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Revolutionise the site

Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Site News, Newbies, Help and Improvements
Forum Name: Help us improve the site
Forum Description: Help us improve the forums, and the site as a whole
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=91496
Printed Date: May 04 2024 at 22:10
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Revolutionise the site
Posted By: lazland
Subject: Revolutionise the site
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 15:26
There have been, for a while now, a number of discussions in the collab zone of the forum (which cannot be viewed by the wider membership) regarding the way this site works, especially with regard to the question of sub genres, and how we categorise artists on the site. In my opinion, this now requires a wider debate amongst the site members as a whole, and this is a very long post, but is necessary, in my opinion.

This long post asks a simple question: is the way we consider and allocate artists to certain sub-genres working adequately, or do we need to consider a different way? Are the sub-genres themselves adequate to the encyclopaedic nature of this site? Do members of the site find it helpful, or a distraction?

Let me give an example of where I am coming from here. Actually, more than one, so bear with me.

Let us take Genesis as the supreme example. They are listed on the site as a symphonic prog band. Easy, you may think. They didn't start off as such, though. The first album, To Revelations, was more of a psych, pop/rock orientated work. From Trespass to Wind & Wuthering, no question as to where they fit, but what about subsequent albums? Let us say that they formed in 1980, and Duke and, after, Abacab were submitted to the forum as new artists for inclusion on the site. Where would they go? Well, certainly not symphonic, that is for sure. At best, crossover, and even then, it would provoke a huge argument (and I say this as a big fan of latter day Genesis).

How about Marillion? The archetypal neo prog band, you might think. Well, not really. In fact, although they were at the vanguard of the neo movement back in the 1980's, I would argue that they have not made a neo album since Fugazi, and certainly not since Season's End. If they were a new band, having just released Sounds That Can't Be Made, they would not be accepted in neo, simple as.

The point of all this? Well, if you undertake a simple search on the Internet for the definition of progressive rock, you will come up with a multitude of answers, a lot of them, by the way, saying that there is not a fixed definition. On this site, supposedly the "ultimate prog rock resource", we have endless debates about what prog is. The answer is that there is not a definitive definition. To my mind,  prog music is a philosophy, a way of making music, which separates it from mainstream, or commercial, rock music, with certain characteristics, but what do I know? One thing is for sure, if experts themselves cannot provide a definitive answer as to prog as a whole, what about the myriad sub-genres?

Let us all assume that we know what constitutes a prog act. What about the sub-genres? Are they important? Are they a good guide to visitors to this site looking for new music to buy? Are they, more to the point, clear in everyone's mind as to what they constitute? Does a reader of this post know, to the certain degree, that King Crimson is an eclectic act, and can describe precisely what that constitutes? I would submit no. In fact, listen to Lark's Tongues, then Construkction of Light, and then the latest Projekct release. Any certain themes that connect them? No. Red, my favourite release could easily fit within heavy prog, or prog metal, for that matter.

What about Pendragon? A neo band? They were when they started, and when I listened to them in the old days. By the time Masquerade... came out, they would easily have qualified as a symph band. Now, since Pure at least, and probably earlier, they would fit within heavy prog.

Again, the point here is that progressive rock music, and the styles within, by the very nature of the genre, changes. It progresses. Why do we carry on trying to fit artists within sub genres, when the artists themselves do not even think or create in such a way?

This does lead to all sorts of silly arguments and sheer pedantry when the collabs consider these matters. I was a collab until recently on the neo team and the new bands team. I gave up the ghost, because of a lack of time, but, also, more to the point, I was no longer enjoying the music. Trying to think whether an album was sufficiently symph, or heavy, or fusion, was destroying the point of it. It is music, simple as, there to be enjoyed, not classified. I classify at work, not here.

Also, you would be surprised at just how many people on the collab zone describe an artist as neo/symph, as if the two things are the same. If they are, why have separate sub-genres? What is Crossover prog? What does it mean to you? Well, as one who started listening to prog thirty odd years ago, I can state emphatically that this never even existed. It is a creation of our own making. Back in the 1970's, we called eclectic, crossover, whatever, prog and art rock. Things were simpler then. What about RPI? I have the utmost admiration and respect for the RPI team here, but, at the end of the day, all it ever was was Italian Symphonic Prog. 

This post is already far too long, and other points I wanted to make can wait until the debate that will ensue. However, what I wanted to do was ensure that this debate was opened up to the entire community on the site, rather than just collabs.

When you answer, I would ask that you give your preference for the following options:

1. Get rid of all sub-genres, barring prog and prog related. This is my preferred option. A site which has at its heart progressive rock music, which does not agonise and tear itself apart over silly definitions, all open to interpretation, and, worse, the definitive opinion of fallible human beings on teams who have the final word.
2. Reduce the number of sub-genres. Let me quote from an unnamed collaborator: Steve though, I would easily support your proposal...the best way to avoid arguments would be a very limited number of genres...perhaps Neo/Symph together (seeing it as the starting point of prog and its 80's revival), all Metal acts together, Eclectic/Heavy/Crossover another one, all Jazz-related stuff (R.IO., Fusion etc.) together...4 or 5 big categories and the problem will be closing solution.
3. Leave things as they are, probably the best argument for this being that it would take too much work to change things. In my opinion, that should never be a reason for not fixing something.

Sorry about the length of this. If you have come to this point, well done! When you respond, can I ask that responses are kept polite, not lecturing, respecting all teams and collabs? Let us not descend into petty arguments or personal lectures or attacks please.

Lastly, why bother? Okay, last year, Chris Squire and Steve Hackett released an album under the name Squackett. Not one of us had any doubt whatsoever that it belonged on this site as a prog rock album. However, it took forever for the teams to agree precisely which sub-genre it fitted into. In the end, a collab got into trouble by adding the thing anyway, out of sheer frustration. In the interim, the so called ultimate prog rock resource was in the strange position of being about the only specialised or general music/prog rock outlet where members could not review the album, or pass an opinion, because we argued endlessly about a silly "fit" over what sub-genre it belonged to.

Thanks for reading this. I would, by the way, be especially interested in reading the opinions of the many artists we have who visit the site.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org



Replies:
Posted By: Windhawk
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 15:46
From a personal point of view, I'd like to see four main genres, with the existing subgenres as categories beneath them. Artists will be added to any of the main genres when approved for each of them, and then the subgenre teams could decide sungenre placement.

1. Progressive electronic - all forms of progressive electronic music.
2. Progressive metal - all forms of progressive metal
3. Art Rock - all forms of progressive rock that is firmly based within a rock music approach
4. Fusion - all forms of progressive rock that incorporate elements from jazz music, folk music and similar non-prog genres. Possibly also a home for progressive electronic and metal artists incorporating elements in a similar manner.

I don't think we'll ever see a solution of this kind, but that's my personal stance on this particular issue.


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http://www.progressor.net
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Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 15:49
I personally think that the system is fine as it is.  I find the sub-genres helpful in searching for new bands and balancing out my listening between many styles, and although I agree that classification can be ridiculous sometimes, its just something we do as humans, and I personally enjoy it.  I would be opposed to eliminating most of the sub-genres.

Since it seems that the organization of the site is causing problems with classification, though, I would suggest a different solution, similar to lazland's #2 but with a twist.

How about we split the entire database up into 8 subgenres, maybe:

Symphonic prog (this would include neo)
Art rock (just like the old genre)
Prog metal
J/R Fusion
Prog folk/world (this would allow us to include indo/raga under this subgenre)
Avant prog (Rio, Zeuhl, etc)
Psych/Jam prog
Prog electronic

So you have 8 subgenres, each with its own team.  Each subgenre team, then, would be responsible for determining it's own mini-genres under the blanket of the subgenre.  For example, Prog metal could be divided into: avant metal, post metal, vanilla prog metal, extreme prog metal, tech metal, etc.

So a band like, say, Opeth would be classified as: "Prog metal - Extreme Prog Metal", with the subgenre appearing first and the mini-genre second.

This would do several things.  First, it would eliminate the problem of bands not being added because of an argument over genre.  If a team was divided over precisely which category a metal band should be placed into, they could just add them under the big genre and determine precisely where to put them later.  Secondly, it would make minute classifications easier to work out, because they would be done among a specialized team, not among every collab on the site.  Thirdly, it would provide a way to break up very large subgenres with a large variety of styles within them.  Some genre teams already have mini-classifications in the genre description page; these could be codified in the database with the implementation of this system.

Just an idea.

EDIT: Windhawk got there first.  Great minds think alike? Wink


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I love dogs, I've always loved dogs


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 15:57
Thank you both for two extremely intelligent, well thought out, and positive contributions. If it is alright, I will hold further counsel until more responses have been received, but I already love the way this debate is goingClap

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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 16:03
I still think most of these problems could be solved by simple album tagging. Lord knows there is a long ways from Floyd's Ummagumma to The Division Bell just as there is between In the Court and Power to Believe. Finding an overall box befitting then becomes the only big hurdle as I see it.

Although I have to admit it would be kind of nice not having to place every new act on some invisible nonsensical mantle.
On the other hand - there are literally thousands of music fans out there who have taken words like RPI and Krautrock to heart and would most likely feel discouraged by the fact, that one of the biggest sites on progressive music suddenly decided to scrap em.

So yes, totally unhinged argument from me as usual - the boxes I'll leave up to people with a sense of direction, whereas individual album tagging is something I would strongly support(hahah yes, I know, even more boxes!)

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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams


Posted By: lucas
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 16:07
Originally posted by Ambient Hurricanes Ambient Hurricanes wrote:



Symphonic prog (this would include neo)
Art rock (just like the old genre)
Prog metal
J/R Fusion
Prog folk/world (this would allow us to include indo/raga under this subgenre)
Avant prog (Rio, Zeuhl, etc)
Psych/Jam prog
Prog electronic

EDIT: Windhawk got there first.  Great minds think alike? Wink


That is rather fine.
However :
where do you put space rock : in psych ?
math rock and post-rock : in jam prog ?
prog-related ? crossover prog ? proto-prog ? : in art-rock ? (also I would add "pop" to art-rock : art rock/pop cf Kate Bush)




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"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)


Posted By: apps79
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 16:21
The Squackett album Steve mentioned is a perfect example...Two monsters of Prog releasing an album, already set in the database of other sites in the blink of an eye, and here we could have even now discuss where it would belong.

There are tons of examples of albums that have been placed in the wrong genre because no team wanted them and what is really ridiculuous, followed by reviews of fellow collaborators that mention that the band does not even have a trace of the specific style in their sound...Is this what we dream of for PA?Would you like a visitor of the site to read this kind of comments?

My personal proposal would be a very limited number of genres with concrete borders (as quoted by Steve above)...Another cool solution would be album tagging or even multi-tagging if needed as already mentioned by Guldbamsen...

One thing is for sure...there is some problem around and needs a solution...these endless discussions where an album, artist or whatever belongs really turn me off at some point, especially when reading about bands suggested months or even over a year ago and still remain as pending cases.


