When you’re trying to promote your music, it’s always important to keep your ear to the ground. Attend all the local shows you can, listen to all the advice you can get, and perhaps most importantly, keep reading.

From “how to” articles to breaking news blog posts, it’s no secret that you can learn a lot from experienced artists and musicians on the World Wide Web. But what you might not know is that you can also pick up a whole lot from reading popular music reviews.

But with so many personal websites and so many personal opinions out there, where do you start?

To help you navigate your way, we’ve put together a list of our very favorites. Here are the SongCast-approved top 5 best sites for music reviews:

1. Rolling Stone: You knew it’d make the list and you were right. As timeless and classic as the many bands it’s covered, the Rolling Stone reviews section assigns a clear-cut star rating to each album it reviews. Learn why some bands make the cut – and others simply don’t.

2. Metacritic: Like the Rotten Tomatoes of the music industry, Metacritic assigns a numerical score to each album it reviews. Take the time to browse through the Top 10 Lists to look for patterns in success.

3. SPIN: Another big name in the music review game is SPIN, known for its blunt and well-written articles. Define your search by album, genre, singles, or even music videos to read about the good, the bad, and everything in between.

4. Billboard: From the Billboard 200 to the Hot 100, Billboard provides its readers with both the cold, hard stats alongside the hopefully-not-as-cold music reviews. The site allows you to inject your own opinion while reading others’ through various social mediums like Facebook and Twitter.

5. The Guardian: Quick, to the point, and easy to read, The Guardian’s “Album Reviews” section lets you search for artists, add your own comments, and browse through hundreds of community reviews across every genre. Many reviewers post about recent, local concerts which can help you learn more about the world of gigs.

So the next time you find yourself asking the question “How do I promote my music?” why not look to the superstars in the business for tips, tricks, and valuable insights. You never know what you might read in a well-written review that could end up being the ultimate game-changer.