Another List Posing as a Post: My Most @Lastfm Spins of 2011

Last.fm is a nifty little online music community, based in London with users all over the world.  It started simply enough—users install a utility in their PC music player (Windows Media, iTunes, etc) to “scrobble” their music real-time, sending data on artist/track to Last.fm servers for charting.  Everybody gets a Billboard chart of their own.

It’s a classic internet start-up story.  Passionate early adopters dedicate substantial amounts of free labor to build community, but eventually the founders are overwhelmed by the task (and the visions of sugar plums dance in their heads) and sell out to evil Big Media.  All down-hill from there.

Classic Quality vs. Quantity it is.  That said, I’ve invested 126,000+ plays into their database, although there are many with many more (some folks set their iTunes playing 24/7 in the background just to game the numbers) and most with many less.  Like Facebook, it seems each change the corporate overlords make to boost profitability kills community and the Forums I lurk on have seen less and less traffic since the sell-out.  The Radio function, once a major feature, is now limited—I think to US, UK and German users, but I’m not sure since I gave up on it quite a while ago and many of my online amigos have picked up other servers such as Spotify.

That as it may be, I still scrobble and check in on my Americana group and scribble the occasional list posing as a Journal.  Like this one.  You’ll see many of my Best of 2011 on the list and some 2011 releases that were candidates.  Some old favorites and some new favorites.  Some country, some folk, some blues, all good stuff.

Artists Played in 2011

1		Alison Krauss & Union Station (would be even higher if you include  Alison Krauss by herself)			279
2		Drive-By Truckers			219
3		Cowboy Junkies			204
4		Emmylou Harris			201
5		Dwight Yoakam			200
6		Willie Nelson			181
7		Gillian Welch			176
8		Lyle Lovett			174
9		Steve Earle			165
10		Johnny Cash			157
11		Patty Griffin			154
12		Lori McKenna			151
13		Tom Russell			134
14		Lynyrd Skynyrd			123
15		Lucinda Williams			118
16		Audrey Auld			113
17		Graham Lindsey			108
18		Merle Haggard			107
19		Billy Joe Shaver			103
20		Kasey Chambers			102

Albums spun in 2011

1		Drive-By Truckers – Go-Go Boots			170
2		Alison Krauss & Union Station – Paper Airplane			126
3		Various – Country: The American Tradition			120
4		Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive			106
5		Lucinda Williams – Blessed			100
6		Amos Lee – Mission Bell			84
7		Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest			80
8		Kasey Chambers – Little Bird (Deluxe Edition)			78
9		Bearfoot – American Story			76
10		Various Artists – A Very Special Acoustic Christmas			75
11		Lori McKenna – Lorraine			73
11		Bridger Creek Boys – Live at Bozeman Brewing Company 2011-10-17			73
13		Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO (And Other American Stories)			66
14		Iris DeMent – Lifeline			65
15		George Strait – 50 Number Ones			64
15		Patty Griffin – Downtown Church			64
17		Cowboy Junkies – Demons			60
17		Matraca Berg – The Dreaming Fields			60
19		Hank Williams – 20 Of Hank Williams’ Greatest Hits			56
19		The Tinder Box – These Winds EP			56

Tracks tracked in 2011

1		Alison Krauss & Union Station – Paper Airplane			29
2		Drive-By Truckers – Used to Be a Cop			28
3		James Blunt – I Really Want You			24
4		Trisha Yearwood – Perfect Love			21
5		Emmylou Harris – If I Needed You			20
5		Bearfoot – When You’re Away			20
7		Amos Lee – El Camino			19
7		Steve Earle – Molly-O			19
7		Gillian Welch – The Way It Goes			19
10		Rodney Crowell – I Know Love Is All I Need			18
10		Adrienne Young – Hills and Hollers			18
12		The Del McCoury Band – 1952 Vincent Black Lighting			16
12		Alison Krauss & Union Station – Lie Awake			16
14		Gram Parsons – Love Hurts			15
14		Matraca Berg – Oh Cumberland			15
14		Graham Lindsey – The Bird That Lived in a Burning Tree			15
14		Drive-By Truckers – Go-Go Boots			15
14		The Tinder Box – These Winds free download			15
19		Steve Earle – God Is God			14
19		Gillian Welch – Tennessee			14

Happy new year, may it bring you many musical delights.

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