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When the power of love overcomes the love of power,the world will know peace...



listen to www.justincaseradio.com , the first ever Greek Progressive Rock radio


Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 16:59
Originally posted by lucas lucas wrote:

Originally posted by Ambient Hurricanes Ambient Hurricanes wrote:



Symphonic prog (this would include neo)
Art rock (just like the old genre)
Prog metal
J/R Fusion
Prog folk/world (this would allow us to include indo/raga under this subgenre)
Avant prog (Rio, Zeuhl, etc)
Psych/Jam prog
Prog electronic

EDIT: Windhawk got there first.  Great minds think alike? Wink


That is rather fine.
However :
where do you put space rock : in psych ?
math rock and post-rock : in jam prog ?
prog-related ? crossover prog ? proto-prog ? : in art-rock ? (also I would add "pop" to art-rock : art rock/pop cf Kate Bush)




Yes, I would put space rock in psych.  I don't know how I managed to neglect post/math; it's definitely big and distinctive enough to warrant its own genre.  I didn't include the other two because, well, they aren't prog, per se, and I assumed we would just leave them as-is, although I could see combining them into one, and maybe moving some PR bands into art rock.


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I love dogs, I've always loved dogs


Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 17:01
Pending cases could be a problem, I agree. I believe that the sub-genre story is there to direct people to certain styles, sounds etc etc (and yes, there have been several - more than I know - movements in prog that can differentiate one sub from the other).

Over-simplification is not a valid option for me, as this would rip off the subs from what makes them subs. On the other hand, let's just start from the simple things: have people read the sub definitions on the site? If yes, which are those sub-genres that don't differentiate from the others?

In such a case, the proposal for "merging" (if I may call it) is potentially valid.

I have far less knowledge from most collabs on this site, especially regarding the "movements" of prog. There will always be cross-overs between sub-genres but that should not stop us from recognizing the different movements that made progressive rock what it is - diverse.

Limited tagging could be a good idea if applied with sense.

EDIT:

On the occasion where bands have been "wrongly" assigned to a sub, I believe all teams are mature enough to initiate an exercise and fix this problem between them. We have started this in the PM team and has worked well so far.


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 17:04
Hi, Steve.

I think your post was of necessary length in order to drive home some of the points (if not all, since you will post more later) you wanted to make about the issue. As I can see, the goal here is to relieve the work for the teams and collabs when it comes to assigning an act to a sub-genre. I see you've noted a couple of options:

  1. Get rid of almost all labels. OK, I think I can figure out myself what kind of music Yezda Urfa make. Sounds like a good solution. That means that we would have to abolish some teams, I guess.
  2. Reduce the number of labels. OK, I have a question: what if we have a Symph act that shifts all of its focus to metal? Then we would have to merge Neo with Symph and Metal. We would have a hodge-podge.

I've been thinking about this myself about a month ago. At that time, what I've come up with was a solution that seemed to me rather not very feasible since it would be too much work. If you are still curious about what it was, here it is under the bullet. If you believe me on the impracticality of it, then just skip it.
  • Much like what we have in JMA and MMA: take every act in the database (which is a nearly impossible task) and mark the act with all the appropriate tags. Was there a period during which this band focused on the symph aspect of their music? OK, then give it a "symph prog" tag. Crossover prog? Give it the tag "prog-related". And the act can have more than one tag. That eventually will render the existence of various teams unnecessary. Then, we could have an algorithm that would filter the database and yield all the results that I'd be looking for. Say, I want to see what bands/artists were involved in making experimental metal. These are the results that the search engine would yield with the help of the tags. Yes, I know, too much work. Just a thought.
So, there you have it. Steve's suggestions sound good to me so far. If you have any polite counter-arguments, please do share them.


Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 17:09
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

  • Much like what we have in JMA and MMA: take every act in the database (which is a nearly impossible task) and mark the act with all the appropriate tags. Was there a period during which this band focused on the symph aspect of their music? OK, then give it a "symph prog" tag. Pop-prog/prog-related? Give it the tag "prog-related". And the act can have more than one tag. That eventually will render the existence of various teams unnecessary.


So instead of individual-album tagging, each band could have multiple tags?  Sounds like a good idea to me; it would require far less overhaul, and could be a gradual process.  I think we could keep the teams, too, their duties would just be changed a bit, and there could be more work done across subgenre team lines.


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I love dogs, I've always loved dogs


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 17:10
^ And again, since I wanted to append a little to my post in an edit: we could also probably "enhance" the search engine with the help of the tags.
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

Then, we could have an algorithm that would filter the database and yield all the results that I'd be looking for. Say, I want to see what bands/artists were involved in making experimental metal. These are the results that the search engine would yield with the help of the tags.


Posted By: DamoXt7942
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 18:55
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I still think most of these problems could be solved by simple album tagging. Lord knows there is a long ways from Floyd's Ummagumma to The Division Bell just as there is between In the Court and Power to Believe. Finding an overall box befitting then becomes the only big hurdle as I see it.

Although I have to admit it would be kind of nice not having to place every new act on some invisible nonsensical mantle.
On the other hand - there are literally thousands of music fans out there who have taken words like RPI and Krautrock to heart and would most likely feel discouraged by the fact, that one of the biggest sites on progressive music suddenly decided to scrap em.

So yes, totally unhinged argument from me as usual - the boxes I'll leave up to people with a sense of direction, whereas individual album tagging is something I would strongly support(hahah yes, I know, even more boxes!)
Already JMA has adopted the "tagging" way and looks like things can work well ... Smile


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http://www.facebook.com/damoxt7942" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 19:51
I support the system we have in place, which for me as a User has been invaluable in finding new music, and which we have spent years honing.  I find some of the OP's comments regarding RPI to be disheartening at the very moment I was again feeling good about our team and the site generally.  I sensed a positive direction of late.  The thought of the RPI sub being dissolved and our overall classification system being scrapped makes me very sad, and a bit angry.  A lot of sweat and passion has been invested by many people building enthusiasm and site traffic.  PA is now one of the best sites for RPI fans....and while some of you may not believe it, there are a lot of us out there.  

The problems we have relating to personality clashing and occasional differences of opinion are to be expected at any large website (or workplace), and in this case they reflect on people's attitudes and civility, or lack thereof.  They are not the fault of our genre system, which again, is a very useful tool for many of the site's users.  Our system of evaluating and classifying bands can work---This is proven daily by the manner in which many of us perform our job, with efficiency and with very little drama. 

I'll leave it at that, just wanted to tally this man's voice in support of our current system.  I am not against Collabs working together to find solutions to persisting problems-- teams need to communicate to resolve problems.  I am, however, against throwing out the baby with the bathwater.



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Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 20:02
Jim has a point; there are a lot of hardworking collabs on the site who have invested a lot in the current system, and it would be a shame to see all their hard work not have the effect it should have because we relegated their subgenre to a smaller place on the site.

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I love dogs, I've always loved dogs


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 20:36
^ In this case it really does sound like this discussion should be open only to the teams and the collabs, because, well, ... I don't know a first thing about how hard it comes for them to work out things like "where should this band be".


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 20:46
There's an assumption that a four or five category system would make things clearer or easier for both members and collabs.   Maybe, maybe not.    And as far as album tagging, it's a potential mess with albums having god knows how many different tags assigned to them simply because someone decides there's a bit of Reggae or Lounge music on a given release.



Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 20:49
^ It's not like they have to be really anal about tagging it, right to the bones. One can just think of the best (minimal) set of tags or just tag it as "various sub-genres". But again, it's just too much work, and I doubt that anyone wants to do this.


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 20:51
Not anal?  Prog fans?  


Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 20:51
I'm not sure why having a band tagged as eclectic instead of symphonic is so important that we should consider revising the website's system. Maybe i'm missing a major point or i just care a bit less about things that are, in my opinion, trivial. 

While i do think that a few genres could be fused, i like the specifications some titles make. 


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Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 20:52
The OP brought up the idea of regrouping PA acts, not albums. Take the average number of albums a band/artist made so far (n) and multiply it by the number of acts that the database has. Now you have a much larger problem, and I doubt that Steve aimed for that.
Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

Not anal?  Prog fans?
No, the collabs. I'm just getting the vibe that they don't want to redo what was already done.


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 21:01
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

Not anal?  Prog fans?
No, the collabs. I'm just getting the vibe that they don't want to redo what was already done.
By 'prog fans' I meant all of us.



Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 21:44
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

^ In this case it really does sound like this discussion should be open only to the teams and the collabs, because, well, ... I don't know a first thing about how hard it comes for them to work out things like "where should this band be".


I disagree.  I am a believer in transparency and open discussion, and I think the opinions of regular members are just as valuable on this issue, because they use the site and are affected by the system too.  No one is going to be happy if the collabs decide to introduce a new system that everybody else hates (not that I think that would happen, but it's best to have everyone involved so that we can safeguard against that type of thing).


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I love dogs, I've always loved dogs


Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 21:50
I like the current sub-genre system, and to see sub-genres merging unnecessarily with others will not help those who come to the site searching for artists with a specific sound, and perhaps artists from a specific time. I think individual album tagging with using the already existing sub-genres as a guide, is the best way to go. The problem that arises then, is that's a hell of a lot of work, and it is, if members from sub-genre teams and such are dealing with it all. 

Many of us here know and love certain bands that don't get much attention, even within PA. The way I look at it is, if an album has been rated or reviewed on this site, somebody has heard it, and could probably tell you what it sounds like, which then presents my idea - Anyone who joins/has joined the site should be able to help with the tagging, after all, anyone here can rate and review. The tagging I have in mind uses the existing sub-genres here and also a "non-prog" tag. The system can be a gradual work in progress, rather than teams having to start from scratch, going album by album, artist by artist, which wouldn't be the optimal procedure IMO. Anyway, that's my idea. Hope it made sense.      


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Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 22:02
Originally posted by Ambient Hurricanes Ambient Hurricanes wrote:

Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

^ In this case it really does sound like this discussion should be open only to the teams and the collabs, because, well, ... I don't know a first thing about how hard it comes for them to work out things like "where should this band be".
I disagree.  I am a believer in transparency and open discussion, and I think the opinions of regular members are just as valuable on this issue, because they use the site and are affected by the system too.  No one is going to be happy if the collabs decide to introduce a new system that everybody else hates (not that I think that would happen, but it's best to have everyone involved so that we can safeguard against that type of thing).
Can't please everyone. And why would anyone be unhappy with or hate a new system that seems rational?


Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 22:05
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

Originally posted by Ambient Hurricanes Ambient Hurricanes wrote:

Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

^ In this case it really does sound like this discussion should be open only to the teams and the collabs, because, well, ... I don't know a first thing about how hard it comes for them to work out things like "where should this band be".
I disagree.  I am a believer in transparency and open discussion, and I think the opinions of regular members are just as valuable on this issue, because they use the site and are affected by the system too.  No one is going to be happy if the collabs decide to introduce a new system that everybody else hates (not that I think that would happen, but it's best to have everyone involved so that we can safeguard against that type of thing).
Can't please everyone. And why would anyone be unhappy with or hate a new system that seems rational?


