Personal chart question.

[NORTHCOAST]

Can you fill me in on how you come up with your personal charts?  I've never ventured into this forum before.  Just curious how it works. 

[allow that]

I arbitrarily rank my personal favorite songs of the week. It's mostly just based on how much I like/am into certain songs at the moment. In my case, songs that I'm exposed to more have a competitve advantage over songs that I love even more but never hear aside from my computer or mp3 player. But basically, it's your own chart so you can compile it anyway you want. Some people debut songs really high and have them fall as they get tired of it. In my case, I debut them low and let them rise as more time passes and I'm still into them. I like my chart to look like it's an actual airplay chart.

[eric]

Winamp spins.

[Topay]

I tend to do a favorites chart as well.  I have a 30-position chart, and rarely does a song debut above #20 (although "Let Me Go" by 3 Doors Down entered at #15 on my most recent chart).  One time I allowed Shania Twain's "Party For Two" to enter at #3, but it just fell from there - kinda like an Album chart.

I have no problem with debuting songs high, it's just that it usually takes a week or 2 for a song to grow.  It may debut at #25, but in 2 weeks it could easily be in the Top 10.

Take my #1 "Nothin to Lose": it debuted at 28, then moved to 15, then 7, then 3, and now 2 weeks at #1.

[Hybrid0NE]

Eric said:

Winamp spins.

+ Favoritism + Outside Exposure (MTV, FUSE, Radio, concerts, TV, etc.)

[Gorminako]

I just rank my songs in order how I like them at the time, but I try to make it pretty smooth from week to week, and not have them jump up and down all over the place. I include album cuts as well as single releases. Lately I've been really into Brandy's "Afrodisiac" album, and also Muse's "Absolution" and Kevin Lyttle's CD.

[BritneyFan4Life]

I base my chart partly on how much i like the song + artist, and also the amount of spins it gets each week on my itunes player and ipod.

[drock89]

I'm thinkin about starting a chart...any suggestions?

[bamafan2102]

I have a top 20 chart each week. I start all my songs pretty low and let them build up since my chart is based on a point system. 20-16 get 5 points, 15-11 get 8 points, 10-6 get 11 points, 5-2 get 15 points and #1 gets 25 points. I have found this to be a pretty good way of doing my charts plus I don't want to change now because it would affect all past charts. Also if a song burns out quickly on my charts I can just drop it slowly because it isn't getting a lot of points anyway. I have been doing this for about 15 years but only five in the current format. The other years i would just do a year-ender. This year it was hard coming up with 100 songs (which is my usual amount for a year-ender) so I just did my Top 80.

[gbaby]

shaniagotchagood said:

I'm thinkin about starting a chart...any suggestions?

Find the number of songs you want on it and stick by it. It sucks when you're moving up and down with the number of songs. Pick a number you feel comfortable with, and leave that as the finalized number. I've learned that the hard way.

[dragoneyez]

gv0928 said:

Find the number of songs you want on it and stick by it. It sucks when you're moving up and down with the number of songs. Pick a number you feel comfortable with, and leave that as the finalized number. I've learned that the hard way.

But... if you notice you're letting songs get on your chart that you don't necessarily like (or won't remember in 3 months time), but are just charting to take up space; then, you really should decrease the possible positions. I've done this twice, and with the direction music in general is taking, I might have to again if my chart gets stagnant again.

Generally, my chart is determined by favoritism (what songs I like), personal exposure (how many times I play a given song or cd), and outside exposure (how much I hear a song from my friends or the media).

Favoritism and personal exposure are the most influential on my chart, but I learn about a lot of songs I would've otherwise been oblivious of from my friends and the media.

[Love Plastic Love]

dragoneyez said:

But... if you notice you're letting songs get on your chart that you don't necessarily like (or won't remember in 3 months time), but are just charting to take up space; then, you really should decrease the possible positions. I've done this twice, and with the direction music in general is taking, I might have to again if my chart gets stagnant again

Yep-I started as a top 50 with 10 bubbling under. Quite honestly, that was too many positions. So I cut it to a top 40 with 10 bubbling under and I am seriously considering cutting it further (probably just the bubbling under to 5 now)
The people who have 100 with 10 bubbling under amaze me. Like...how? lol. I dont think I could make a top 100 chart even if I desperately searched for songs. Maybe if I allowed album tracks...

