One great thing about iPods and iTunes is the way you can use them to objectively analyse what music you like (other music solutions might have similar functionality). As iTunes will list how many times you have listened to a track, your actual listening preferences are laid bare. You might like to say that you spend your time listening to Tibetan necro-jazz, but iTunes makes plain that you are really listening to the greatest hits of Hanson on endless repeat. The iTunes play counts will of course bias towards the kind of music you like to listen to when away from a proper music player, but this serves to point out how much listening is done on the move.
That was all by way of introduction. This Christmas I am using iTunes smart playlists to generate rules-based compilation CDs which I will then give to people who have similar discs to give back. I will burn up copies of the following three discs:
1. New Favourites
This will have the most played tracks I have added to iTunes in the last 12 months.
2. All-Time Favourites
This will have the tracks on iTunes that I have played the most since the dawn of time.
3. Forgotten Favourites
This sadface disc will have the most played tracks not listened to in the last year. What went wrong with these tunes?
Random factors will determine who gets which disc.
Do you want to play this game? If you do, make sure to enclose a tracklisting with your CD.
Previous iPod favourites:
Favourite Tunes (as of 21/12/2006)
iPod Top Ten (as of 4/5/2006)
iPod Top Ten
I'll play. I only have 20 months of history on my current computer so all time faves is quite similar to new faves and forgotten faves. I usually split into recordings released in the year and recordings released in a previous year. Also 2005 new, 2005 old, 2004 new (though in htat case I edited out the CD of the year).
ReplyDeleteAs I said on the mailing list, I'll join in. I can only do the faves of 2007, as I've only been using iTunes since about October 2006.
ReplyDeleteKeep 'em coming.
ReplyDeleteI've gone for a a best songs added since a year ago rather than best songs added in 2007, to catch the ones that I added after christmas or whatever.
Unfortunately, I turn out to have only really listened to one album this year, but at least it is a compilation.