You would be surprised how many people hate systems that either are or seem rational.

I mean, we're prog fans, right?  A lot of us probably don't like the system in the music business right now.  It's totally rational; it's geared toward making money, which is quite a rationally justifiable pursuit.

And although you can't please everyone, the decision should be made in a way that would best serve all the members of the site.  Thus, it seems reasonable for all members to be able to give their input.  That seems to be what Steve wanted.


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I love dogs, I've always loved dogs


Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 22:20
Honestly I don't think that reducing the number of sub-genres or getting rid of them would make anything better for the site user.

Your points are valid and should raise a much needed awareness of the limitations of the system, but from there to saying that the solution is getting rid of them or merging them it's too much of a stretch.

Sure, the tagging of some bands has become inappropiate after these bands have evolved their styles. For the most well known cases (Genesis, Marillion, Pendragon...) the regular Prog fan knows it, the newbie will eventually learn about it, that's part of the beautiful process of becoming a Prog expert. For more obscure cases... well, the same, they may cause an eventual surprise or disappointment to some people setting up to discover a band and finding that some album is not what they expected, but so what... in the 70's we bought albums without any guidance at all.

Simplifications exist because they help, even when they are not really accurate. Students will first learn Newtonian mechanics before General Relativity. School will teach you that the language is Spain is Spanish, and only if you dig further you will learn than there are 4 different official languages. And so on.
Dean just posted elsewhere about the convenience we humans find in classifying things. Eliminating the classification does not make things easier, but we must be aware of the limitations of our classification system.

So in my opinion, better a classification that we know is not perfect than no classification at all.

As to the problem of band addition delays because Teams are discussing where should the band be added, maybe some Team Members are too picky about the importance of the sub-genres. Again, let's be aware that sub-genres are only a rough guidance with limited intrinsic value.
Maybe there should be a democratic process among the Teams, if a majority of members vote for Symph, then let it be Symph even if the Symph Team did not have consensus to take it in Symph.

Album tagging (perhaps on top of a generic band tagging) would be nice for the purpose of encyclopedic accuracy but even ignoring the amount of work required, I guess that it would only make things worse for the process of each album addition. If Teams already argue about bands, imagine if they would have to argue for every single album to be added. 

As for Dayvenkirk's proposal of multiple tagging per band, I like it, it can reflect more accurately the different styles a band may have explored, it's easier to handle and it can be done gradually. Although following your points, deciding which tags are applicable to each band might also cause disputes among Genre Teams?



Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 22:21
Originally posted by Ambient Hurricanes Ambient Hurricanes wrote:

I mean, we're prog fans, right?  A lot of us probably don't like the system in the music business right now.  It's totally rational; it's geared toward making money, which is quite a rationally justifiable pursuit.
OK, ... I guess, some 'rational' systems are better than others. Of course, we aren't about the dough here.

But wait a second ... how did we wheel in to music business?
Originally posted by irrelevant irrelevant wrote:

I like the current sub-genre system, and to see sub-genres merging unnecessarily with others will not help those who come to the site searching for artists with a specific sound, and perhaps artists from a specific time. I think individual album tagging with using the already existing sub-genres as a guide, is the best way to go. The problem that arises then, is that's a hell of a lot of work, and it is, if members from sub-genre teams and such are dealing with it all. 

Many of us here know and love certain bands that don't get much attention, even within PA. The way I look at it is, if an album has been rated or reviewed on this site, somebody has heard it, and could probably tell you what it sounds like, which then presents my idea - Anyone who joins/has joined the site should be able to help with the tagging, after all, anyone here can rate and review. The tagging I have in mind uses the existing sub-genres here and also a "non-prog" tag. The system can be a gradual work in progress, rather than teams having to start from scratch, going album by album, artist by artist, which wouldn't be the optimal procedure IMO. Anyway, that's my idea. Hope it made sense.
I think that's a good idea.


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 22:28
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

As for Dayvenkirk's proposal of multiple tagging per band, I like it, it can reflect more accurately the different styles a band may have explored, it's easier to handle and it can be done gradually. Although following your points, deciding which tags are applicable to each band might also cause disputes among Genre Teams?
Aren't there disputes a lot of the time?

v To Gerinski: I like that idea too.


Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 22:29
What about having a "site tag" for the band (assigned by the Collabs as-is) and a "reviewers tag" for each album. Each time a review is posted the reviewer is asked to assign the sub-genre he thinks best fits the album. The system would display for each album the tag which has most votes (optional to have different weight for Collabs and non-Collabs, same as with the stars).
This would provide a dynamic album tagging, gradually and without adding work to the Collabs.
I would suggest that only people who have reviewed the album can vote its tag though, no "tagging without review".


Posted By: Ambient Hurricanes
Date Posted: January 13 2013 at 22:59
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

Originally posted by Ambient Hurricanes Ambient Hurricanes wrote:

I mean, we're prog fans, right?  A lot of us probably don't like the system in the music business right now.  It's totally rational; it's geared toward making money, which is quite a rationally justifiable pursuit.
OK, ... I guess, some 'rational' systems are better than others. Of course, we aren't about the dough here.

But wait a second ... how did we wheel in to music business?


It was just an example.


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Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 07:51
Sorry Steve, I didn't have a chance to post yesterday when this was still over in collaborators land, but there is one thing that hasn't been addressed as of yet.

Has anyone asked M@X what his thoughts are as of yet?  We can debate endlessly about reclassifying things, tagging albums and so on, but the reality is that we don't own the site, and it's not a democracy.  What are the owners willing to do?

I really think that we have no choice but to work within the guidelines that we're given.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I don't know all of the specifics about 'album tagging' but if we're having problems classifying bands, isn't the problem just going to multiply if we have the option to debate each individual album as well?  

Someone mentioned that we should have a democratic system allowing fans to vote if a band belongs to a certain category.  I disagree to the utmost degree.  At that point we've eliminated the need for specialists.  Let's trust those that are on the genre teams.  Yes, I realize it's easy for me to say this as I'm a collaborator, but I was a mere member a month ago and would have had the same exact answer then.  

Guys, this site works as it is.  The Squackett debate was the exception rather than the rule.  I don't think we're doing any justice by trying to revamp the entire process when most of the time, it works.


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 07:55
^I  have to disagree that it works.
All in all I'm rather behind Steve's proposals.


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Posted By: Windhawk
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 10:28
Originally posted by Roland113 Roland113 wrote:


Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I don't know all of the specifics about 'album tagging' but if we're having problems classifying bands, isn't the problem just going to multiply if we have the option to debate each individual album as well?  


Guys, this site works as it is.  The Squackett debate was the exception rather than the rule.  I don't think we're doing any justice by trying to revamp the entire process when most of the time, it works.


Album tagging: Agreed.

Squackett case: Not an exception. Bute one made visible due to actions taken.


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Posted By: Kotro
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 12:52
*deep breath*

Look, guys, it aches me to be the one telling you this, but this topic and ideas proposed wherein, not matter how good or bad they are, is going nowhere. I have been a member of the forum since 2004 - in that time I have seen a lot of goodwilled people making excellent suggestions to improve this website (myself among them) that provocked some discussion and eventually amounted to nothing. This kind of topic pops up every couples of years, people exchange ideas, arguments, eventually insults, but the result is just another topic to fill space in the server. To recover the argument someone posted in one of these older topics: 



PA has changed over the years, in my opinion rarely for the better, but these were moslty minor tweeks. Really improving this website would require starting from scratch, something which those in the position to do so were never prepared to tackle. And that is actually understandable - can you image the work and money needed to make a proper music database? New architecture, code-writters, actual musicologists (not just well-intentioned music fans). It's simply not feasible. 

I'm not saying we should just try and cope with what we have - what we have is good but can still be better. We just can't go and demand real change without actually knowing what it entails.    


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Bigger on the inside.


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 14:07
Again, my thanks for the contributions. I am leaving a response until we have more posts. I don't want to muddy the waters, really. I will leave it until the end of the week, when more have contributed, and I will try to pull it all together.

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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Todd
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 19:20
My bottom line: I really like the subs. It might complicate entries and additions and whatnot, but for someone trying to investigate similar types of music, that's really the best way to do so. Album tagging would be the best way to improve the site in this way, I think, although it would introduce a host of new issues. Artist multi-tagging would probably be the simplest fix to implement from a team logistical standpoint.

But I have learned, for example, much about Neo Prog by investigating the sub here. I'm not sure if all the bands were mixed in a mushpot of prog/prog-related how I would be able to do that as easily or as completely. 

(And for the record: Steve, all the respect in the world--but I have to strenuously disagree about all RPI being Italian symphonic prog. But that's a tired debate best left undisturbed.)


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"I have seen the broken sky turn blue."



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Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 19:41
I tend to agree with Todd. The system we have is undeniably flawed and is sure to benefit from improvement, but smashing all the bands into a few concentrated subs is not the answer. It makes it, like Todd said, more confusing for newcomers and it makes things more crowded. 

While album tagging is certainly the best option, like Todd said again, it's a helluva lot of work and in the end would probably lead to the same issues we have with the normal subs. 

And to top it all, anything less than piece-by-piece gradual (and I mean grrrrrraaaaaaddddduuuuuualllll) change won't be coming to PA anytime soon, I reckon, unless something drastic changes with the site ownership.


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Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 19:43
Originally posted by Andy Webb Andy Webb wrote:

and to top it all, anything less than piece-by-piece gradual (and I mean grrrrrraaaaaaddddduuuuuualllll) change won't be coming to PA anytime soon, I reckon, unless something drastic changes with the site ownership.

I was just going to say that the best way to make huge changes on PA would be to buy the site from M@x. LOL


Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 21:53
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

As for Dayvenkirk's proposal of multiple tagging per band, I like it, it can reflect more accurately the different styles a band may have explored, it's easier to handle and it can be done gradually. Although following your points, deciding which tags are applicable to each band might also cause disputes among Genre Teams?


Jethro Tull is listed under the Prog-Folk subgenre. If I go by Prog-Archives own definitons, Jethro Tull is not a Prog-Folk band (this site only notes Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses as actual Prog-Folk albums) . Can anyone really say (without a smirk) that A Passion Play is Prog-Folk? To me, that is just as Eclectic-Prog as any VdGG or Gentle Giant album. The JT album This Was isn't even Prog, truthfully, it's Blues-Rock. How about a couple of their 80s albums like "A" or Under Wraps? Not Prog-Folk at all (i'm not even sure what the hell they are).By definition, Aqualung (Crossover-Prog) and Thick as a Brick (Symphonic Prog) aren't Prog-Folk either (but it is humorous they are two of the highest rated "Prog-Folk" albums on Prog-Archives Wink). Just because there happens to be an acoustic guitar in the mix does not make it "folk". Tull and Ian Anderson solo eventually integrated a lot of world music into later albums. So what one has an amalgam of different styles, and truthfully none take precedence over others for more than an album or two.

