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VERDICT

Should I use AllMusic?

AllMusic relies heavily on JavaScript. - allmusic.com

Depends. Use AllMusic free for expert reviews and discographies — few databases match its depth since 1991. Skip the paid subscription unless ads truly ruin it; users report the site is ad-bloated and even blocks paying subscribers.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 50+ public sources reviewed (reviews, support threads, official pages). Subscription price figures were not disclosed in the evidence.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
SubscriberNot disclosed in sources

Best for

  • Record collectors and crate diggers
  • Writers needing expert reviews
  • Genre and subgenre deep-dives
  • Quick discography lookups

Not for

  • Ad-averse users — free tier drowns in ads
  • Developers wanting an official API or data feed
  • Anyone needing guaranteed access — bot-blocking hits real users

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Bot-detection can block you even after paying; support threads report unresolved access issues

medium

Subscription's main perk is removing ads — value depends on your ad tolerance

medium

No official API — third-party scrapers fill the gap, fragile and possibly blocked

low

Star ratings get revised over time; older ratings aren't permanent

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Vast expert-reviewed music database, initiated in 1991
  • Comprehensive coverage: new releases, genres, subgenres, artist discographies
  • Core database is free to browse
  • Star ratings are widely cited across music communities

Cons

  • Advertising overwhelms the free experience
  • Users describe the site as 'enshittified' — declining experience
  • Heavy JavaScript reliance; breaks on restricted setups
  • Security system blocks legitimate users, even subscribers
  • No official API for programmatic access

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/26/2026 - 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. Main issue: overzealous bot-blocking of legitimate users.

official x5review x4security x2news x1
  • Security service blocks legitimate users, Users, including paid subscribers, report being blocked by AllMusic's security service, sometimes persisting after renewal.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Subscription mainly removes ads
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Heavy JavaScript and bot-blocking hurt access
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Deep discographies, genres, expert reviews since 1991
  • Support quality: 2/5. Access-block complaints; feature requests sit unanswered
  • Security posture: 3/5. No public vulnerabilities; overzealous blocking reported
  • 1991 Database initiated Previously All Music Guide
  • Yes Free tier Ad-supported full database
  • Subscription Paid tier Main perk is ad-free browsing

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Full database and reviews
  • Ad-supported

Subscriber

Not disclosed

  • Ad-free browsing
  • Supports the database

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

  • Security service blocks legitimate usersUsers, including paid subscribers, report being blocked by AllMusic's security service, sometimes persisting after renewal.⁹

Main issue: overzealous bot-blocking of legitimate users.

What users say

Users praise the database's depth and expert reviews but consistently complain about ad bloat, site decline, and access blocks.

“Allmusic has way too many ads!!”
Facebook, music discussion group
“AllMusic is the perfect example of the Enshittification ...”
Reddit, r/Music
“rateyourmusic.com is an alternative to allmusic.com”
Hacker News

Companies that use it

  • Roon
Full analysis

Based on 50+ public sources reviewed (reviews, support threads, official pages). Subscription price figures were not disclosed in the evidence.

Deep, expert music database worth using free. Paying for ad-free is a hard sell — users complain about ad bloat.

Methodology

Based on 50+ public sources reviewed (reviews, support threads, official pages). Subscription price figures were not disclosed in the evidence.

Sources

  1. AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bandsallmusic.com
    official
  2. Become an AllMusic Subscriberallmusic.com
    official
  3. Subscribe for an Ad-Free AllMusic - Now Accepting Venmoallmusic.com
    official
  4. Product security pageallmusic.com
    official
  5. AllMusic — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  6. AllMusic is the perfect example of the Enshittification...reddit.com
    review
  7. Allmusic or Discogs? Allmusic has way too many ads!!facebook.com
    review
  8. rateyourmusic.com is an alternative to allmusic.comnews.ycombinator.com
    review
  9. I have been blocked by the security serviceallmedianetwork.helprace.com
    security
  10. Allmusic.com is blocking me even after I renewed my...justanswer.com
    security
  11. Have you considered adding an API...allmedianetwork.helprace.com
    review
  12. AllMusic Scraper - Album Ratings, Tracks & Genresapify.com
    official

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