For many indie rock enthusiasts, the mention of Stereogum evokes a wave of nostalgia. The platform was born on January 1, 2002, as Scott Lapatine whimsically decided to create a space dedicated to music discovery and sharing MP3s. “Back then, it was the era of Windows Media Player and Real Player,” recalls Lapatine in an interview with The Verge. Fast forward to today, the site has rebranded itself to cope with the evolving media landscape dominated by artificial intelligence.

Lapatine, who has been at the helm of Stereogum since its inception, has witnessed both the music scene and media industry transform dramatically. Although he parted with the site in 2006 and watched it change ownership multiple times, he reacquired it in 2020, reaffirming its status as a leading stronghold of independent music journalism online.

As it approaches its 24th anniversary, Stereogum is undergoing its most significant transformation since phasing out MP3 hosting. While some changes, such as the updated backend, might go unnoticed by the audience, Lapatine assures that the new design offers faster load times and fewer technical glitches. The revamped site also boasts new features like a dark mode and is realigning its focus towards subscription-based content.

Lapatine notes, “The biggest shift we’ve seen is streaming.” In the days before Spotify, the novelty of sharing exclusive tracks helped Stereogum build a loyal fanbase. “Initially, there were no interviews or extras,” he reflects, “but now, with a team of professional music writers, we provide more context and insight than ever before.”

The recent overhaul, however, wasn’t driven by streaming services but by the rise of AI. “Google’s shift to AI search slashed our ad revenue by 70 percent. Before that, changes at Facebook and X also negatively impacted us, but the AI Overview’s effect was especially harsh,” Lapatine explained in a relaunch announcement. He believes AI is further reducing the effectiveness of these platforms, noting how his Facebook feed is cluttered with irrelevant videos. “It feels like these platforms are becoming junk warehouses,” he laments.

Lapatine is adamant that AI will not encroach on Stereogum’s creative processes. “I’ve never used AI for anything creative, and our writers don’t rely on it for news gathering or writing,” he insists. While acknowledging the challenge of competing with AI-generated content, he accepts it as a modern reality.

Like many other outlets, Stereogum is shifting towards a subscription-focused model. (The Verge launched its own subscription program in December of 2024.) As advertising revenues have dried up and AI overviews have crushed search traffic, many sites have looked to their dedicated fanbase to help keep them afloat. Lapatine says there has been some limited backlash, but “hopefully our audience understands that, to get what they feel is unique from Stereogum, you know, they need to support us.”

He notes that, while people have gotten used to getting everything online for free over the last 25 years, people used to pay for music magazines. In the 1990s, you had to go to a store and pay for a copy of CMJ New Music Monthly. Stereogum will still offer some content for free but, “there’s some percentage of readers we need to pay to exist. We need to pay our writers,” Lapatine says.

He knows there are a lot of places vying for your subscription dollar these days. Websites, podcasts, Substacks are all shifting to a paid subscription model. “We think there’s like a future for music writing done by humans,” Lapatine says, “and to be clear, like there’s a lot of places that do this. There are like awesome newsletters and other independent sites.” But he points out that a lot of major music publications are owned by giant conglomerates. And he doesn’t believe that those outlets are always above board. “I think a lot of people don’t realize how much of the music journalism that they see these days is either secretly paid for or is not done with integrity.”

Lapatine says his goal has always been to operate with transparency. He wants Stereogum to feel like talking to a friend who goes to shows and tells you about cool stuff on Bandcamp. Ultimately, he wants to build a connection with readers, help them find good music, and do it with personality. That human element is key because, he says, “I’ve never discovered anyone from the algorithm.”