What I am getting at is that bands with a wide range of influences, styles and thematic changes from album to album, like Tull or King Crimson, deserve some sort of multi-tagging as Dayvenkirk suggested.


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to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 22:16
^ But of course the obvious answer is to move Tull to Eclectic Prog, a matter that has been discussed and has validity.  In fact I wouldn't be surprised if JT is moved there someday.   That's largely what Eclectic was set up to accommodate; bands that have outgrown their root beginnings and are clearly eclectic as judged by their catalog as a whole.   The thinking with Tull was that they're from a Folk/Blues background and though their output is quite varied, it has always maintained the Celtic and Renaissance qualities it has.   But like I said it may be time soon to reevaluate that decision.



Posted By: DamoXt7942
Date Posted: January 14 2013 at 23:03
As I've mentioned in another thread, IMHO, current "progressive rock subgenre categories" in PA are existing roughly for every fan who tries to research his/her taste or fondness, not for us to give a place strictly to a progressive rock artist.

The most important matter for Collabs belonging to subgenre teams is, to make a decision whether a candidate can be thought as progressive firstly, and whether he/she/they can be fit for a subgenre (and no problem if not completely) secondly.

Music leans itself on continuity ... no one here cannot classify it strictly / completely. As other collabs have said they love the current classification, I'm fond of this roughness and flexibility in the current classification of subgenres in PA.


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Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 00:40
 ^ I wholeheartedly agree--  brilliant statement, Damo



Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: January 15 2013 at 06:41
^^ I would have to whole-heartedly agree as well
as I said before, if some extra flexibility is required then limited band-tagging could be the solution


Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 16 2013 at 07:11
Maybe sub-genres generate some trouble for the site administration but I believe that they are useful for the user, however inaccurate or unfair they may sometimes be.

The point when sub-genres become a danger is when musicians themselves take them too seriously and deliberately set out to making "Symphonic Prog", "Math-Rock" or whatever [gosh I'm starting to sound like Pedro (Moshkito)] LOL


Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 17:24
I think things work generally pretty well around here. While I understand that many bands have evolved and moved on from some of the sub-genre’s they emerged from, whether they like it or not they are mostly associated with those original genres. I think it helps newcomers exploring an artist for the first time understand where they came from, how they continued on and how they actually progressed. It’s a helpful way in for brand new listeners. Perhaps the bios of bands could be updated over time to mention how the artist has evolved. I think this already happens from time to time.

I don't understand why others have to be so ashamed to have their band/artist linked to a sub-genre they feel is derogatory or insulting to them. I'm sorry, but `neo prog', `crossover prog' etc is not a reason to be offended, and none of the sub-genre's are designed to be a dumping ground for lesser artists. Every one of the existing sub-genres in place are truly warranted, and serve an important purpose.

On a personal note, if the RPI sub-genre were to be somewhat insultingly removed from the Archives, it would seriously lower the site's credibility...Despite some people having hang-up's and resentment over it's use, that sub-genre is recognized AROUND THE WORLD, not just solely for our site - we didn't patent it and create it ourselves, it's a recognized name and description for a particular type of progressive music that has so many original, defining and unique qualities, that's loved by so many people around the world. It was also well in place before the Archives came along. To dismiss it as merely `symphonic prog just sung in Italian' is hugely offensive and all but ignorant. In the 23+ years of collecting progressive music, I've lost count of the amount of RPI albums that sound NOTHING like symphonic albums from the rest of the world. But that's not really what this thread is about, so I'll let that go for now.

Prog Archives is in a hugely valuable position where it is. Don't know if anyone else has noticed, but if you do a general search for a progressive rock artist/album, more often than not the first Google result will be an Archives listing. We have such a wide exposure for our music, and it didn't happen accidently. Through hard work, dedicated Prog aficionados keeping up the quality and content of the site, we've helped contribute to making it the defining progressive rock resource on the internet, and that is through maintaining the system that works so well now. The team bashing/dismissals and personal hang-ups about nagging little unimportant issues that pop up from time to time only risk to ruin the good work and good will of a terrific group of people who are passionately devoted to our favourite musical genre, who work towards keeping up the integrity and status our site has.


Posted By: Warthur
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 10:31
I personally agree with the idea of ditching the subgenres altogether, or at least radically reducing their number - not that I don't believe there aren't identifiable scenes and subgenres within prog, clearly there are, but equally I think there are less than we often make out to be (Crossover and Eclectic prog, for instance, are manifestly inventions of this site designed as catch-all categories for the albums which fall between the cracks).

I also agree with lazland that it can take unacceptably long for some major new releases to be added to the site, and that being anal about subcategories is a major contributor to the delay. I say that if there's an album which is clearly some variety of prog, it should be added to the site, and if the subgenre teams take too long about deciding where it has to go someone needs to step in and just assign a genre to it.


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 11:18
Thanks again for all the comments. Actually, much of this debate has also spilled over into the neo debate on the prog music lounge, so I am going to take my time over the weekend to pull much of the debates together, and then make some suggestions on the back of it.

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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Warthur
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 12:50
^ Good idea. I think things got a bit confused in the neo thread because half the conversation seems to be about the use of "neo" as a subcategory on here (something I think we can fruitfully debate) and half the conversation seems to be about the idea that you shouldn't use the term in discussing prog at all, which is a position I think is less defensible (you can use more or less any term you like in discussing stuff so long as you are clear by what you mean by it).


Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 13:38
I've only been a regular here for about a year, so I've held my thoughts to myself until now.  I like how the discussion is going, though.  I am personally undecided on what I would want to do.  I guess what it comes down to is -- a) is the current system really that unmanageable, and b) are the alternatives any more manageable.  By the way I phrased this, you can probably tell that my gut reaction to both is "no", but then again, I really haven't experienced the same frustrations as many more seasoned collabs and other site users have.

With a solution like album-tagging, I can also see a potential for a bunch of new problems associated with that option, even as the current problems are solved.  As for slimming down the number of subgenres, I really have no opinion on that, I don't feel particularly strongly about such labels anyway (other than as a convenience), though Jim's early comment about his team's dedication to RPI really moved me, and I imagine other teams feel a certain pride and ownership of their little specialty areas.

So I don't have a whole lot to contribute to the discussion, it's just that from my perspective, there really isn't a big enough problem to warrant the huge effort it would take to overhaul the system, in favor of a new system with all its inherent flaws.  (Is there a perfect system?  I can't think of one, that's why this topic is so thought-provoking).

I do applaud lazland for starting this discussion and inviting exchange of ideas among everyone, as well as collating and synthesizing our thoughts and ideas.  I'm always very impressed by how dedicated so many of us are to this site.


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-Kehlog Albran


Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 19:02
Originally posted by HolyMoly HolyMoly wrote:

from my perspective, there really isn't a big enough problem to warrant the huge effort it would take to overhaul the system, in favor of a new system with all its inherent flaws.
Clap

Originally posted by HolyMoly HolyMoly wrote:


I do applaud lazland for starting this discussion and inviting exchange of ideas among everyone, as well as collating and synthesizing our thoughts and ideas.
Clap Clap


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 19:40
Originally posted by Warthur Warthur wrote:

equally I think there are less than we often make out to be (Crossover and Eclectic prog, for instance, are manifestly inventions of this site designed as catch-all categories for the albums which fall between the cracks).

I also agree with lazland that it can take unacceptably long for some major new releases to be added to the site, and that being anal about subcategories is a major contributor to the delay. I say that if there's an album which is clearly some variety of prog, it should be added to the site, and if the subgenre teams take too long about deciding where it has to go someone needs to step in and just assign a genre to it.

1)  Yes, that was indeed the purpose of Eclectic and Xover--  to accommodate bands that may fall between cracks.   What's your objection to that?   It serves the purpose for which you seem concerned: making sure prog artists are added to PA.

2)  Unacceptably long to add major releases?   Then, if they've been officially released, add those releases yourself.   As far as I know any member is still allowed to add any proper release of a band that appears on PA.



Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 01:58
I hate that these bands are on labels, I don't like to think of certain bands just labeled a certain genre for example Tool and Dream Theater are also Prog Rock not just Prog Metal or Experimental Metal, they play Prog Rock as well. Rush and Opeth too. Opeth incorporates Jazz Fusion and Prog Rock but they''re Extreme Metal, the same goes for Mastodon(they don't really incorporate Jazz fusion though). I generally like to label certain bands as Prog Rock and Prog Metal.


Prog Rock to me would include:Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, ELP, Camel,Caravan, and Van Der Graaf Generator and many more
Prog Metal to me would include:Rush, Tool, Opeth, Mastodon, Riverside, Dream Theater but like I said Rush, Tool, and Dream Theater could also fall under Prog Rock even Opeth can too. I hate these labels to be honest. I know these bands incorporate symphonic pieces but that's what makes it Prog(trying something different)


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“War is peace.

Freedom is slavery.

Ignorance is strength.”

― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four



"Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart





Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 02:55
Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

Originally posted by Warthur Warthur wrote:

equally I think there are less than we often make out to be (Crossover and Eclectic prog, for instance, are manifestly inventions of this site designed as catch-all categories for the albums which fall between the cracks).

I also agree with lazland that it can take unacceptably long for some major new releases to be added to the site, and that being anal about subcategories is a major contributor to the delay. I say that if there's an album which is clearly some variety of prog, it should be added to the site, and if the subgenre teams take too long about deciding where it has to go someone needs to step in and just assign a genre to it.



2)  Unacceptably long to add major releases?   Then, if they've been officially released, add those releases yourself.   As far as I know any member is still allowed to add any proper release of a band that appears on PA.


He, and I, were talking about bands that do not appear on PA.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: lucas
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 05:46
hello, yesterday I listened to Corvus Stone's self-titled album (you know the unending album) and it appeared to me that "crossover" tag in PA is very reductive as far as their music is concerned. In fact, i would put their music along with the one of Mr Bungle or Igoor in terms of eclectism (you can hear southern rock, funk, ambient, prog, jazz-rock, zappaesques, movie soudntrack...). They are very far from being just another pop prog band ("crossover" meaning pop in my mind).
And this is a good example of "eclectic" prog, blending many influences in one album / I do not consider a band having a slightly different style from one album to the other but consistent style all along one single album eclectic (cf king Crimson).


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"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)


Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 09:39
I don't think the crossover tag should be "reductive" (?)


Posted By: lucas
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 10:05
^
given all their influences, labelling them "crossover" (which is prog rock with no other additional influence than pop) is quite restrictive.


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"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 13:52
Well, there has been quite a lot of debate around both the post I initiated here, and the neo post Lucas initiated in the Prog Lounge. This is my initial response. I will post, probably tomorrow now, some suggestions, but I wanted to clarify a few things in this post.

The first thing to say is that, as I rather expected, there will never be a consensus on the site for this issue. Some people agree with me that the sub-genres are, essentially, unhelpful, and should be gotten rid of. Others think everything should stay as it is. Others feel that a rationalisation of the sub-genres would be beneficial. We have also had others very passionately going for the artist and/or album tagging system, similar to those which exist on the sister sites. On the whole, though, what we have had is a polite and positive debate, and I am grateful for that.

