Indie Music Site Stereogum Relaunches to Fend Off AI Takeover

In November 2025, the iconic indie music blog Stereogum is undergoing a major relaunch to adapt to the rapidly evolving media landscape. Founded in 2002, Stereogum was once a staple of the early music blogging era, focused on music discovery and posting MP3s. However, the site's founder, Scott Lapatine, has witnessed significant changes in both the music and media industries over the past 24 years.

After selling Stereogum in 2006 and watching it change hands several times, Lapatine bought the site back in 2020, determined to preserve its legacy as a bastion of independent music journalism. Now, Stereogum is making some of its most significant changes since it stopped hosting MP3s, including a new backend, a visual facelift, and a shift towards a subscription-based model.

The primary driver behind Stereogum's relaunch is the rise of AI and its impact on the site's revenue. Lapatine reveals that Google's pivot to AI search has cut the site's ad revenue by 70%, while the deprioritization of links by platforms like Facebook and Twitter has also taken a toll. Faced with these challenges, Stereogum is turning to its dedicated fanbase to help keep the site afloat through a subscription-based model.

Despite the changes, Lapatine remains committed to maintaining Stereogum's human-powered approach to music journalism. He has never used AI for anything creative, and none of the site's writers rely on AI for news gathering or writing. Lapatine believes that there is a future for music writing done by humans, and he wants Stereogum to continue providing a unique, personality-driven experience for its readers.