Acclaimed Music Forums

My dear friends!

I have come to the conclusion that after my planned site update where I will include the 2017 end of year lists, I will not continue with AM. At least not like now.

I have spent many spare time hours over many years on the site, but now I have reached a point where I am looking for new things in life. I still love listening to music, perhaps more than ever, but I listen in a different way. Everything doesn’t have to be listed in order of preference and I tend to care less and less about critics’ recommendations.

But of course I don’t want AM to disappear. Actually I don’t bother about the main site nearly as much as this beloved forum, which I will definitely never leave if it continues. But perhaps the forum will not be alive for long without main site updates. So I hope the site could continue in one way or another. If all work on my various spreadsheets will be done by others, I might still be willing to do the ”end work”; run my programs (which I unfortunately don’t think anyone else will be able to take over - they are so complicated!) and upload all the files. For a take over of the spreadsheets, I’d gladly make a weekend trip to someone’s home and go through everything in detail.

Update: The site update, where 2017 albums and songs will be added to the all-time lists, will be sometime in July.

Hi, Henrik.

I could never thank you enough for this site and the way you've put your heart and soul into it over the years. For me personally, the update was never anywhere near as important as the forum. I love the community we have and hope that we can continue it. Now that I've been around a while, I know most of the critical favorites all too well, and discover much more great music from the forum members. I'm very happy for you and wish you the very best in all your great new adventures ahead. I think it will do wonders for your health, family, and happiness. There are no greater priorities any of us can, or should, have in life. Hopefully, the rest of us can continue to be part of your extended family by staying together in some form, connected by our mutual love of music. Best of everything always, Henrik!

Jamie

I never thought how much sacrifice you've made to make the AM as awesome as it is now. I remembered scouring the (then) 1,000 greatest songs of all time and thought it was the best online resource to look for old gems. If I remember right, you were updating the site monthly and as you've written it took a toll on you. Even if the updates are not as frequent now the lists are getting bigger. As much as I'd like to help, I suck at spreadsheets but I'm sure some AMF regulars will be willing to help. You are now not alone as you've built a small but dedicated community. Thank you very much Henrik and I hope you get to enjoy other pursuits without worrying about AM.

My friend Henrik,

I came to this site from a reference on RYM that implied AM might be more in tune with the musical discoveries I wished to make; more indie pop, less doom metal. And I looked at the critics lists perhaps three times in the intervening years. Yet I made an infinite number of discoveries and to be sure my tastes were affected. Again, from RYM, my compatibility list today: #1, Listyguy; #3, Frazze; from 11 to 20, pauldrach, Amoux, Neoptolemos, Dan. You have magically created a community of like-minded musical souls. I never much liked obsessive list-making, or cared what the critics had to say. I most certainly care what you my friends-I-have-never-met have to say. Please enjoy your retirement from spreadsheets and computation without reservation. I think the forum will continue on its merry way regardless, and if not, I will be forever grateful for my online community.

Those who wish to sing always find a song

I’m a relative newbie but I’ve already fallen in love with AM and its community. I hope all the best for you and thank you for the hard work.

Thank you so much for everything you've done, Henrik!

And soon you'll just be one of us! *gasp*

Truthfully, I have been anticipating an announcement like this for quite some time now - I'm amazed that you've kept the updates going as long as this.

Henrik, you have given so much to so many for so long. I know my life - not to mention my music library! - has been immeasurably enriched by this site, and by this forum. You need to do what is best for you now. Eternal thanks for everything!

(P.S.: If this forum continues, as it should, I would be happy to keep doing an EOY albums spreadsheet.)

Phew!

I feel quite a lot of emotions right now (sadness, nostalgia, gratitude - to name a few) but most of all I feel a sense of relief, Henrik. I'm pleased that you have made this decision for the sake of your well-being. There is so much kindness, love and strength in you, and (as you have started to do already over the past year) I hope you will enjoy channeling those qualities into other things beyond AM. For this new chapter in your life, I wish you loads and loads of happiness and good health.