Secondly, it was never my intent to upset or insult teams and collabs. I clearly did that with the RPI boys, and for that I offer an unreserved apology. Of all the teams here, this is, in fact, the one I respect the most, and, perhaps, I should have phrased my comments as saying that this particular scene emanated from classic symphonic prog in the 1970's, as it did, but has, clearly, progressed as the years have gone by.

We all passionately care deeply about this site, that much is clear. In the main, we debate these issues politely and with the best interests of the site at heart. This debate was initiated in that spirit.

I have to say, looking at the numerous posts made recently, that there are a lot of very knowledgeable people here who do not think that we do things as well as we could. I will, in my next post, try my best to see if I can make some suggestions that might bring a bit more agreement and consensus.

At the end of the day, though, we have a rather simple choice to make. We leave things as they are, a choice I regard as being anathema. Or, we make changes. If it is the latter, it will involve some work. I have no doubt whatsoever that the members and collabs here are up to that task. Change can be good, you know. Why are we so conservative?

I will now spend the next few hours and tomorrow making some notes. I am hoping that the proposed changes I will put forward can enable us to move on. In doing so, I will not repeat the debating points....otherwise the post will be longer than the Bible!


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 14:48
For what its worth, if the genres remain I think they should become sub genres. grouped under three or four  main genres.

I see Neo, Symphonic  and possibly Eclectic being sub genres for example. Krautrock  and Electronic could be sub genres of a larger group. these  details need to be ironed out of course.


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Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:00
^ but the whole point is that we don't have genres, only have sub-genres, prog is the genre, and this is why I feel reluctant about reducing the numbers - sub-genres indicating some special characteristics, not necessary setting artists in stone of one sub or another




Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:07
Okay. Here goes:

Okay then. This is the post where I try and invite some comments as to what you all feel could possibly be the way forward for the site. In doing so, could I also ask members to look at the "Neo" thread as well on the Prog Lounge, because an awful lot of comments pertinent to this debate have been made there as well?

I will not repeat much of what has been said already, except to say, and repeat, my opinion, that the way we categorise artists and albums here is not only deeply unhelpful, but it also makes no sense whatsoever. Why do we, for example, make a differentiation between these categories? Look at Yes. They are a symphonic band, yes? Well, okay. But, is 90125? That would fit within Crossover as we define it here. How about Asia? Prog related on the site, but I would argue that the classic debut album contains more than enough symphonic prog to warrant inclusion there. Just listen to Wildest Dreams, for goodness sake, a symphonic masterpiece if ever there was one.

I am breaking my rule here. I do not want to repeat the debating points, but to try to put forward some thoughts here that we could possibly take forward, so here goes:

1. I do not believe that we will ever reach a consensus on ridding the site of all sub-genres, my preferred option, so I think this will have to be dropped as a realistic option.
2. There is more of a consensus, although nowhere near unanimous, in some form of rationalisation of the sub-genres. Therefore, I propose these. Neo and symphonic to be merged into a single "symphonic influenced" sub-genre. Art Rock to encompass eclectic, crossover, Canterbury, psych, prog folk. Progressive Electronic, which is self explanatory. RPI. Prog Metal, to encompass all heavy and metal related acts. Finally, Fusion, which would encompass all avant, jazz rock, rio, zeuhl. Yes, we would still have piles of rows about these categories, but wouldn't it be a damned sight better than now?
3. I support,fully, the many posts which have suggested album and artist multi tagging. This would address the many issues we have with so many acts who have not produced the "same kind of music". There was a very good post about Tull, here under Prog Folk. In fact, they are probably the archetypal eclectic band. We could do this along the lines of our sister sites. And I, for one, would be very happy to go through all of my reviews and tag them according to my interpretation of the style of music. First up, Pendragon's Passion, a heavy prog album if ever I heard one.
4. Lastly, probably the most controversial suggestion. As things stand, someone will suggest a new artist for inclusion on the site. The New Artist team will say, okay, let us send it to, say, PE for evaluation. Trouble is, if that team say no, I.e. reject the suggestion, then we have perfectly valid artists not getting onto the site. Or, of course, with the move option, a game of ping pong between teams. Squackett was only the most high profile example. We have many others. How about, then, having an expanded New Artists team deciding whether an act is progressive enough to warrant inclusion on the site? If the answer is yes, and it usually is, then a special collab could add them, and members could add albums and review under an interim category of "Sub-genre pending". The teams could then argue and be as pedantic and anal as they wished, because it would not make an iota of difference. The artist is added, simple as.

There we go. Some suggestions to debate. We really do have to get away from the parochial system we have now, whereby a couple of people have the absolute right to decide upon addition or sub-genre, this based upon their own, at times, exceptionally anal viewpoint of a particular style of music. Let us open it up a bit. Lastly, a very important point. The teams here decide upon matters which are the property of the entire site, not just their own narrow empires. It should be open to all collabs and members to query decisions made, without fear of admonishment or retribution. If we can move forward on some of these issues, no more will we hear the phrase "do not interfere in my team". It is not your team. This site is a tool for the whole world to look at.


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Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:26
I actually like the teams and the fact that people are promoted up after showing some willingness to do work for the site, and when recognized by fellow collabs/Admin as having some decent knowledge of progressive rock.  It's working pretty well despite your efforts to malign it, and simply saying "open it all up" does little to help in the proper sorting of bands.  It will not reduce conflicts to have more people involved, nor is the answer to allow SCs to simply add bands on their own accord.  I think that was tried before with some questionable bands being offered.  I think you are just mistaken that our process sucks.  I think it's a pretty good process whereby there is some good debate/discussion and most of the time, consensus and addition. 

And thanks for yet another insertion of your beloved "pedantic and anal" phrase as regards the teams, it really helps things out Steve. 


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Posted By: The Bearded Bard
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:27
As someone who's still fairly new to progressive rock and use the site to find new artists and explore new music, I find the sub-genres on the site very helpful. In my relative short time as a user of the site I've come to be very fond of the way it categorises progressive rock, and I'm glad to see others feeling the same way. I agree that the sub-genres, in their current state, have their limitations, but when one knows about those limitations and accepts that not all bands fit their sub-genre perfectly, I find they work as an excellent tool in the search for more or less hidden musical treasures.
 
Therefore I feel reducing the number of sub-genres, or even worse, getting rid of the sub-genres all together, would be the wrong way to go for the site. If the sub-genres were to be reduced or removed I think my interest in using the site would be reduced as well. I don't know in detail how the way the site is build up makes the collabs work more difficult, but I see that several collabs complain about it hindering new artists getting on the site in reasonable time, so I guess leaving things as they are is not an adequate alternative either.
 
Therefore I feel that, if changes were to be made, the multi and/or album tagging system, similar to MMA and JMA, would be the best way to go. This would make the site even more helpful to prog-newbies like myself, and at the same time effectively remove the problem of getting an artist on the site in reasonable time (I would imagine, as the only question needing answer before inclusion would be "is the artist prog rock or not?").
 
I know this would mean a lot of work for the collabs, but changing systems gradually and letting members take part in the tagging work, as irrelevant suggested, would ease that workload, and I think that the site has many knowledgable members that could be of help with such work (myself not includedWink).


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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:29
Originally posted by Finnforest Finnforest wrote:

 

And thanks for yet another insertion of your beloved "pedantic and anal" phrase as regards the teams, it really helps things out Steve. 

You are welcome.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: jude111
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:38
Instead of classifying an artist as belonging to one genre, why not classify each individual album (or, for those bands that went from one genre to another, break them up into phases. So, there's Pink Floyd's psychedelic/space rock phase, then their whatever-genre-you-would-classify-DSOTM-WYWH-The-Wall-period.
 
On a different matter, I'd love it if we could rate individual songs in the same way that we could rate albums. Would be cool to see the top 100 or top 200 prog tracks as rated by nearly everyone here.


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 15:56
^ OK, ... maybe you have missed the numerous posts written by a number of people who argued that the "Top 100 Prog Albums" list is nothing but a joke. It's like a funny representation of what's cast in stone. Why would we even need this list? It's just math. We don't need another "Billboard chart" of sorts.

As per the division of a band's/artist's discography into periods, ... I actually like that idea.

Actually, now that I've read jude's post, I'm thinking that maybe we have too many ideas for the site: the multi-tagging, the division of an act's catalogue, ... . I mean, don't we have reviews for that? If we seriously consider any alternatives, I don't think any of them would matter as long as we have the informative little darlings called reviews. We aren't lazy to read, are we? Can't we make up our own minds about what an album is like?

... which then throws me to a suggestion made by Gerard (Gerinski): for every album/act let the user decide what kind of an album/act it is. We might just as well multi-tag the act and make up our own mind about what sub-genre an album it belongs to. 


Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 16:03
One could argue that 90125 is a math rock album, because of the intro to "Changes".  Same problems we have now, but at the album level rather than the artist label.    But anyway...

I do kind of like Steve's mention (I don't know who first suggested it) to have a "temporary" genre for albums like Squackett that clearly belong on the site (because many prog fans are interested in what Squire and Hackett do, no matter what it is), but for which immediate genre classification is undecided.  I think such cases are rare, though.  It would only really happen when high-profile "obvious" prog guys put out an album under a new name, in a style not immediately agreed upon.  That would at least avoid embarrassing delays like the Squackett case, which seems to be one of the main thorns in the side of those who seek change.


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Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 16:05
Originally posted by Finnforest Finnforest wrote:

I actually like the teams and the fact that people are promoted up after showing some willingness to do work for the site, and when recognized by fellow collabs/Admin as having some decent knowledge of progressive rock.  It's working pretty well despite your efforts to malign it, and simply saying "open it all up" does little to help in the proper sorting of bands.  It will not reduce conflicts to have more people involved, nor is the answer to allow SCs to simply add bands on their own accord.  I think that was tried before with some questionable bands being offered.  I think you are just mistaken that our process sucks.  I think it's a pretty good process whereby there is some good debate/discussion and most of the time, consensus and addition. 

And thanks for yet another insertion of your beloved "pedantic and anal" phrase as regards the teams, it really helps things out Steve.
I think Steve would like to know what exactly you mean by "malign". Just a thought.


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 16:10
It's pretty obvious, if you've been reading about the abolishment of teams/subs and charges of pedantry and dysfunction that are not the whole story


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Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 16:22
^ Don't think that I forgot what you wrote in your first post on this thread - something to the effect of that the abolishment of the teams and the removal of the sub-genres would essentially undo the work that the teams did in the past. And I sympathize with you on this one. Of course, this is just one alternative that I personally oppose.


Posted By: jude111
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 16:23
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

^ OK, ... maybe you have missed the numerous posts written by a number of people who argued that the "Top 100 Prog Albums" list is nothing but a joke. It's like a funny representation of what's cast in stone. Why would we even need this list? It's just math. We don't need another "Billboard chart" of sorts.
Well, for those who don't like the list, I'd advise not to look at it. There's not just one single top 100 list, you can also organize it the way you want - by genre, by year, by decade, by country, by live release, and any combination. It's ingenious, I love it, and it's how this site has introduced an incalculable wealth of new bands and albums to me.
 
