The AMG All‐Media Guide site is composed of a number of discrete sections, allowing access to an enormous database of information dealing with music, movies, and computer games. Information about the company, AMG, is also available. A number of products are produced from the database including the well‐known All‐Music series of guidebooks to jazz, blues, country and rock music. To keep this review within a reasonable length, only two parts of the site will be discussed: those dealing with music (other than classical) and movies.
The music home page is very compactly laid out. Across the top is a series of “tabs,” like index cards, allowing one to move quickly from one part of the site to another. Further down the page are links to sections entitled “Music Maps,” “Music Styles,”“Articles,” and “Glossary.” “Music Maps” are an attempt to show the progression and diversity of a particular kind of music, together with a listing of the most prominent artists. The “Music Styles” section provides a brief definition and listing of key albums and artists for about 1,400 distinct musical styles. The “Articles” section provides tens of articles on various types of music but the coverage is uneven. Rock, blues, and world music are treated in depth while folk music warrants only one article. There are two essays on rap music.
The remaining part of the page is taken up with advertisements, text boxes, or pull‐down menus for inputting search data and links to information such as employment opportunities and how to license the music database for commercial use.
The search capabilities are extensive. One can search for particular artists, albums, songs, and styles, among other things. Keyword searches for an artist can yield considerable information including:
date of birth
musical style(s) (e.g. rock and roll,psychedelic, etc.)
instrument(s) played
general biographical information
discography with ratings (including albums, boxed sets, singles, etc.)
related (similar) artists
a bibliography of reference works
Searching on an album, one can find:
release date
rating
predominant musical style
review of the album
credits (producer, engineer, arranger, performers, etc.)
songs/tracks
related (similar) albums
The database contains data on hundreds of thousands of albums, both current and historical, covering formats ranging from 10‐inch LPs on vinyl to CDs. The biographies and reviews can be read in six languages:
- 1.
1English
- 2.
2French
- 3.
3German
- 4.
4Italian
- 5.
5Spanish, and
- 6.
6Portuguese
However, the translation is done by machine, so obvious mistakes may appear.
The general layout of the movies home page is the same as for the music page. There are buttons linking to “Movie News,” “Interviews,” “Movie Maps,” and “Essays,” as well as search engines such as the “Film Finder,” “People Finder,” and “Plot Finder.”
On the remainder of the page, there are listings of movies that have just appeared in or will be coming soon to theatres. There are also listings of the most popular video rentals and what will be coming soon to video stores. One can also find out what will be shown on major cable TV networks that evening. Finally, there are text boxes or pull‐down menus that allow many ways of searching or browsing the movie database.
Running a search for an actor will yield information such as:
date of birth
types of movies appeared in
general biographical information
transcripts of interviews
filmography (with ratings, indication of starring or non‐starring role, etc.)
A search for a particular movie yields information such as:
rating (evaluation)
director
plot summary
cast (actors and roles)
production credits
awards received
movies on the same theme
In developing the movie database, the goal is to find and rate all feature movies and major documentaries, past or present, whether they have appeared on video or not. Currently, there are entries for more than 130,000 movies and documentaries in the database.
This site is a very popular source of information on music, movies, and computer games, receiving more than three million hits per day. It is easy to search and navigate, the pages are well laid out, and the quality of the writing is good. There is also an astonishing amount of information available. It will prove useful to a wide range of people; mainly to the general public but also to those with a strong interest in music and film.