Fingers crossed that the main AM site will survive somehow. But I'm positive that this forum will continue to be a haven for our wonderful community.

Thanks everyone!!!

StevieFan13 wrote:I’m a relative newbie but I’ve already fallen in love with AM and its community. I hope all the best for you and thank you for the hard work.

Stevie, I am really sorry if all the data that you, Pierre, lagire, Harold and others have added to spreadsheets of new album lists, will never be added to AM! What a pity that would be!

Oh! You need to do what to do. I understand all what you're talking about. Good energy, my friend Henrik.

Thanks Henrik for all you've done for this site. I checked out the forum much later, but I've been visiting this site since maybe 2003. It's never looked easy, so I could certainly understand you stepping away.

Henrik, thank you for everything you've done for this site, it has truly been amazing, and my 8 years of participating on this forum have been incredible. I would definitely do some of the spreadsheet entry stuff to help keep the main site going as well.

Like others, I was expecting an announcement like this eventually. Thank you so much for creating this site; finding this back in high school really was my gateway to the world of music. Though I might have eventually discovered a lot of these on my own, this helped me find a ton of my favorites I've never heard discussed in person, whether it be bands that only made it big in Britain or abrasively weird Swedish electronic music.

In the past, I had considered offering help with running the site once I heard of your health troubles, but I didn't want to overstep. I would love to help keep this site going.

Thanks for all of your incredible work on this website, and for creating such a great community here on the forum, Henrik. You deserve a break, and it's nice to see that others are happy to step in to keep the site going, at least in some capacity.

Good luck in all your future endeavors. I thank you for this site. I have spend countless hours on here discovering so much wonderful new music. Hopefully, the site will continue with a little help from your friends.

All the best for you, Henrik. Although we have never met personally, it's easy to see the great person you are.
I'm sure the forum, with all our polls and games, will continue. As all we have said many times, this place is like an oasis in music discussion world, and that's what keep us here. You have done an incredible job all these years.
May God bless your ways, with health, peace and all the happiness you deserve.
Thanks!

Henrik wrote:Thanks everyone!!!

StevieFan13 wrote:I’m a relative newbie but I’ve already fallen in love with AM and its community. I hope all the best for you and thank you for the hard work.

Stevie, I am really sorry if all the data that you, Pierre, lagire, Harold and others have added to spreadsheets of new album lists, will never be added to AM! What a pity that would be!

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!

God bless you Henrik. Thank you for all the work.

Thank you so much for the music and community over the years Henrik. It is a relief to see that you will finally getting some well-deserved rest, and will be able to enjoy this forum as a member like the rest of us. I'm excited for the future of AM: as long as there are list-minded obsessives with passionate opinions like us out there, this forum and others like it will thrive.

Many thanks, Henrik, for the invention of this fantastic website and your hard work all over the years. I am one of those who saw that coming. But I'm sure, that that was the right decision for you. All the best wishes for you in the future. I am an older member of the forum. A few years later I had said I 'd take a part of the work. But in the Moment it seems too much for me.

Hopefully the site will continue. I have discovered a lot of music thanks to this website, and I hope that will go on. Instead of having to check fifty lists you can mainly check one list here, which is easy to navigate through as well. My best wishes for your health.

I'll join the chorus of thanks, AM is one of the best place on the internet and while a lot of people around here help make it so, at the core it's all thanks to you ! And I don't think the forum would die fast without updates, I've been around for more than 10 years and I'm not planning on going anywhere else.

I've been thinking for a while though that you should teach a couple other persons how to update and do maintenance on the website. I don't think any of us want you to pass the torch, but unfortunately "shit happens" and it would be a shame that all your work would be lost because no one has been trained to take over.
I think BleuPanda would be an awesome person for that by the way !
I'm waaaayyyy too lazy for the spreadsheets updating, but if you want to train someone on the "end work" I'd be interested, assuming I have the skills. I'm neither a statistician nor an informatician, but I am an Engineer and I spend a large amount of my worktime fixing our sales forecasts IT system so I have basics on stats and mean excel skills (plus I'm a fairly fast learner on that kind of things).