There were some bands that just didn't click with me. Genesis, Camel, Marilllion, Hawkwind - and others I could go on to name. But because they're rated so highly here at PA, I stuck with them to try to figure out what's special about them. And eventually fell in love with these bands, or certain albums by them. For people who are new to prog, it's an invaluable resource.


Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 16:26
Steve

I do see some benefit in the "sub-genre pending" proposal, although I think this can be done by admins where a difficult case exists - e.g. from the suggestions thread and where there is a problem, a group of admins can decide and then send to a team.

I also agree with Jim's comment on the values of SCs being promoted for a specific reason etc etc, so to rule the whole process out (which I am sure it is not what you are proposing?) would not be a solution.

On your note about heavy and metal subs being one (just picking that as an example) I see a few problems: there are most of the time discrete tendencies in the subs, see for example the trademark heavy rock/prog sound of Atomic Rooster/Heep/Rush etc with the metal sound of DT/Fates. One is the evolution of the other, but the influences and sound are not the same. Same applies within the subs of metal (although I accept some overlaps). Fates Warning / Isis / Enslaved have almost nothing in common in terms of influences (as an example), although I would not care too much if they were all under PM.

EDIT: just remembered, there are plenty of cases where a band has been rejected for PM and was passed onto another team for evaluation, to ensure that we are not denying the opportunity - I think this happens elsewhere as well. But where there are blatant cases (no, Stratovarius are no PM, but metal definitely) then I think they don't need to be tossed around. And really, I don't expect us to be perfect Wink.

EDIT2: tagging would be beneficial if applied with care - we need a new team for this if we are to do it, which would agree between the genre teams (just to add a bit more complexity!)



Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 17:02
The band "holding pen" "sub" has been proposed many times and would seem to alleviate those very rare situations like Squackett.  However the idea has always been pretty soundly rejected in the CZ, if memory serves....though I can't remember the exact concerns they had.


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Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 18:32
In my opinion a "sub-genre pending" tag would look very unprofessional.
"Look at these guys, they call themselves 'the ultimate Prog resource on the net', they have added a band so supposedly they have listened to it enough to identify it as Prog and yet they can not tell what kind of Prog they play, hahaha"

The site user does not need to know how the site works internally, that team members are just volunteers, how does the addition process work etc, many casual users will probably assume that the site is run by a professional team who knows what it's doing and we should try that it looks as such for the outside world.

There should be a simple democratic process, if the band is tossed between let's say, Symphonic, Crossover and Neo without quick consensus, all the members of these 3 teams vote and the band goes to whichever of the 3 sub-genres has been most voted, without further discussions. As simple as that.

For the rest I repeat that I am not in favour of merging sub-genres, the result would be even less accurate tagging than now, I would not like to see Rush tagged as a Prog Metal band Confused


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 18:37
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

In my opinion a "sub-genre pending" tag would look very unprofessional.
"Look at these guys, they call themselves 'the ultimate Prog resource on the net', they have added a band so supposedly they have listened to it enough to identify it as Prog and yet they can not tell what kind of Prog they play, hahaha"

The site user does not need to know how the site works internally, that team members are just volunteers, how does the addition process work etc, many casual users will probably assume that the site is run by a professional team who knows what it's doing.

There should be a simple democratic process, if the band is tossed between let's say, Symphonic, Crossover and Neo without quick consensus, all the members of these 3 teams vote and the band goes to whichever of the 3 sub-genres has been most voted, without further discussions. As simple as that.

For the rest I repeat that I am not in favour of merging sub-genres, the result would be even less accurate tagging than now, I would not like to see Rush tagged as a Prog Metal band Confused


Not a bad idea, man!  Let's remember to suggest this be tried next time we have a difficult placement that everyone agrees belongs.....


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Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 19:40
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Look at Yes. They are a symphonic band, yes? Well, okay. But, is 90125? That would fit within Crossover as we define it here. How about Asia? Prog related on the site, but I would argue that the classic debut album contains more than enough symphonic prog to warrant inclusion there. Just listen to Wildest Dreams, for goodness sake, a symphonic masterpiece if ever there was one.
I think maybe a major difference we're all having is in one of historic perspective, something that seems to be important to many here.   90125 and Big Generator could be considered Crossover Prog, but it ended up being Yes' (the project at that time called Cinema and not originally intended as a Yes album) response to both the new possibilities and new realities of the 1980s.   It was still prog, it was still Yes, and relative to most other rock bands of the time, rather complex and innovative.   To require these albums to be considered or tagged as something separate from 'normal Yes' cheapens what the band was doing and may miss the point of progressive rock, which presumably is to progress.



Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 19 2013 at 20:05
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Look at Yes. They are a symphonic band, yes? Well, okay. But, is 90125? That would fit within Crossover as we define it here.
But unless album tagging or band multi-tagging would be implemented (your # 3) with your proposal # 2 (merging of sub-genres) 90125 or Big Generator would go to Symphonic Influenced and not to Crossover either.

Implementation of # 2 unless there is also # 3 not only does not solve anything but it would make band tagging even less accurate than it currently is (in the sense of conveying less information content in the majority of the cases).

But if you have # 3 then the problems are solved and you do not need # 2 anymore (because normally for a single album it should be quite clear which of the current sub-genres can be used).

Which makes # 2 either undesirable or unnecessary IMHO.




Posted By: Angelo
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 06:18
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Okay. Here goes:

Okay then. This is the post where I try and invite some comments as to what you all feel could possibly be the way forward for the site. In doing so, could I also ask members to look at the "Neo" thread as well on the Prog Lounge, because an awful lot of comments pertinent to this debate have been made there as well?

Let's not, this discussion is repetitive at best, and has been for years now.

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

I will not repeat much of what has been said already, except to say, and repeat, my opinion, that the way we categorise artists and albums here is not only deeply unhelpful, but it also makes no sense whatsoever. Why do we, for example, make a differentiation between these categories? Look at Yes. They are a symphonic band, yes? Well, okay. But, is 90125? That would fit within Crossover as we define it here. How about Asia? Prog related on the site, but I would argue that the classic debut album contains more than enough symphonic prog to warrant inclusion there. Just listen to Wildest Dreams, for goodness sake, a symphonic masterpiece if ever there was one.
Changing rules and agreed ways of working because there are exceptions is never a valid reason. Ever heard of what we call 'non sequitur', false logic? It's like saying "In 25% of the cases of deadly traffic accidents, at least one driver had consumed alcohol. In 75% of the cases, at least one of the drivers had a coffee. We should ban coffee in traffic". 
As David already pointed out, a lot of bands are placed in a certain the category, based on musical as well as historical grounds. Don't change that, learn music history instead.

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

I am breaking my rule here. I do not want to repeat the debating points, but to try to put forward some thoughts here that we could possibly take forward, so here goes:

1. I do not believe that we will ever reach a consensus on ridding the site of all sub-genres, my preferred option, so I think this will have to be dropped as a realistic option.

Thanks for adopting the conclusion that was drawn many times over the past 8 years.

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

2. There is more of a consensus, although nowhere near unanimous, in some form of rationalisation of the sub-genres. Therefore, I propose these. Neo and symphonic to be merged into a single "symphonic influenced" sub-genre. Art Rock to encompass eclectic, crossover, Canterbury, psych, prog folk. Progressive Electronic, which is self explanatory. RPI. Prog Metal, to encompass all heavy and metal related acts. Finally, Fusion, which would encompass all avant, jazz rock, rio, zeuhl. Yes, we would still have piles of rows about these categories, but wouldn't it be a damned sight better than now?

I tend to disagree on that one, agin for the reasons of respecting musical history, as well as not trying to change classifications that are used world wide - there is a world outside PA that talks about jazz rock, fusion, zeuhl and neo progressive. It's not like things were just made up as we went along, did you notice there is a whole world outside prog archives as well?

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

3. I support,fully, the many posts which have suggested album and artist multi tagging. This would address the many issues we have with so many acts who have not produced the "same kind of music". There was a very good post about Tull, here under Prog Folk. In fact, they are probably the archetypal eclectic band. We could do this along the lines of our sister sites. And I, for one, would be very happy to go through all of my reviews and tag them according to my interpretation of the style of music. First up, Pendragon's Passion, a heavy prog album if ever I heard one.
I've been a supporter of this idea since it first came along. It would be great if combined with the classification system that we have. The problem with an team driven classification system is that the input from the non team-members tends to be left unheard in some cases. Not because people don't want to listen, but because they simply don't hear or see what others are saying and doing, being to involved with their work (be aware that some spent a lot of time on their team work!). This could be solved by tagging in the sense that it will provide a means for regular members to influence the tagging of individual albums, while the overall classifiation, which is one of PA's strengths according to many who joined over the years, stays in place.

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

4. Lastly, probably the most controversial suggestion. As things stand, someone will suggest a new artist for inclusion on the site. The New Artist team will say, okay, let us send it to, say, PE for evaluation. Trouble is, if that team say no, I.e. reject the suggestion, then we have perfectly valid artists not getting onto the site. Or, of course, with the move option, a game of ping pong between teams. Squackett was only the most high profile example. We have many others. How about, then, having an expanded New Artists team deciding whether an act is progressive enough to warrant inclusion on the site? If the answer is yes, and it usually is, then a special collab could add them, and members could add albums and review under an interim category of "Sub-genre pending".

This was suggested before, and if this is what you want mostly, this thread could've been a whole lot shorter. As far as I'm concerned, this is something that could be added right away. It fits the way of working, and it's technically a lot less challenging than introducing the tagging system. Provided that you can convince the teams and M@X, I agree fully.

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The teams could then argue and be as pedantic and anal as they wished, because it would not make an iota of difference. The artist is added, simple as.
There we go. Some suggestions to debate. We really do have to get away from the parochial system we have now, whereby a couple of people have the absolute right to decide upon addition or sub-genre, this based upon their own, at times, exceptionally anal viewpoint of a particular style of music. Let us open it up a bit. Lastly, a very important point. The teams here decide upon matters which are the property of the entire site, not just their own narrow empires. It should be open to all collabs and members to query decisions made, without fear of admonishment or retribution. If we can move forward on some of these issues, no more will we hear the phrase "do not interfere in my team". It is not your team. This site is a tool for the whole world to look at.

And here's where you murdered your own child. Well, not exactly, you murdered in in the starting post already. Having been around for five years, you should know by now that if it wasn't for the teams, and the willingness of their members to do a lot of work, and have fights when necessary, ProgArchives would have been dead before you even joined.
Building a site and a community like we have at ProgArchives involves the following:

1 a sound technical infrastructure, 
2 a few people mainintaining that infrastructure,
3 a team of willing and working collaborators
4 mutual respect amongst these collaborators, for their work, expertise and contribution

The disregard of what is going on in the world outside PA with respect to musical classification, ignoring the historical context of classifications made and dismissing the efforts the teams have put into getting us to where we are now voids your proposal almost completely. It may sound harsh when you read it out loud, but I fully agree with Finnforest here.

