How the Ratist Scale Works
A star tells you a record is “good”. The Ratist scale tells you why.
Every song, album and artist carries two numbers: a community score (the metallic-gold badge) and, once you start rating, a personal score tuned to your taste.
The five categories
Melody & Hook · Lyrics · Originality · Structure & Arrangement
Mix & Master · Sound Design · Instrumentation · Clarity & Space
Vocals · Musicianship · Energy & Delivery
Mood · Resonance · Meaning & Message
Catchiness · Replayability · Versatility
The formula
First a weighted average of the categories, then blended with your gut “overall” score:
weighted_base = Σ(category × weight) / Σ(weights) ratist_score = (weighted_base + overall) / 2Everything is on a 1–10 scale, so a jump from 7.8 to 8.4 corresponds to something you can actually hear.
Two tiers of rating
Use Quick Rate for a fast 1–10 gut score, or Audiophile to score every category. The more you rate in detail, the better the recommender learns why you like what you like.
Why personal scores differ
If you consistently reward big hooks, we weight melody higher for you. Your 8.5 and someone else's 8.5 are built from different priorities — which is the whole point.