Dear Henrik: like many other members of the forum I feel mixed emotions about your farewell. Dan expressed it perfectly, the first reaction is undoubtedly sadness. We all know how important Acclaimed Music has been for you all these years and surely it has been hard for you to take a decision like this. But this sadness should be followed immediately by a feeling of gratitude, your site has changed the lives of many of us. An the next thought should be relief (as Dan said), you took a decision thinking about your health and you happiness and that's absolutely right. I wish you the best for this new phase in your life, my friend. And finally there comes another feeling, understanding. I absolutely get what you say about being tired of ranking everything and the lack of connection with critics' tastes that increases with age. Year after year I also feel myself less stimulated by the critics' choices. The first song I really care for on the songs list of 2017 comes at #15.

So thank you very much Henrik for your wonderful web page and the fantastic forum we are all proud participants. But surely we cannot let this site fall! We can continue with the fantastic labour of Henrik as a collective! I have a proposal, we can organize ourselves as a cooperative, a cooperative of volunteers. We can divide the work on the site into little parts not too overwhelming to every individual and put this work in common under some supervision by someone who can volunteer himself as coordinator (BleuPanda? Pierre?, both?). First of all we should identify (under Henrik's guidance, of course) the different tasks that the site needs. Most of you are already collaborating in various aspects of the site. Some of you can be "searchers" (always looking for new list to be included, StevieFan13? Panam?), some others can be "compilers" (organizing the lists in spreadsheets, Harold? Otisredding? Pierre?), some other "editors" (detecting errors, Lagire?), some others "DJs" (creating the playlists, BangJan?). Maybe we could create a new thread to suggest and define the different tasks for the site while also could be a place to volunteer. What do you think about it?

Honorio wrote:Dear Henrik: like many other members of the forum I feel mixed emotions about your farewell. Dan expressed it perfectly, the first reaction is undoubtedly sadness. We all know how important Acclaimed Music has been for you all these years and surely it has been hard for you to take a decision like this. But this sadness should be followed immediately by a feeling of gratitude, your site has changed the lives of many of us. An the next thought should be relief (as Dan said), you took a decision thinking about your health and you happiness and that's absolutely right. I wish you the best for this new phase in your life, my friend. And finally there comes another feeling, understanding. I absolutely get what you say about being tired of ranking everything and the lack of connection with critics' tastes that increases with age. Year after year I also feel myself less stimulated by the critics' choices. The first song I really care for on the songs list of 2017 comes at #15.

So thank you very much Henrik for your wonderful web page and the fantastic forum we are all proud participants. But surely we cannot let this site fall! We can continue with the fantastic labour of Henrik as a collective! I have a proposal, we can organize ourselves as a cooperative, a cooperative of volunteers. We can divide the work on the site into little parts not too overwhelming to every individual and put this work in common under some supervision by someone who can volunteer himself as coordinator (BleuPanda? Pierre?, both?). First of all we should identify (under Henrik's guidance, of course) the different tasks that the site needs. Most of you are already collaborating in various aspects of the site. Some of you can be "searchers" (always looking for new list to be included, StevieFan13? Panam?), some others can be "compilers" (organizing the lists in spreadsheets, Harold? Otisredding? Pierre?), some other "editors" (detecting errors, Lagire?), some others "DJs" (creating the playlists, BangJan?). Maybe we could create a new thread to suggest and define the different tasks for the site while also could be a place to volunteer. What do you think about it?

I would definitely help in any way that I could. I don't have a lot of free time right now, and I'm not the most "computer literate" person in the world, but I could definitely help with some of the data entry. I could always let people know if I was overwhelmed or (on the other side of things) if I had time to help even more. I'm sure we could all find a good middle-ground. Fortunately, we have a lot of loyal participants here on AM.

Yes, this was bound to happen.

I think it is good that you make this decision. I know all too well how you can put to much effort into something and that it can affect you mentally and physically. Sometimes it is important to step back.

