I've been using Open Scrobbler to bring my Last.fm playcounts up to date, and now that my chart is fairly representative of my listening history from the last 7-8(ish) years it's made me think about different ways of assessing how often you listen to a group. On the main chart, ranking bands by total listens, there for instance is nothing to differentiate bands with smaller discographies that I've listened to endlessly from bands with larger discographies that I've explored in moderate detail. This is list is a first step in looking at the difference between bands I've listened to most (en masse) and bands I've returned to the most, by calculating a mean average of listens per track. The album shown for each band is my most listened overall and the ranking indicates where it falls on my overall chart and the difference between that placement and the placement here. Consider it a personal experiment that some might find interesting - I'll include more thoughts and amendments in the comments.
Used my top 40 to ensure a time-efficient wide-ish data pool
Initial thoughts:
- Should probably do a calculation of average difference in ranking and use it as a rough assessment of how accurate Last.fm's ranking by overall plays is as a measure of 'most listened' groups in both senses (as outlined in the description). This would be interesting, but I'd also have to do the same calculation with a wider data pool (150-200 bands) to see how it holds up in comparison and I haven't got that much time or patience atm
- With bands with larger discogs (75+ songs) this method doesn't make any differentiation between those that I listen to fairly evenly (Buck-Tick) and those with both stronger albums that have huge listens and weaker or supplementary material that I don't check as much (Shiina Ringo - I could take about 2 albums out of the picture, her total plays would barely suffer but the mean count would shoot right up). As such it's a little flawed as a means to determine how much I actually come back to some artists.
- Considerations of track time are totally absent. Soutaisei Riron's Hi-Fi Anatomia is 9 tracks long and runs at 33 mins; Cult of Luna's Salvation is 8 tracks but 74 minutes. A next step would be to introduce some modifying tariff to the mean plays based on mean track time, but this is much more fiddly so will have to wait for another day
Haha I haven't updated them in my library yet (think they'd crack the top 40 overall though so probably should have waited). Now that I think about it, I'm curious to see whether their mean tops Kayo Dot's...
@Pika Act II is probs still my favourite but Act IV edges it out some days
Haha hell yeah Trif - think most of these have the benefit of maybe a year/two years' concentrated listening, but 1 is a mainstay from year to year so it was no surprise to see them up there
Would be for me too man, for sure.
I've wondered forever since you've been bumping her whether this Oomori Seiko lady would be to my liking. What do you think? And which one should I go for?
Hmm I'd be interested to see - I think our tastes coincide most on what I'd consider the savoury end of things, whereas Seiko is on the sweet side. I'd suggest checking Shiina Ringo out first and moving onto Seiko if you dig her, but if you want to see where all the hype's from have a listen to the first couple of tracks from Tokyo Black Hole and see if you vibe ;]
And hell yes, I feel Home added the emotional uncertainty and vulnerability that was probably the only thing missing from TG's discog up until that point
Nice, I'll give that one a go and we'll see!
I love that side of Home, agreed. Those longer numbers (that t/t) and especially the quiet moments are amazing. Box, The Quiet One, Forgotten. Hmmmm it's been too long.
