Our mission is to create the definitive reference for highly recommended things. At the moment, we’ve devoted ourselves most aggressively to one of the oldest forms of recorded media, and one of our favorites: the song (1890-2008). Our library of 60,000+ song recommendations is heavily weighted towards the present, but we’ve indexed thousands of playlists for music from all decades of the 20th century and continue to expand our selection regularly. Artists, labels, publicists, and misc. music enthusiasts: we very much welcome update requests for songs whose recommendations we’ve missed. No era or genre of music is outside our scope.

Joey Anuff founded Critical Metrics in June 2006, after 5 years of TV series development at Vh1. His previous web credits include Suck.com (1995-2001), the “web’s first great website,” and the Webby-winning Plastic.com (2001-present.) Critical Metrics’ co-founders include advisors Will Kreth and Fred Graver, developers Mark Suppes and Anton Kiland, and database manager Robin Edgerton.

“On workdays I often keep a window open to Critical Metrics, my favorite snobby Top 40 station, and try to absorb what’s new. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss stuff. I miss more and more stuff every day.”

-Ann Powers, Slate, Dec 17 2007

“CM charts a new path toward a very old notion: that what experts have to say is worth hearing. In this arena, as a card-carrying member of the my-musical-taste-can-beat-up-your-musical-taste club, I agree. Now all Anuff needs is the other 4,999,998 of us.”

-Jon Fine, Business Week, Oct 15 2007

The Hot Report 2007: “Hitting the sweet spot where Web-dorkery and tastemaking collide.”

-Blender, Sep 2007