As for the site, at least this forum seems to have a tight enough community to not fall away very sudden. For me, the main lists are fun and a good way to start approaching new areas in music, but they only reveal a part of the bigger story of music. I hope other people will find a way to continue the list in the future (for various reasons, I'm currently not the man for the job), but the golden core of Acclaimed Music is the forum. We'll see where it goes.

I don't want this to sound as a goodbye already, but thanks for everything, Henrik!

Henrik, thanks for everything you've done to make the site (and the forum) become what it is today. The site has been an invaluable resource for myself and many others.

This is of course really sad news which we knew would happen one day. The amount of work that is required to maintain and update the site is simply staggering and I can't thank you enough for keeping it going for as long as you have!

I want you to know that Acclaimedmusic has been such an invaluable resource to me and has been my go-to place for all music recommendations for many many years. Before I found this site I knew very little about music, but you have single-handedly changed the way I listen and discover new music.

Thank you Henrik and the community for all your hard work. Take care and all the best in your future endeavours.

Thank you SO MUCH for all these kind words, everyone! I am moved to tears...

Am I too late to get in on the group hug?

Whether it's transcribing EoY lists, posting updated ratings or just joining in with the forum discussions, it's been interesting watching your project grow over the better part of a decade. Hopefully you'll have the time to regularly drop in for a chat with us all while this forum is still active. Regardless, I wish you and your family all the best.

Thanks so much for providing this site. I am happy that you will now be able to take better care of yourself and reduce your stress.

I think that Honorio's proposal could work if there are two or three folks who step up to be the administrators of the site.

This forum has been a great find for me because of the wealth of knowledge of the forum participants and their almost impeccable civility. I hope that we can keep it going strong.

jamieW wrote:

Honorio wrote:Dear Henrik: like many other members of the forum I feel mixed emotions about your farewell. Dan expressed it perfectly, the first reaction is undoubtedly sadness. We all know how important Acclaimed Music has been for you all these years and surely it has been hard for you to take a decision like this. But this sadness should be followed immediately by a feeling of gratitude, your site has changed the lives of many of us. An the next thought should be relief (as Dan said), you took a decision thinking about your health and you happiness and that's absolutely right. I wish you the best for this new phase in your life, my friend. And finally there comes another feeling, understanding. I absolutely get what you say about being tired of ranking everything and the lack of connection with critics' tastes that increases with age. Year after year I also feel myself less stimulated by the critics' choices. The first song I really care for on the songs list of 2017 comes at #15.

So thank you very much Henrik for your wonderful web page and the fantastic forum we are all proud participants. But surely we cannot let this site fall! We can continue with the fantastic labour of Henrik as a collective! I have a proposal, we can organize ourselves as a cooperative, a cooperative of volunteers. We can divide the work on the site into little parts not too overwhelming to every individual and put this work in common under some supervision by someone who can volunteer himself as coordinator (BleuPanda? Pierre?, both?). First of all we should identify (under Henrik's guidance, of course) the different tasks that the site needs. Most of you are already collaborating in various aspects of the site. Some of you can be "searchers" (always looking for new list to be included, StevieFan13? Panam?), some others can be "compilers" (organizing the lists in spreadsheets, Harold? Otisredding? Pierre?), some other "editors" (detecting errors, Lagire?), some others "DJs" (creating the playlists, BangJan?). Maybe we could create a new thread to suggest and define the different tasks for the site while also could be a place to volunteer. What do you think about it?

I would definitely help in any way that I could. I don't have a lot of free time right now, and I'm not the most "computer literate" person in the world, but I could definitely help with some of the data entry. I could always let people know if I was overwhelmed or (on the other side of things) if I had time to help even more. I'm sure we could all find a good middle-ground. Fortunately, we have a lot of loyal participants here on AM.

I’m on board. I still have a considerable stockpile of lists I haven’t posted yet.

Late to the party - I can only echo the sentiments all the others have posted. Thanks so very much Henrik. This site added a new, incredible dimension to my experiences/experiments in listening to music. I will be forever grateful.

