UPDATE! February 10th, 10am: Voting is now closed. We’ll be reviewing the results over the next few days to ensure everything was fair and accurate. Thank you for participating and supporting the local music scene.
Let’s be real. Thank you. Independent media doesn’t survive without people like you, people who want more than algorithm-fed content churned out by most outlets. We genuinely appreciate the support.
I’ll be honest, part of me feels a little strange releasing this poll right now given everything happening in the country. At the same time, I’m worn out from doomscrolling the news, and I’m guessing you might be too. So here’s our Richmond Music Poll. Hopefully it’s a break from all that. Have some fun with it, and maybe even discover a new local artist along the way.
Now, about last year. Yeah, we had a few issues. For starters, it’s not easy trying to slot everyone into the “right” categories. If we got it wrong and placed you somewhere that doesn’t fit, just reach out. Email, DMs, whatever works. We’ll fix it.
And yes, some folks cheated. Our system isn’t perfect, but we’re not clueless either. We saw what happened, and if we catch the same behavior this year, those votes will be wiped. No debate. If there’s a legit mistake, we’ll sort it out, but don’t push it. Play fair. This only works if people believe it actually means something.
So that’s it. Vote, share, discover, and most importantly, keep making noise. We’ll be here, doing our best to amplify it.
— Anthony
This year’s project was another beast. Over 1100+ comments tagging local musicians were made on the post we threw out a few weeks back. Over a thousand. And we have been going through every single one. Every tag, every track. No shortcuts, no skimming. And even though we are posting this today, we are still adding acts to the poll, so let us know if we missed someone. We want everyone to have a fair shot.
You are the ones in the venues, the basements, the DIY spaces. You know the stories, the sounds, and the people making them. You’re the ones who should shape this. So, we followed your lead.
So, what we’ve got here isn’t perfect, but it’s a decent reflection of the amazing music scene we have here in the city.
Here’s to 2025.
Oh, and if you are interested in Richmond music history, check out our THE RICHMOND MUSIC CATALOG 1980-2021 series from a few years ago! And last thing, check out our Sound Check local music video series HERE
Last, last thing, before you jump in, you can take a look back at last year’s results down below or read the full write ups HERE.
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