allmusic.com

November 19, 2025

What AllMusic.com Is

AllMusic (accessible at allmusic.com) is one of the biggest and most detailed music reference sites on the internet. It’s an online music database that’s designed to give you information about songs, albums, musicians and bands — plus things like genres, styles and editorial reviews. What sets it apart from general sites like Wikipedia is its focus on structured, music-centric data, curated by professionals.

This isn’t just a place to get a discography. AllMusic includes:

• Album listings and track lists for millions of releases.
• Artist biographies, birthplaces, active years, and credits.
• Editorial reviews and ratings, written by staff.
• Genre and style metadata, organized in detailed classifications.
• Recommendations and similar artists tied to music tastes.
  And you can search or filter by pretty specific criteria — genre, year, mood, theme, and more.

The site’s main goal is straightforward: help people understand recorded music in a deep, searchable way, whether for casual browsing or serious research.

History and Background

AllMusic started before the web became mainstream. It began in 1991 as a printed reference book called the All Music Guide — a massive catalog of music recordings. By 1994, it moved onto the internet as one of the first music metadata databases available online.

The founder, Michael Erlewine, was a music fan and collector who wanted a reliable way to organize and describe recorded music. The project grew out of that early ambition into a massive database that today holds information on more than 3 million albums and over 30 million tracks.

Ownership has shifted over the years. Since 2015, the site has been owned by RhythmOne, a media company that also manages related databases and guides.

Who Uses AllMusic

Different kinds of people visit AllMusic for different reasons.

• Music listeners and fans use it to look up albums, read reviews, and discover new music.
• Musicians and industry people sometimes check credits and genre classifications.
• Researchers, writers, DJs, and critics appreciate the structured metadata and editorial content.
• It’s also used behind the scenes: music players, online stores, and other services license AllMusic’s database to tag and organize their catalogs.

Because AllMusic is data-rich, it’s common for music library software and metadata tools to pull from its database under license.

How AllMusic Works

Database and Metadata

At its core, AllMusic functions like a huge library index for music. Each artist and album has an entry that includes:

• Basic facts — names, release dates, track lists.
• Genre and style tags — helping users understand where a release fits musically.
• Credits — who played what on an album and production credits.
• Editorial content — reviews and write-ups from music critics.

That mix of raw data and written content makes it useful for both quick facts and deeper reading.

Editorial Reviews

One of the things people often talk about when they mention AllMusic is the professional reviews attached to albums and songs. These aren’t crowd-sourced — they’re written by staff writers and critics who know music and often specialize in certain genres. Reviews come with a star rating system (typically one to five stars) used to give a quick sense of how records stack up.

That editorial perspective is part of what distinguishes AllMusic from pure metadata sources like MusicBrainz or Discogs.

Search and Discovery Tools

The site has an Advanced Search feature. With it, you can filter records by things like:

• Genre or style
• Year of release
• Mood or theme
• Editor rating
  This is more detailed than a simple search bar — it’s closer to a research tool for digging into music catalogs.

Other discovery features include:

• Recommended albums based on your rated favorites.
• Trending artists and new release highlights.
• Editors’ picks for noteworthy records.
  These help users find music they might not otherwise encounter.

User Accounts and Interaction

You can create an AllMusic account if you want:

• Track your own album ratings and build lists.
• Follow artists to get notified when they release new material.
• Maintain a collection of albums you own or want to remember.

Accounts make AllMusic feel more interactive, but you don’t need one just to browse basic content.

What It Doesn’t Do

AllMusic isn’t a streaming platform. You won’t find full songs or downloadable music there. It also doesn’t host video content — there’s no built-in video player. It’s strictly informational, with some links out to purchasing or streaming services.

Lyrics aren’t displayed on the site anymore, and there’s no system for artists to upload their own videos or tracks directly.

Practical Uses for Different People

Here’s how various audiences get value from AllMusic:

• Collectors check release histories and credits to verify versions of records.
• Critics and writers use the editorial reviews and genre breakdowns in their research.
• Casual listeners browse reviews to decide what to listen to next.
• Metadata nerds use it to tag digital music libraries accurately.
  The site’s attention to detail in genre and style classification makes it a great resource for understanding the context around music — not just the facts on a label.

Criticism and Limitations

Not everyone loves AllMusic. Some users find the interface outdated or clunky, there are occasional inaccuracies in metadata, and the editorial coverage can feel biased toward certain genres. Since the content is curated, it doesn’t always reflect every listener’s opinion, especially for niche or highly specialized music scenes.

Another downside is that the experience depends heavily on JavaScript, and some older browsers or devices don’t render the site properly without it.

Key Takeaways

• AllMusic.com is a comprehensive online music database with millions of album and track entries.
• It combines structured metadata with editorial reviews and ratings.
• The site supports advanced searches and personalized user features.
• You won’t stream music there — it’s a reference, not a streaming service.
• It’s used by fans, critics, and industry professionals alike.

FAQ

Is AllMusic free to use?
Yes. Browsing the database and reading reviews and biographies is free, though registration unlocks extra features.

Can I submit my own music to AllMusic?
You can submit data via their partner and data provider, Xperi, but there’s no direct upload through the website.

Does AllMusic have a mobile app?
There used to be a companion app called AllMusic Roundup, but it’s not currently active.

Can I download songs directly from AllMusic?
No. AllMusic does not host music streams or downloads. It may link to external streaming or purchasing services, but audio isn’t played on the site itself.

Who owns AllMusic?
The site is owned by RhythmOne, a media company that also handles other metadata databases.