[about the site]

Most people have a song that’s been ruined.

A breakup turns “our song” into “the one song I can never hear again.” A crush goes downhill and takes your favorite record with it. A best friend vanishes, leaving you holding the mixtape. Talent show disasters, high school humiliations, family crises… somehow there’s always a song playing in the background.

Ruined Music collects essays about these songs we’ve lost. If music is the soundtrack to our lives, here are the scenes when it all went wrong.

Read. Write. Reclaim your record collection.

Ruined Music is a project of the Mayan Empire Media Empire. For submission guidelines, click here. For general questions, feedback, or more information, email info -at- ruinedmusic.com.

The site began one afternoon in April 2006 when Mary told Bryan her ruined music story over lunch. We skipped dessert and registered the domain.

Attn. hard-working music PR types - hi there! As you can see, this site doesn’t review records. Or live shows. Or anything else. We just publish stories that happen to be about music. So you don’t have to send us your press releases, and we’d rather not be added to your mailing lists. You should try hitting up those guys over at Stereogum, instead… they’re worth five million clams now. No hard feelings, okay?

[what people have said]

“Do you fall into a downward spiral every time ‘In Your Eyes’ comes on the radio? So do the eloquently damaged souls behind RuinedMusic.com - and they share all the details in a series of essays. Start reading and stop wallowing: it’s cathartic, people.” -Marie Claire

“Although a majority of the essays chronicle bad breakups, Ruined Music’s founders encourage all stories about music being ruined.” -MTV News

“Chock full of painful personal stories wherein music played a vital role.” -WFMU’s Beware of the Blog

“A killer idea.” -Creekside Review

[about us]

Bryan Bruchman is the Ruined Music art-and-technology wrangler, or webmaster. He doesn’t want to hear Tori Amos ever again (and he’d rather not talk about it). A proud native of New Jersey, Bryan lives in Brooklyn and performs in Man in Gray and DraculaZombieUSA East Coast Annex. His design and photography site lives here.

Mary Phillips-Sandy is the Ruined Music word-and-grammar wrangler, or editor. She has issues with a Simon & Garfunkel song, which you can read about here, and also Lou Reed’s “A Perfect Night Live in London,” which she may tell you about later. A proud native of Maine, Mary lives in Brooklyn and performs in DraculaZombieUSA East Coast Annex.