And me too, late as usual. I'm not a huge fan of expansie goodbyes and I firmly believe that you will stick around. The life of this community (which you created all of your own) is too great to miss and it wouldn't be the same without you. So I suspect (and secretely hope) that you will share your wisdom/tastes/insights on the music you listen to and discover, just like we all do here. No more spreadsheets, just sheer enjoyment of this art that binds us all, music.

I too joined because I was a sucker for lists. Moved on a bit since then, just like you wish to do. Now this community has taken a life of its own. You can sit back, relax and watch it evolve.

God Bless Henrik
Oh and you're my number 8 on my RYM compatibility list

Hello Henrik,

Thank you. The Acclaimed Music website is an unmatched resource that has contributed something so beautiful to my life, opening my mind and encouraging my appetite to an ever-growing array of music from all over the world, and throughout the history of recording.

As a nascent music lover, AM was more than I ever could have asked for, a codex for tackling what seemed impossible to digest comprehensively. Now as an established consumer of the that musical bounty, AM remains my ongoing companion, an indispensably objective perspective to carry alongside my immeasurably enriched individual feeling.

All of this came to me for free, from the work of one man whose interests clearly matched my own, but whose skills and insight far outstripped mine. I have been in your debt from the day I first discovered this site, and I would love to repay you however I am able. I will contemplate what my best contribution to this project may look like, and continue monitoring this forum for opportunities. For now, I will offer my voice to the others in sharing my gladness that you have made the best decision for yourself, which none could deserve more.

Unlike for others here, this forum is a much less central part of the AM experience to me. It's absolutely valuable when I have specific inquiries relating to the site, but for me that beautiful work of love and statistics is what brings me back time and again. Thank you once more for creating it (and to those who have eventually assisted with its presentation over the years!), and for sharing it with all of us. If you ever need anything, you have a lifelong supporter in me!

Shaun Swayne
Columbus USA
shaunswayne@gmail.com

Thank you, Henrik.

To say that the main site has been an invaluable resource for me would be among the grossest understatements I have ever made, and
although I wasn't around on the forums for too long, I still have fond memories of my time spent here and of this truly lovely community you have cultivated.

I hope that your decision brings you the health and happiness that you desire, and that your own musical exploration can flourish once you are free from the stresses of maintaining the site.

Henrik, I think that everyone else in this thread has already said everything I could have wanted to say, but let me say this much- Thank you for everything you've done with AM! Thanks to acclaimedmusic, I've discovered a wealth of music that I probably never ever would have otherwise, including a lot of my all time favorites. Ever since I joined this community back in 2009, it's been the most positive, friendly community I've ever encountered on the internet, and I can't thank you enough for giving us that. You deserve a nice, long, long, long break from all of this. And I am much more than willing to help with some of the tabulations or running aspects of the site like Honorio mentioned, provided it's not anything vastly above my skill set.

So, once again, thanks Henrik! I'll always have a lot of great memories of coming here.

Ok Henrik, i just see this post and i understand your choice.
When i was gathering the site ratings, i realized that the work to do was so huge.
And with my new job coming, i havent' got enough time to do that and others suggestions that i had for AM.

Perhaps when you will be retired from job, you 'll find the time to revive the site, even if it'll not disappear completely apparently.
And so do i, i'll take more time for AM at this moment.
Perhaps, in 25 years for me, when i will be retired...

All in all, Thanks Henrik to invent this site, even if i had the same idea at the beginning of the 00's.
But your job was much better than i 'd suppose to do.
It allowed me to see music in a different way. Until my AM discovery, i was listening bad songs on french radio (like NRJ or RTL2) and after that, it changes completely.
I discover new genres as Blues and recently Jazz that i like more and more, especially when i watch The movie Whiplash.
But i stay a big fan of Depeche mode like you, and more particularly of 80's & 90's music.

See you soon Henrik.

PS: i kept an eye, however on AM, even if i am less profilic than last years.

Thanks thanks thanks and merci pour tout !

