Sputcore

Sputcore is a "genre" of music based around music that is popular on Sputnikmusic.com. While Sputcore isn't confined to a single genre, Sputcore is typically pop, punk, rock, or metal. These artists are usually underground/not mainstream, however some Sputcore artists had a period of relative popularity and but have since gone underground. Sputcore music usually has a role in the history of Sputnikmusic. Music released by Sputcore artists usually receive a heavy amount of hype and positive ratings on Sputnik.

## Definition

Due to the fluidity and informality of sputcore, there is a debate over how popular an artist can be before they are no longer considered Sputcore. Some artists that are extremely popular on Sputnikmusic but are likely not considered Sputcore due to their mainstream nature include Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Death Grips, Taylor Swift, and Kanye West. Even "smaller" artists like Sufjan Stevens and American Football aren't really considered Sputcore as they are still rather popular on most music-based websites or fourms such as /r/music, mu, rateyourmusic, /r/hiphopheads, etc. User Demon of the Fall summed up this disparity within Sputcore as,

> People typically name artists that are very popular elsewhere and even those that have widespread/mainstream recognition - examples of this include Converge, Radiohead, The National etc. This isn’t Sputcore. I reckon it’s anything that’s more popular here than elsewhere on the net, artists that have a relatively small following elsewhere, but seem significantly ‘bigger’ here. This is harder to identify for me now as I simply don’t frequent other music websites (anymore)..- Demon of the Fall[1]
>
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Staff member Johnny is currently embarking on a mission to crown the true Sputcore king once and for all.

## Notable Examples

* Brand New
* Off Minor
* Kayo Dot
* Converge
* Have a Nice Life
* Gospel
* Deftones
* Tallest Man on Earth
* Phoebe Bridgers
* Devin Townsend (and his related projects such as Casualties of Cool)
* Godspeed You! Black Emperor
* mewithoutYou
* There Will Be Fireworks
* Deafheaven
* Thrice
* Circle Takes the Square

## Disputed Examples

* Björk (disputed, due to Bjork's popularity)
* Ichiko Aoba (disputed - has higher popularity on rym by far)
* Glassjaw (disputed, due to RYM's love of them)
* Opeth (disputed, due to their popularity in most metal communities)
* Dance Gavin Dance (disputed, as they didn't gain mainstream popularity in hardcore communities until recently)
* DIR EN GREY (Disputed, for their popularity in most metal communities)
* The National (disputed, due to wider mainstream and critical success)
* The GazettE (disputed, due to their recent success and popularity in J-rock communities)

## Notable Exclusions

Artists who are beloved on Sputnikmusic and have left a lasting legacy on the site, but are generally considered not to be sputcore.

* Pink Floyd
* Radiohead
* My Bloody Valentine
* Kanye West
* Death Grips
* The Smiths
* Taylor Swift
* Kate Bush
* King Crimson
* Metallica
* System of a Down
* Sufjan Stevens
* Charli XCX
* Slipknot
* American Football
* Rage Against the Machine
* Blink-182
* X Japan
* Kendrick Lamar
* David Bowie
* Yes
* The Beatles
* Led Zeppelin
* Tool
* Swans
* Iron Maiden
* At the Drive-In
* The Velvet Underground
* Cocteau Twins

## References

1 - https://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?listid=192176&memberid=538903