AbsolutePunkwas awebsite,online community,andalternative musicnewssource founded by Jason Tate (the most recentCEO).[1]The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, for example,Blink-182andFall Out Boy.[2][3]The primary musical genres of focus wereemoandpop punk,but other genres were included.

AbsolutePunk
TheAbsolutePunkhomepage in November 2009.
Type of site
Music, news, and media
Available inEnglish
Created byJason Tate
URLabsolutepunk.net
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJune 6, 2000
Current statusDefunct (URL now redirects to Chorus.fm)
closed April 1, 2016

Absolutepunk was acquired by Buzzmedia in 2008.[4]After Buzzmedia filed for bankruptcy, Tate reclaimed the site's domain and name and consequently shut the site down on April 1, 2016.[5]

Website

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Founded June 6, 2000 by Jason Tate, the website focused on music industry news, and included album reviews,[6]interviews, articles, journals and photo galleries. The site also allowed user interaction via avBulletinInternet Forumsystem; users could register their own personalized account, create a profile, and comment on nearly every portion of the site. Special accounts were afforded to industry figures (such as record label representatives) and band members denoting them as such, with threads often created specifically to allow users to interact with them.[7]

The website originally started as aBlink-182/MxPxfan site.[8]In 2005, the site was drawing six million hits daily.[9]By 2006, the website was noted for engaging teenagers, and was beginning to chip away at the dominance ofMySpace,according to OMMA online media magazine.[10]

The social media networkBuzznetpurchasedAbsolutePunkin May 2008.[11]AbsolutePunk's community included over 500,000 music fans, making it one of the largest alternative music zines on the Internet.[12]

Content

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Even though it lost some content because of numerous server switches over the years,AbsolutePunkstill featured over 55,000 news articles, 2500 reviews, 500 interviews, and 52,000 files in its multimedia gallery.[13]

Forums

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One ofAbsolutePunk's main purposes was to connect music fans with one another through its extensive online forums.[14]

Accomplishments

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AbsolutePunk's orange "I Will Fight" silicone charity wristband

The website gained a strong following in the alternative music scene over the years, allowing it to sponsor various tours and host or premiere exclusive content from many bands. In the August 2007 issue ofBlender,owner Jason Tate was named #18 in their list of Top 25 "Most Influential People in Online Music".[15]

On June 1, 2005 vocalist and pianistAndrew McMahonof the bandsSomething CorporateandJack's Mannequinwas diagnosed with leukemia.AbsolutePunkraised approximately $16,400 for the Leukemia Research Foundation by selling over 6,000 orangegel braceletsonline. The wristbands read "I Will Fight" in reference to a well-known song ( "Watch the Sky" ) bySomething Corporate.[16]

References

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  1. ^no byline (2008-10-14). "People",International Herald Tribune,p. 8.
  2. ^Martens, Todd (2007-01-27). "Scene Is Believing",Billboard119(4): 22–24.
  3. ^Garrity, Brian (2007-01-27). "Falling Out",Billboard119(4): 24.
  4. ^"Buzznet Acquires Music Community Absolute Punk - CBS News".cbsnews.2008-05-06.Retrieved2023-08-24.
  5. ^Doherty, Kelly (February 14, 2023)."How AbsolutePunk.net helped emo fans find an online community from the early '00s-2010s".Alternative Press Magazine.Retrieved2024-03-18.
  6. ^"Popular names in music part of Faith Nights at Joe Davis".The Huntsville Times.5 June 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-06-09.Retrieved2008-06-14.
  7. ^"AP.net Chats".AbsolutePunk.
  8. ^"Interview: Jason Tate (AbsolutePunk.net Webmaster) - 05.14.06".AbsolutePunk.14 May 2006.Retrieved2008-09-10.
  9. ^Gundersen, Edna (2005-03-10). "Music fans reach for the stars: Online selections include pop radio hits, but also explore Internet jukebox",USA Today,p. D1.
  10. ^Bainbridge, Jim (2006-06-04). "Gaggle of new networking sites may put end to MySpace's reign",The Gazette,p. L5.
  11. ^Harding, Cortney (2008-07-26). "Under the Influence",Billboard120(30): 10.
  12. ^no byline (2008-05-20). "Buzznet Acquires Alternative Music Community Absolute Punk",Science Letter,p. 3577.
  13. ^"Media Gallery Statistics for AbsolutePunk.net".AbsolutePunk.2 November 2008.Retrieved2008-11-02.[dead link]
  14. ^Martens, Todd (2005-04-30). "Site Turns Up 'Purevolume' On Indie Rock Acts",Billboard117(18): 24.
  15. ^Dolan, Jon; Rob Levine; Ben Sisario; Douglas Wolk (August 2007)."The Powergeek 25 — the Most Influential People in Online Music".Blender.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-28.Retrieved2009-02-12.
  16. ^"Absolute Non-Profit".AbsolutePunk.Archivedfrom the original on 21 July 2008.Retrieved2008-07-22.
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