This website is a model of what the internet should always be, a caring and welcoming place where all opinions can be shared without hatred or reproach, thanks to you.


And then... enjoy a life full of wonderful moments.

I just want to add my thanks for all of your wonderful work, Henrik! Your contributions to the music world extend much further than anyone probably realizes. Not only has AM been one of the few websites that I visit on a daily basis, but it really has impacted my life in a way that few websites of any type have. My iTunes library is filled with songs that I never would have discovered without AM. Each year, I purchase the top 50 songs for the year, and my iTunes playlists are filled with AM lists (which I realize are also available on Spotify).

Obviously, few websites have influenced my life as much as AM has, and I appreciate all of the work you've done to provide so much extensive music knowledge. Personally, I don't think there's a more important website for music on the Internet than AM.

With that said, I'm glad you're finally taking some time for yourself. I too, would be willing to help in any way in the future to make things easier for you though!

Thank you very much for all of your contributions!

Thank you for everything, Henrik! I discovered this site and forum about a dozen years ago and it has been one of the greatest resources in my musical journey! I'm not the most active poster around here but I am still a huge fan.

Hi Henrik (and everyone else)

I would like to add my voice to those already on here and echo their thoughts and sentiments. I am very much a latecomer to this site, only having discovered it by chance about six months ago, but it has rapidly become one of my few 'must visit' websites. I love the main list, weekly chart and MccH, and have come across huge amounts of music I would not otherwise have heard, so I owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for everything you have done over the years.

I do enjoy tinkering with spreadsheets, and would be more than happy to take on some of the work needed to keep the site going. Please, anyone, feel free to contact me if I can be of use.

Once again, thanks everyone!

TheLastEnemy, I consider you the last in a long row of friends...

Like TheLastEnemy, if i could help in future with spreasheets for updates, i would be glad...

I share all of these sentiments by simply saying.... Thank You! So many discoveries over the past 12 years I may have never come across without AM.

Thanks to AM, I now have OCD

Thanks Henrik for your hard work. I’m just hoping to witness a decade end list for 2010s

Henrik, let me offer you a belated thank you and congratulations on your pending "retirement" from the upkeep of AM. I don't know how long you've been doing this, but the Internet Archive snapshots of this site go back at least 15 years, which is a long time to do anything, let alone something that requires such dedication.

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in having this site change my musical tastes for the better. I stumbled across it around 2009, where I was happy to find a "best of" list in which Kraftwerk got the credit they deserved. Since then, I've been exposed to countless musical favorites. Back when the list of songs was a mere 6000, my wife and I spent over a year listening to them one-by-one, every night as we made dinner, which was a great way to be exposed to new music and debate the critics' tastes.

Anyway, enjoy your well-earned rest, and be content that you've created both one of the best resources and one of the best communities on the Internet. I'd be happy to pitch in on any spreadsheet work in order to keep this going in the future.

Thank Henrik You should know that many artists I love now were brought to my attention through this website! You have made a difference in my range of listening.

L

Henrik wrote:I tend to care less and less about critics’ recommendations.

I am so glad to see that you have finally gotten there!

Critics have no better taste than anybody else. They put their shoes on one at a time just like the rest of us.

Most critics are journalism majors who do not even know much about music. They tend to base their opinions mainly on lyrics, because they do know words.

Henrik, with the number of volunteers for spreadsheet work, you need longer than a weekend trip to visit AMFers to go through everything in detail. What better reason to travel the world? You also get to immerse in the local culture and music.
Btw, you're welcome to come over to SEAsia anytime.

Thank you very much, Henrik

As I said on another occasion, the two best things of the 21st century in the world of music come from Sweden: Spotify and Acclaimed Music.

I can not say many things because I do not speak English (I use the Google translator) but I hope you understand the most important of my feelings: my deep and sincere gratitude for sharing with us the immense work that you have done and for leading this forum of friends of popular music.

Good luck, friend Henrik, with your health and with your new life projects.


¡Viva la música! ¡Viva Acclaimed Music!