My viewers' favourite year and what it can tell us about them

Approximately 2 years ago I finished my Top 20 countdown video goal of listing all years between 1980 and 2009. Since then I've watched the comments come in, some praise, some hate. But recently I have been wondering if some people enjoy a specific year more than another and why.

From sharing the videos and playlist with friends and acquaintances I've learned that there are three main reasons which motivate people to watch one of my videos:

• Curiosity of the top 20 of their birthyear
• Seeking nostalgia for a year in which they were kids or teenagers
• Sheer curiosity for the tracks in a random year

In my experience, the first two motivations are the most common as they relate with people at a more personal and intimate level, especially seeking nostalgia or memories from a certain year. After all, some people might find their top 20 of their birthyear curious enough to warrant a view but might not relate to the songs as they had literally just been born then.

By finding out which ones of my videos have the most views, and referencing them with these motivations, I could theoretically predict my main audience's birthyear and childhood/teenage years.

I decided to log-in my youtube account, gather the number of views for each year, fill an excel sheet and then graph them for a quick visualization:

One of the first apparent things is just how much popular the year 2005 is compared to all the others. This would indicate that people relate to it much more than all the other videos. Perhaps this is the year when most of my viewers were kids/teenagers.

The four most viewed videos after 2005 are 1991, 1987, 1995 and 1997. This could indicate that those four years are birthyears of my audience, for example.

If these premises were true, then that would mean my main audience would be between 17 and 27 years old, which would make them about 8 to 18 years old during 2005. This would make sense as they would be kids/teenagers. 

I decided to look into the actual YouTube analytics for my playlist and see how close/far-off I was with my crude prediction:

It turns out I was quite close in my prediction. It was so accurate that it even surprised me!

I guess there's not many conclusions that can be drawn from this (other than I have too much time in my hands to be doing these posts). At heart, it just shows how music is so relevant to people's lives, and how we cannot escape the years and generation we were born into, it is a part of us and it will follow us everywhere. It is part of our identity and there is no point escaping it just because some music we don't like was in the top or because we think mainstream music nowadays might not be as good as before. 

Eventually we will all become nostalgic with today's mainstream music, just as we are now with the music that played when we were kids. 

My new favourite YouTube channel

My new favourite youtube channel: shows the evolution of some sub-genres of electronic music. For those bassheads out there, here's an example:

The U.S.A. Army loves my video

So apparently the U.S.A. army sent me an e-mail a while ago requesting if they could use my video for some event. I said sure but I was (and still am) quite surprised that they requested it, considering how I have a video about marijuana myths on my youtube channel...

Even so, here is part of the e-mail so you can see how even the government enjoys my futuristic videos:

Good afternoon,
I am the corporate communications officer for the United States Army Recruiting Command. I am creating a briefing to our recruiting commanders, on behalf of my commanding general. The goal is to show how the world is changing as well as the cultural gaps between the older leaders and the youth that we connect with on a daily basis.

I am contacting you in hopes of acquiring permission to download and use your "Welcome to the 2020s (Future Timeline Events 2020-2029)" video that you published on YouTube on 2 September 2011.

Your video, along with a couple others from other sources are exactly what we would like to show to assist in conveying our commander's intent. Would it be possible to obtain permission and access to download it for a one time use at our Annual Leader's Conference?

Thank you in advance for your consideration in this matter.

And here is the video he wanted, if you'd like to rewatch it!

Ideas for future content

Unfortunately I haven't put up much videos as I've been busy with university. I am still interested in doing some more and better videos about my "Visit a year for 6 minutes" playlist (both pre-1980 and after 2009) as well as some more future videos (2040s and maybe 2050s).

For now, I have been very grateful of the views I have been receiving in my channel! It's mind-blowing to see some of my videos reach 200k views! Thank you all for the support, and I hope that this blog continues to serve you as a knowledge base where I keep the tracklists I use for some of my videos.

Dubstep History Megamix

Uploaded this a while ago but forgot to share it in the blog. This was a mix up on youtube a while ago by skinsvideos21 until I noticed it had been removed. Luckily I had downloaded the mix itself.

I felt it was a very interesting mix and historically important one, so here it is again for all of you to enjoy. 