Disclaimer: I am a very irregular visitor of the forums these days. As a result, it may take quite a while to get back on any reactions to what I wrote above. This is not arrogance, nor laziness, but a fact of life - I have two companies to run these days and not a lot of time to hang around here.


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http://www.iskcrocks.com" rel="nofollow - ISKC Rock Radio
I stopped blogging and reviewing - so won't be handling requests. Promo's for ariplay can be sent to [email protected]


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 07:51
Angelo, thanks for the long and thoughtful post, it is much appreciated.  When I tried to impart to Steve that his continually pushed view of the teams is unfair and inaccurate, I had missed his phrase "narrow empire" which is nothing more than again, another cheap shot that does not reflect the people I work with every day (on all the teams, not just RPI).   Steve will say he means no offense I'm sure....and yet, as the collective targets for the words I've been protesting, he could makes the same points without the jabs that give the members a skewed view of what kind of people the volunteer collabs are. 

I do not believe however that "sub genre pending" is a good road to go down and I'll tell you why.  Two things could happen....the new decision authority team could stack up bands that the genre teams may find problematic, causing a glut of bands noted "genre pending" which makes us all look silly, see Gerinski's comment below.....or consider the opposite....the new bands team may reject a band that the genre team would have approved.  It is nothing more than another level of potential conflict that sounds good on paper, but doesn't really help the end result.  It kicks the can down the road and the new potential conflict could cause strife that costs us valuable people.

Because remember, though Squackett gets bandied about here like it is an everyday occurrence, it is very rare that such an event happens.  When we start to see lists of prog bands that have been killed by the teams because we have a hard-on for rejecting bands, I might be more open to Sub Genres Pending.  Where exactly are the throngs of people rioting in the streets because the teams are refusing them??.....let there be some evidence that Squackett is the norm before you take the decision away from the genre teams and give it to others.  

Ultimately that is what frustrates me so about Steve's charges.  He puts forth the idea that his scenarios are the norm, and they are not!  The norm is that most bands get in, and lately they get in with increasing efficiency.  The norm is that my fellow collabs on these teams work well together most of the time and we get done what we are asked to get done.  Steve's view of the teams are the rare exception, not the rule.  We really don't need "sub genre pending", we take our responsibility for these decisions quite seriously and try very hard to be inclusive without watering down the site to a ridiculous level. 

I assume the site does want some level of review and checking by the people they've promoted to CZ.....if we're nothing more than a rubber stamp for every suggestion ever made, then yes, there is no point in having us around.  My contention is that the VAST majority of suggestions do get approved in a reasonable manner.  The ones that do cause some debate should be handled with care, and I agree genre teams should act more cooperative when disputes arise. I think we were heading that direction naturally for the most part. 



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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 09:59
I don't think I am going to say a great deal more. Firstly, I am clearly upsetting people for whom I have the utmost respect, and like. Such was not my intent. Secondly, as is the norm on this site, any attempt at reaching some form of consensus is probably doomed from the beginning, no matter who is to "blame".

However, I will make this clear Jim, and Angelo. I do not take "cheap shots". The rules of this site prevent me from saying too much openly, and certainly naming individuals. Neither of you, however, are stupid, and you must surely know honestly that instances of certain teams, or individuals, lecturing, pontificating, and being bloody rude when others try to disagree, happens on an almost weekly basis. Not all teams. Not all collabs. Certain collabs, and certain instances. If you want to carry on that particular debate, PM me. I do not want to risk censure for breaking site rules.

Squackett was most certainly a high profile example, but Olav said(and if there is anyone on this site who is beyond reproach for behaviour and knowledge, it is him), that this was by no means an exception. It isn't.

I was, until recently, a collab on the neo team. I loved working with Keishiro and Apostolis, so please do not interpret these remarks as being personal, because they are not. But I do remember two major arguments we had on the team. Firstly, Alan Reed, ex Pallas frontman. His debut EP was rejected by our team. I disagreed strongly. Fair enough, but the rejection meant that he could not even be included on the site, a massive affront in my opinion, and wrong, at a time when the major Prog magazine in the world was featuring him, and other sites had him. I had to bear the brunt of communicating the rejection, and I do not think that it did us proud. And made me feel particularly bad.

The second was Edison's Children, THE success story of 2011. An album, and act, which broke some records in terms of exposure, and sales, particularly in the US. I am mightily proud of having been asked by Eric and Pete to review the album and get the act on the site. We had a huge row about that, as well.  I prevailed, but not before Olav had made the extremely pertinent point that neo, as well as all other styles, progresses and moves forward.

These are not isolated examples. I know for a fact that a very respected SC on this site stated in the CZ, to which I do not have access, of course, that he no longer submits acts for a certain sub-genre, because he has no faith that they will get on. Instead, he goes to neo and crossover as an alternative, a dumping ground, if you will. We also have the extremely unedifying position, on more than one occasion, of artists themselves being lectured in open forum about how we classify their music.

Do you want me to continue? Is there a need for me to be even more explicit?

I would, also, repeat a very important point. Eclectic and crossover especially do not exist as forms of music. They are wholly figments of our own imagination. They are convenient descriptions of music which we cannot, or will not, place elsewhere.

Jim. None of these criticisms apply to you or your team. You know that. I know that. You also know full well what I am talking about. That is my last word on the topic. In the interim, I will start exploring other sites, because this is getting me down. Regrettably, I am anal enough myself to continue fighting a losing battle. There you go. A comment you found rather objectionable being applied by myself to myself.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 10:10
I don't think you're a bad guy Steve, but I do think you're wrong in your overall assessment.  And yes, even as applies to the specific people you have in mind.  There has been improvement there whether or not you acknowledge it.  And you're right, this isn't the place to have that discussion about individuals.

Cheap shots are in the eye of the beholder.  They give the readership a view of the teams that is objectionable to me, and I have to say that.  You just mentioned 2 or 3 bands, so to use your words that is clearly "isolated examples" when you compare it to the number of bands we added in 2012. 

How many bands did we add in 2012 Steve?  How does that compare to number of reject examples you can cite? 







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Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 10:39
Based on the examples you do give, I think when we are talking about a high profile artist, and disputes arise, we need to voluntarily ask for some opinion from Admin and then give that opinion some weight in resolution.  You are right that we should not have such situations, even if rare by percentage.

The examples you give Steve are problems.  My problem with you is that you'd present these examples as much more common than they really are.  And your solutions to dismantle the site genres or teams are a hugely overblown reaction to the scope of the problem. 

I'm repeating myself now too....extremely frustrated and bummed by what I see as a public presentation of the situation that is just not a fair or objective review.  You can say you're not talking about "my team" but you are.  All of these guys are "my team" and I think they deserve better.  I felt that last summer when we went through a similar ordeal and I had really hoped we could avoid it again by improving our teams and cooperation.  I'm still hopeful. 


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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 10:44
following on from http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=91556&PID=4703787#4703787" rel="nofollow - here .
 
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Having a few artists in "the wrong category" doesn't do any harm, it just reflects the diversity of opinion on the various styles of music that we regard as being Progressive Rock, few artists adopt one single style of music and stick to it throughout their musical career. Even a band like Status Quo, who many regard as a one-trick pony, ventured beyond 12-bar blues and so it is with most (if not all) Prog bands.
 
The aim should be the best fit, not the exact fit and often close enough is good enough.

And that is a perfectly reasonable, sensible, and pragmatic statement, and I would not argue with a single word.

Following on from this, then, is it not the case that teams should be a little bit more open to variations from their strict interpretation of the various styles, and also react positively to positive and open suggestions and criticisms when there are disagreements about additions? I would rather this than being shouted at and told to mind my own bloody business, as has happened on more than a few occasions. As I said in the other thread, the sub-genres form an important resource of the site as a whole, not individual empires.

The team process does work. This cannot be denied and a few exceptions (and they are very few in number) to that does not mean we should abandon everything and adopt a radically different approach.
 
The teams represent the whole PA, they do not represent the ideals of single people or narrow group of people - they are collaborators in an activity or endeavor or sphere of common interest and this is a collaboration site. Their actions and decisions are made on behalf of the site and their authority to do that is granted by the site owner through his representatives, the Admins.
 
Once we (as a whole) allow teams the responsibility to act on behalf of the whole membership then we must respect their autonomy and (this is a double-edge sword) once the teams accept the responsibility to act on behalf of the whole membership they must respect the right of any individual member to question the decisions made. Failure on either count is not acceptable.
 
Ideally we should canvas the whole membership for each and every band placement, but that is both impractical and (in deference to the membership) unmanageable. In its place we use a sample of the membership to represent the whole population, and we select those members that have an interest in, and a knowledge of, the specific subgenre they are selected for. These guys are not de facto experts, nor are they infallible which is why we prefer larger teams over smaller ones and insist on majority voting.
Originally posted by for information for information wrote:

Obviously everyone has it in their heads that a majority-vote means anything over 50% but that only applies when everyone votes. And I mean everyone, not just everyone in a team, but every member and every visitor to the PA. Once we apply that to a team then the concept of a majority becomes more difficult and certainly not 50%
 
Majority voting for a team has its own inherant problems and limitations and this has to do with the mathematics of sampling. I have tried to explain this before but I do not have the skill to do it succinctly because it is not an easy subject to understand, especially if mathematics is not your 'thing'.
 
When you have a large population (and we must regard a membership of 50,000 people as a large population here) then the sample size where a majority vote is representative of the whole membership is an equally large number of people. I mean numbers in the order of 1,000 or more (in the following I chosen a value of 100 for illustative purposes to make the maths easier to follow, the actual number would be 1,000s). So if we assume that a team has say 100 people then 51 is a majority that is a good representative of the views of 25,001 people from the population of 50,000 people - therefore if we reduce the team size below 100 then still 51 people must still vote "yes" to represent 25,001 people, if we only have a 90-man team then 46 "yes" votes does not represent the "yes" votes of 25,001 out of 50,000 people, the magic number is still 51 "yes" votes because the total population is still 50,000. [This is the first "hard bit" to comprehend, stick with it until you understand it and then read on].
 
So once we get to a team of exactly 51 people then all must vote "yes" to be representative of a population of 50,000. If we use a majority vote of a 51 man team then they can only represent a membership of 25,001 people. That's simple majority voting. As long as every man in a 51 man team votes "yes" then a single person outside the 51 man team can disagree with the vote but that only puts them in the 24,999 minority, 51 people can disagree and they are still only part of the minority, as does 24,999 people disagreeing. But if one of the 51 people in the team does not vote "yes" then they have not achieved a majority - the 50 remaining "yes" votes represents less than 25,000 people so the vote fails. Because of that any vote that isn't a "yes" vote has to be counted as a dissenting vote - even abstains, don't cares and "I was asleep/on holiday/PC was dead/could not vote" - every man must vote and they all must vote "yes".
 
Everyone got that? Because now it gets harder to follow.
 
