As of today, January 3rd 2019, users will no longer be able to leave comments on RA.

This is obviously a big step for us. Here's why we're doing it.

RA's comments have roots in the '00s heyday of message boards. Our message boards, and later our comments section, were a place for people obsessed with electronic music to share knowledge, recommendations and general chat. Many comments were thoughtful in a way that elevated our content and created a sense of community around RA and the global electronic music community we cover.

Over time, things changed. Social media introduced a more broadly accepted way for people to communicate online. Comments sections served an ever-smaller portion of users, not just on RA but across the internet.

This might explain why we no longer see in our comments a fair reflection of our audience or our community. Too often a tone of disrespect prevails, occasionally boiling over into full-blown intolerance—sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, you name it. To highlight just one part of the issue: by now, any content involving women is likely to receive sexist comments.

This hurts us personally and undermines the values of acceptance that RA tries to champion. More than anything, it makes clear that our comments are no longer serving our community in the way we'd intended. That's reason enough to close them.

We are extremely grateful to anyone who has left thoughtful comments on RA over the years. You expanded our music knowledge, offered valuable perspectives to our news, features and reviews—and, it must be said, never let a mistake slip by unnoticed. We thank you for that, and look forward to continuing the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, where 1.5 million people are already connecting with us.

Meanwhile, we are investigating new ways of fostering community that are more in line with the times and, most importantly, that are welcoming and inclusive to everyone. If you have any feedback or ideas on that front, you can send them to community@residentadvisor.net.

Thanks for reading and happy new year.