Pitchfork made headlines a while back when they announced beta testing of reader scores. Well, folks, they're finally here – along with some other significant changes.

The oohing and ahhing over the ability to enter your own score (and to comment on reviews) doesn't come without a hitch: $5.00 per month. Yep, five bucks to indulge in these new features, and for access to the entirety of Pitchfork's 30,000-strong review archive.

If you refuse to pay, you'll get access to four free reviews a month, plus the site's News, Columns, and Features. But, in the cringeworthy words of Pitchfork themselves, the whole shebang requires you "to smash subscribe."

Is this a worthy marking of the site's 30th anniversary? Is Pitchfork putting a pitchfork in their own coffin? How about you just decide using their scoring guidelines, also published today:

10 – A masterpiece, one of the best albums of all time. Will be culturally and aesthetically important many years from now in some way.

9.1 – 9.9 – A monument, an instant classic. Sounds ahead of its time, sounds timeless, immediately belongs in the canon. Entire genres could be created in its wake.

8.6 – 9.0 – A major statement, worthy of your time and energy, no matter your taste. Transcends genre, claims new ground, a total and intentional work of art, possesses an aura that makes it vital to its genre, its era, or the artist’s career.

8.0 – 8.5 – Essential listening, among the best records of the year. Shows a mastery of craft or taps into the sublime, feels a part of the zeitgeist, steps out of its genre, takes big risks that pay off.

7.6 – 7.9 – Excellent record, highly recommended. “Best in class” for its genre. Not a bad song on it.

7.0 – 7.5 – Very good record, recommend checking it out. Hardly a dull moment, a great hang, maybe plays it safe but executes everything very well, maybe takes some risks but doesn’t land everything perfectly.

6.6 – 6.9 – Good record, a few issues, but worth your attention if you’re into the band or genre. Maybe starts strong and fades a little by the end, includes a few songs that don’t move the needle, but also has a handful of outstanding moments.

6.0 – 6.5 – Pretty good, not great, some unavoidable issues, but interesting. Fans of the band or genre will get the most out of it.

5.6 – 5.9 – Decent record, a few things going for it, but a handful of major issues overwhelm the experience.

5.0 – 5.5 – Not very good, but not a total disaster.

4.0 – 4.9 – Pretty bad.

3.0 – 3.9 – Really bad. Incompetent and thoughtless.

2.0 – 2.9 – Terrible.

1.0 – 1.9 – Terrible and symptomatic of some kind of larger problem in music or the world.

0.0 – 0.9 – Worthless.