We can keep reducing the team size below 51 people and still be representative of the whole population because probability comes into play. If they all vote "yes" then the probability that a larger 100-man team would produce a majority vote is high. Once there is dissent in the voting the probability drops like a stone, and the effect of the dissent has an inverse relationship to the team size (and it is exponential) - the smaller the team then the weight of a single dissenting vote increases exponentially and therefore the probability that the majority vote of that smaller team is representative of the 100-man team reduces exponentially.
 
So, we can have a team of less than 51 people and they do not all need ot vote "yes" as long as the probability of them represesenting the 25,001 man majority vote of a 50,000 man membership is high. [This is the second "hard bit" to understand].
 
Now, in most cases here the majority voting of the whole will not be a balanced split - in general we would all agree on most placements - the majorities would tend to be higher than 50.001% (80% or more is not an unreasonable expectation) so we would expect the majority vote in a 100-man team to be high and therefore the probability of an even smaller team disagreeing with the whole 100-man team is going to be small, which means we can have even smaller teams and still be representative.
 
Also not everyone of the whole 50,000 membership is going to have an interest or opinion on every band in every subgenre so we can exclude them from the population-count for specific subgenres and form those teams with a sample of the membership that is interested in that specific subgenre to ensure they are representative of that smaller population. This changes the probability of a majority vote being reached and thus reduces the requirement for having large team sizes for them to be representative. It means we can have very small teams of knowledgible people and they will still be representative of the whole population. But (and this is a big BUT) now any dissenting vote is even more significant - one non-yes vote carries more effective weight than any "yes" vote because the yes votes are only representative of a smaller selective population.
 
Ideally, regardless of team-size, we should have unanimous voting, but this is impractical and untenable. Majority voting does not guarantee that the majority of the total membership will agree, but it does mean that the probability that the majority will agree is acceptable.
Since the teams are representative collaborators then they must consider the views of other collaborators and the general membership, but disagreeing with their decisions does not automatically mean they are wrong.
 
I would prefer some teams to be more inclusive and others to be more exclusive, but that is personal opinion not policy, and it is not something that any team should be force to adopt. I would prefer that some teams consider the consequence of some of their unilateral decisions and their effect on the PA, other teams, collaborators and the general membership, but I cannot make them do that.
 
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

This, btw, also, IMO, supports my view that artists should be added to the site where we agree it/they are prog, and argue about the semantics of styles afterwards.

It doesn't, and I have gone into that at great length in other threads.


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What?


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 10:58
I would prefer some teams to be more inclusive and others to be more exclusive, 



Dean, I hear this.  We must be open and inclusive, but you have to be careful not to go too far in the other direction as well.  That's why I say it is a great responsibility.  I think sometimes people think its really easy to do evaluations.  Some are.  But many are not. 


 


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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 11:29
Okay. I have had my say, and I initiated this debate. It is clear that this debate has, effectively, ended with the senior collabs and admins in favour of keeping the status quo. Fine, I accept that.

Unless anyone makes a post which I regard as necessitating a response, I am signing off from here now, because this is a pretty lonely furrow to plough.

And no, Jim, I am not a bad fellow, really, and my comments and opinions were genuinely meant to help, although I accept that the comments might not have been read that way.

Oh well, Arsenal have lost, this debate has run its course, and I am now off to walk the dog and have a couple of pints.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 11:36
I could use a couple pints myself.....though its still morning here.  And it's below zero degrees outside, so if I had a dog, he'd be in a world of hurt.  

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Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 11:50
I am sorry if you feel disillusioned Steve, and I am even more sorry that I wasn't around to make any sort of meaningful contributions to what you were trying to do here. I am in a completely other world at the moment and I have a hard time gathering my thoughts on PA right now, but just so you know, and just so all others know, - you are a wonderfully kind and generous man. I know that with every fibre of my being. Hell, I just need to read your Christmas greeting again. Plus everything you tried to do here, was from a place of goodwill and care - not to stir up the place for the sake of argument. I believe that to be true.

All the best my friend, and maybe those pints will taste even better than you think

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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams


Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 12:05
I think we should (always) keep the positives from such a discussion.

Are there ways to improve the site? Certainly. Many people agreed on the following:

1. We need to ensure we don't ping-pong artists from here to there (on the rare occasion) - in such a case a majority between teams, or a group of Admins can decide and this can be best done at the beginning i.e. when the band is suggested (when the artist's music shows multiple directions...). In my opinion this does not require a lot of resource.

2. Artist or album tagging - works elsewhere, why not here, but need to be careful of how it is done, i.e. the capability of the software, the people and time required and whether M@x agrees.

No need to re-invent the wheel and this applies to >90% of occasions.


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 12:50
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I am sorry if you feel disillusioned Steve, and I am even more sorry that I wasn't around to make any sort of meaningful contributions to what you were trying to do here. I am in a completely other world at the moment and I have a hard time gathering my thoughts on PA right now, but just so you know, and just so all others know, - you are a wonderfully kind and generous man. I know that with every fibre of my being. Hell, I just need to read your Christmas greeting again. Plus everything you tried to do here, was from a place of goodwill and care - not to stir up the place for the sake of argument. I believe that to be true.

All the best my friend, and maybe those pints will taste even better than you think

Thank you David, very much. The pints tasted very nicely indeedBig smile


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 15:54
Just like what Kotro said.


Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 16:17
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Okay. I have had my say, and I initiated this debate. It is clear that this debate has, effectively, ended with the senior collabs and admins in favour of keeping the status quo. Fine, I accept that.
Unless anyone makes a post which I regard as necessitating a response, I am signing off from here now, because this is a pretty lonely furrow to plough.
And no, Jim, I am not a bad fellow, really, and my comments and opinions were genuinely meant to help, although I accept that the comments might not have been read that way.
Oh well, Arsenal have lost, this debate has run its course, and I am now off to walk the dog and have a couple of pints.


Whilst I've an idea who you are alluding to, I think it is a terrible idea to make this argument personal, as it moreorless nullifies your point. Plus most of the people here have no way to peruse the Collab Zone.


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 18:32
Originally posted by Tony R Tony R wrote:

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Okay. I have had my say, and I initiated this debate. It is clear that this debate has, effectively, ended with the senior collabs and admins in favour of keeping the status quo. Fine, I accept that.
Unless anyone makes a post which I regard as necessitating a response, I am signing off from here now, because this is a pretty lonely furrow to plough.
And no, Jim, I am not a bad fellow, really, and my comments and opinions were genuinely meant to help, although I accept that the comments might not have been read that way.
Oh well, Arsenal have lost, this debate has run its course, and I am now off to walk the dog and have a couple of pints.


Whilst I've an idea who you are alluding to, I think it is a terrible idea to make this argument personal, as it moreorless nullifies your point. Plus most of the people here have no way to peruse the Collab Zone.

Yes you have (as do all of you). No it isn't. No, it doesn't. No they don't.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Dayvenkirq
Date Posted: January 20 2013 at 18:38
NOW it sounds to me as if it was taken personally. I agree with Tony: making it personal will get you nowhere.


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 00:54
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

NOW it sounds to me as if it was taken personally. I agree with Tony: making it personal will get you nowhere.

My opening post was a genuine expression of my opinion, opened up for debate. The personal bit came out of that debate.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 02:00
Can anyone make some assessment of the technical and economical feasibility of implementing album tagging or band multi-tagging?

Because we often talk about these but it they are not realistic it's just a waste of time.


Posted By: Windhawk
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 02:30
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Can anyone make some assessment of the technical and economical feasibility of implementing album tagging or band multi-tagging?

Because we often talk about these but it they are not realistic it's just a waste of time.


It's more a matter of workhours than economy as such I suspect. If you say that it'll take on average 10 minutes to agree on an album tagging, and we have 40.000 or so albums in the database, that is 400.000 minutes of manhours needed to overhaul the database. Or 6667 hours if you like.


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Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/


Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 03:05
Originally posted by Windhawk Windhawk wrote:

Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Can anyone make some assessment of the technical and economical feasibility of implementing album tagging or band multi-tagging?

Because we often talk about these but it they are not realistic it's just a waste of time.


It's more a matter of workhours than economy as such I suspect. If you say that it'll take on average 10 minutes to agree on an album tagging, and we have 40.000 or so albums in the database, that is 400.000 minutes of manhours needed to overhaul the database. Or 6667 hours if you like.
Unnecessary - just tag all the albums with the parent subgenre of the band then allow people to add/change tags whenever they like. I'll guarantee that genesis's I van't dance won't stay tagged symphonic for long.

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What?


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 06:22
Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Originally posted by Windhawk Windhawk wrote:

Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Can anyone make some assessment of the technical and economical feasibility of implementing album tagging or band multi-tagging?

Because we often talk about these but it they are not realistic it's just a waste of time.


It's more a matter of workhours than economy as such I suspect. If you say that it'll take on average 10 minutes to agree on an album tagging, and we have 40.000 or so albums in the database, that is 400.000 minutes of manhours needed to overhaul the database. Or 6667 hours if you like.
Unnecessary - just tag all the albums with the parent subgenre of the band then allow people to add/change tags whenever they like. I'll guarantee that genesis's I van't dance won't stay tagged symphonic for long.

Yep, and it would also have the advantage of being a very much more representative opinion of the site.


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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 06:37
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Originally posted by Windhawk Windhawk wrote:

Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Can anyone make some assessment of the technical and economical feasibility of implementing album tagging or band multi-tagging?

Because we often talk about these but it they are not realistic it's just a waste of time.


It's more a matter of workhours than economy as such I suspect. If you say that it'll take on average 10 minutes to agree on an album tagging, and we have 40.000 or so albums in the database, that is 400.000 minutes of manhours needed to overhaul the database. Or 6667 hours if you like.
Unnecessary - just tag all the albums with the parent subgenre of the band then allow people to add/change tags whenever they like. I'll guarantee that genesis's I van't dance won't stay tagged symphonic for long.

Yep, and it would also have the advantage of being a very much more representative opinion of the site.
Years ago mailto:M@x" rel="nofollow - M@x said we could have album tagging, he then said he would try it out on MMA first. All we can do is wait.
 
I've said this before - any changes that require mailto:M@x" rel="nofollow - M@x to alter the database structure are out of our hands no matter how much of a good idea everyone thinks they are.


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What?


Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 21 2013 at 07:52
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

NOW it sounds to me as if it was taken personally. I agree with Tony: making it personal will get you nowhere.

My opening post was a genuine expression of my opinion, opened up for debate. The personal bit came out of that debate.


Nope.  It was personal for a good many of us, right from your opening salvo.  I'm amazed that you still don't see that. 

You go so far in it as to lecture people not to be "lecturing" while you accuse them of pedantry/dsyfunction and try to abolish the team system and the genres they've worked on for years.  You took your feelings for certain individuals, your personal disputes, and tried to use that to sell the changes you want.  You publicly gave all of us on the teams a broad brush smear by trying to make "the system" seem dysfunctional and unworkable, when it isn't, to serve your argument. 

Not personal, eh?  


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