[gbaby]

shaniagotchagood said:

I'm thinkin about starting a chart...any suggestions?

Oh, and another thing. Don't limit yourself to following a chart. I used to only chart the songs on the current top 40, and I regret that a lot. Chart whatever you want. ;)

[dragoneyez]

Love said:

The people who have 100 with 10 bubbling under amaze me. Like...how? lol. I dont think I could make a top 100 chart even if I desperately searched for songs. Maybe if I allowed album tracks...

Ditto. I'm amazed that people can find 100 songs that they like (or can even remember at any given time). Even if you're taste in music is wide and varied, it's hard to find great songs, even if every genre is considered. Plus, it seems like hard work to even manage a chart of that proportion.

If I really wanted to do a top 100, I probably could though. There'd just be a lot of recurrents and album tracks dispersed throughout.

[GiggaWho]

My chart tends to follow the official singles that are released by artists. My chart is pretty Pop heavy, because that's what I listen to most and am exposed to most. But I make an effort at the begining of the week to find between five and ten new songs to add to my playlist on my iPod. I go by adds on all the R&R formats, as well as suggestions from friends and the like. If I like a specific artist and they don't have a release out or I don't like their official release, I'll go with my favorite song from the album instead. After the week is over I look at what I'm spinning the most. And make a top twenty from that. I usually don't have more than 40 songs on my playlist at any time, as I like to keep my playlist fresh. So I dump the lowest songs each week and replace them with the new adds.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I have a Top 100 which consists of old and new songs. Well, currents and recurrents. I also do an average-weeks-on for each chart and usually the average is about 13 or 14 weeks on. My Top 100 each week also consists of 20-30 songs with 20+ weeks, 4-8 songs with 30+ weeks and sometimes a few 40+weekers. Also, whenever I download a new song or hear a new song that hasn't charted yet, I'll throw it in my The Max Bound chart, whether I've heard it or not.

[Matt4319]

I feel like I'm being called out for having a 100-position chart.

I don't have any bubbling under, and I don't even listen to about 10-13 of the songs on my chart in a given week. I probably could shorten my chart to 80 or 85, but that's an awkward number, and 100 just sounds better. (Well, in reality it's 99, because I award the #100 spot each week to a song of my choice that doesn't "fit" on the regular chart.) I've been able to manage it for over a year now without too many "listen once, put it on my chart" songs. If I run low on debuts, some older songs will usually re-enter.

The current longevity champ on my chart is Breaking Benjamin's "So Cold", with 39 weeks. However, only six more songs have more than 20 weeks in the top 100.

[chartfanatic]

I have a top 100. It may seem like a lot of songs to a lot of people but it's just perfect for me. It gives me room to have a lot of new songs as well as keep "older" favorites on until I burn them out.

At one point in time, I had a 200-position chart for 7 months. Can anyone beat that? Now that drove me crazy! Going to 100 positions after that was like a breath of fresh air.

I compile the songs on my chart anyway I want. I don't limit myself to what's on the radio around me or what is popular in the public perception around me. If I like the song but it's not getting any airplay, no problem. That doesn't stop me from charting it. It's just has to be a single or a song on the radio or at least be "rumored" to be a single.

I listen to every song on my chart at least once a week. The more times I listen to the song, the more likely it is to be higher up on the countdown.

The thing I love about personal music charts is that you can express your musical taste in a way that's fairly accurate. I don't think anybody would think that my chart is the "best chart" but I think my chart is the "best chart" because I made it! It matches my musical taste better than any other music chart out there. That's the awesome thing about personal music charts. It's the one opportunity where you get to be in control of the music that you want to affliate yourself with.

[Love Plastic Love]

I wasnt meaning to call out those who have 100 position charts...its more impressive than anything. I can BARELY handle a 40 position chart with a bubbling under...a top 100 chart would kill me