Since 2002, the Stereogum website has been a vital chronicler of the alternative music universe, with an expert and enthusiastic take that has played a huge role in the rise of countless artists of the indie-rock ilk and beyond, ranging from Billie Eilish and Vampire Weekend to Drake. With a small but motivated and productive team, the publication has long punched above its weight.
Earlier this year, founder Scott Lapatine bought Stereogum back from corporate parent Valence — and then the pandemic hit. The site’s revenue comes entirely from advertising, much of it from live events, and with that income drastically diminished, Lapatine put out a bat signal — and the musician community the publication has supported for so long has stepped up. More than 40 artists have recorded songs for a benefit album that, like many of the excellent Stereogum live showcases and merchandise over the years, is not only expertly curated, it has a great theme: Hits of the ‘00s.
Death Cab for Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard, Car Seat Headrest, Dirty Projectors, El-P, Julien Baker, Mac DeMarco, Sharon Van Etten, Soccer Mommy, The National, The New Pornographers and Waxahatchee are just a few of the artists who have donated tracks.
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“Save Stereogum: An ‘00s Covers Comp” is a real benefit release — download-only, not available for streaming — and to make it even more tantalizing, they’re only announcing the artists — not which songs from the ‘00s were covered. Donors will receive a .zip download of the compilation — including MP3s, artwork, and liner notes — and, as the announcement says, “will be the envy of their friends because it will never be released again! We won’t be streaming Save Stereogum anywhere and will never reissue it. It’s only available to supporters of this campaign.”
The artist list is below, and lots of other Stereogum swag is available from their website — head over for more details.
◦ Anna Calvi
◦ Bedouine
◦ Benjamin Gibbard
◦ Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast)
◦ Bill MacKay
◦ Car Seat Headrest
◦ Charly Bliss
◦ Chris Farren
◦ Clipping.
◦ Colleen Green feat. Diarrhea Planet’s Emmett Miller
◦ Dirty Projectors
◦ El-P
◦ Frankie Cosmos
◦ Half Waif
◦ Hamilton Leithauser
◦ Hand Habits
◦ Illuminati Hotties
◦ Jeff Rosenstock
◦ Julien Baker
◦ Kero Kero Bonito
◦ Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers
◦ Laura Stevenson
◦ Mac DeMarco
◦ Nothing
◦ PUP
◦ Pure Bathing Culture
◦ Ratboys
◦ Rostam
◦ Ryley Walker
◦ SAD13
◦ Shamir
◦ Sharon Van Etten
◦ Soccer Mommy
◦ Strand Of Oaks
◦ The National
◦ The New Pornographers
◦ Thou
◦ TOPS
◦ Ty Segall
◦ Waxahatchee
◦ Wet
◦ White Reaper
◦ Wild Pink
◦ Wye Oak
…and more to be revealed soon!
WHAT WE NEED
Support your favorite independent music blog…
Your donations will allow us to:
- Keep our small staff employed and assignments flowing to our network of freelancers. If this campaign does really well, we can even hire more full-time writers.
- Pay our hosting, SaaS, and site maintenance costs.
- Complete an amazing redesign/relaunch of the website we have been working on for several months — we’re about 70% there! The new Stereogum will look more modern, be easier to navigate and search, and feature a more advanced commenting platform with all the functionality you’ve been asking for over the years.
- Reduce the number of banner ads and remove the obtrusive units we reluctantly implemented because we really need the money right now.
- Secure the archives of videogum.com, our defunct sister site about movies, TV, and trampoline accidents.
- Continue our popular series The Number Ones, in which we are reviewing every #1 single ever in chronological order. We don’t wanna quit in the ‘80s!