to listen to while cleaning the house - the love of music as ART, a way to open up your spiritual and intellectual resources and discover new and exciting things that make life so much more interesting.

So what, exactly, IS the WRC?

At the heart of the WRC are independent music reviewers who set up personal web sites dedicated to analyzing music of their own choice. They are totally free from any obligations or restrictions upon honestly speaking their mind about any type of music, regardless of its actual commercial or formal critical recognition. The WRC sites differ in quality - some are bigger and some are smaller, some older, some younger, some well-established and with an identity of their own, some still struggling to find that identity. Yet all of us think that every single reviewer's opinion is valid, provided that it is given in an honest and open manner. After all, music is a matter of the spirit, and we all have different spirits! And the WRC is not only a source of musical information - often, it is a great way to come across all kinds of different people, a way to broaden your horizons by examining others' tastes, evaluating others' points of view, and comparing them with your own.

Yet the review sites are only one part of the WRC. The other, equally important part, are the people who visit these sites - people who may not be writing reviews of their own, but who are no less interested in music than the people who spare time to write about it. People who watch and wait for every new update. People who leave their comments on particular bands and albums. People who participate in music - and not only music - related discussions on WRC forums and message boards. People who want to learn more about music and share their knowledge with others. People who don't believe in limiting one's taste to one particular musical style or direction. All these people are always welcome in the WRC, as long as they express mutual respect towards each other's work.

How is the WRC different from already established schools of criticism?

Normally, the WRC stands in opposition to that branch of rock criticism which roots itself in professional musical magazines, such as Rolling Stone and others. That does not mean we do not respect the tastes, opinions, and musical philosophies of the people writing for these magazines. As long as they are given according to what they really feel about the music they review (which, frankly speaking, is not always the case), we do. What we oppose is the monopolistic authority of “official” musical criticism, the very idea that critics writing for world-known music magazines or speaking their minds on mega-budget channels like MTV or VH1 are in some way "better authorized" to write or speak about music than members of the WRC. If anything, professional musical criticism is in much greater danger of falling prey to trends, fashions, and the financial requirements of the music industry than independent musical criticism. Honesty, independence, freedom of opinion, and a general refusal to succumb to trends and fads are the very nature of the WRC. Another thing is that the WRC isn't concerned about chronology - the stuff that people review doesn't have to be contemporary, it just has to be good (or bad).

On the other hand, the WRC is not a true "elitist" society. We do not despise music that is "accessible" or “simple” - we may like some of it and dislike the rest, but the WRC does not consider itself "superior" to people who do not spend all their time trying to discover "underground" gems. The WRC is all for expanding one's tastes, but not for condemning them, whatever they might be. Yet expanding one's tastes does not necessarily mean trying to "get" a complex musical genre that you are not predisposed for. Thus, if you go for simple, but well-written, pop music, the likes of which you cannot discover through standard MTV-style propaganda, the WRC may help you find "hidden" gems of exceptional quality which you'd never be able to find on your own.

What are the benefits of being a member of the WRC?

The WRC is a very flexible group - apart from the few basic principles stated above, there are no rules or regulations involved. You do not "join" or "leave" the WRC on any formal level - you're simply there or not there. You get to meet interesting, diverse, intelligent, and knowledgeable people from all over the world. You get to read reviews of stuff that you might find yourself attracted to - including different perspectives on the same things. You might discover music, and not only music - we also discuss, and occasionally review, movies, books, video games; you name it -that you never imagined could even exist. You get to spend time on WRC message boards such as Music Babble, which never has a lazy day. You maybe get to do things none of us have yet thought of doing!