DL: http://www.mediafire.com/?2esn8al2lwbc2y5

*TRACKLIST*

1994

Acen - Close Your Eyes

1997

Double 99 - R.I.P. the Groove

Gunman - 187 Lockdown

1999

Zed Bias - Neighbourhood (El-B remix)

2000

Artful Dodger ft. Craig David - Rewind

Horsepower Productions - When You Hold Me

2002

Artwork - Red

El-B ft. Juiceman - Buck n' Bury

2003

Benga & Skream - The Judgement

2004

Digital Mystikz & Loefah - Horror Show

2006

Kode9 - Nine Samurai

Skream - Midnight Request Line

2007

Appleblim - Vansan

Boxcutter - Chiral

Distance - My Demons

Mala - Alicia

Loefah - Disko Rekah

Rusko - Cockney Thug

2008

Benga ft. Coki - Night

Chase and Status - Eastern Jam

Plastician - Japan

Ramadanman - Blimey

Shackleton - The Branch is Weak

Zomby - Aquafresh

2562 - Techno Dread

2009

Benga - Man on a Mission

Freeland - Do You (Joker remix)

Jazzsteppa - Big Swing Sound

Kode9 - Black Sun

King Midas Sound - Waiting For You

Mala - Level Nine

Mstrkrft ft. John Legend - Heartbreaker (12th Planet remix)

Stagga ft. Skamma - Sick as Sin

The Prodigy - Take Me to the Hospital (Rusko remix)

Excision & Datsik - Boom

2010

Cookie Monsta - Ginger Pubes

Pendulum - Set Me on Fire

Feed Me ft. Kill the Noise - Muscle Rollers

Mount Kimbie - Would Know

James Blake - I Only Know (What I Know Now)

Skream ft. Sam Frank - Where You Should Be

2011

James Blake - Limit to Your Love

SBTRKT - Wildfire

Silkie - Float

Benga - Smack Your Bitch Up

Benny Benassi ft. Gary Go - Cinema (Skrillex remix)

Korn ft. Skrillex - Get Up!

HECQ - Nihilum

Liquid Stranger - Bombaclaad Star (sped up version super bouncy mama mama)

2562 - Acuatic Family Affair

Ott - Owl Stretching Time

Image by reddit user u/stupiditykills

Welcome to the 2030s

Following the previous 2010s and 2020s videos, here is a look at the next decade, the 2030s!

Twitter Account

After some months of inactivity, here is the latest project, this time more directed towards the future in general:

https://twitter.com/#!/futurenewsbot

This is a twitter account with the intention of simulating that somehow some scientists managed to create a bot so powerful that it can predict news headlines.

I'll mainly be focusing on the social implications of future technology, plus some general predictions, but contrary to my futuristic videos, this twitter contains speculative information not based on future timeline's website.

New 2010s genre: Dubstyle

Today I learned about a new genre that has spawned in this very very recent decade. It's called Dubstyle, which is a fusion of Dubstep and Hardstyle. Some examples:



Also, Bjork's Mutual Core has a certain sample of Dubstyle around 4:35

Welcome to the 2020s

Following the previous 2010s video, here is a look at the next decade

The Missing Link

The following video shows the missing link i had been looking for a long long time. An explanation to the sudden change of mainstream music that suddenly excluded a lot of the previous diversity of in major record companies.

Future of house music?

Complextro: electro-house + glitch + dubstep = the future of electronic club music?

Visit a year for 6 minutes: The Eighties (Spirit of the time analysis)

Below follows every year of the 80s decade (click on the year to watch the respective youtube video):

1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989

Some early observations: The 80s saw the appearance of electronic music and electronic instruments. It is also the decade that saw the appearance of early rap hits, even if they were quite scarce. Also notable the appearance of some 'south-hemisphere' influenced songs in the mainstream, which would later contribute to the 90s jungle scene and to the drum & bass genre and subgenres, despite these scenes not manifesting themselves during the 90s (with some exceptions). The 80s also saw the first hits and rise of the commonly labed Pop Queen: Madonna

In a subjective analysis of the general feel of the decade, it almost sounds as if there is a certain intense and precise sound that made the 80s so characteristic. Part of the reason is the well-known 80s drum beat (with a deep snare) which allows many of the tracks made during that decade to be recognized as being from that decade. This drum beat appears in the early 80s (1980-1985) and becomes more common towards the late 80s (1985-1989)

An interesting observation is to note that 80s music was generally far less complex than contemporary music, even though many 'purists' would have you believe the opposite, by denouncing the simplicity of modern music. The truth is that the range and quantity of tones used in 00s and 10s music is overwhelming when comparing to older decades.

Great Futuristic Article

To break a a bit from the music history routine, and focusing more on the general future trends, here's a great article regarding five technologies that will change the world:

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/singularity_five_technologies_will_change_world_and_one_wont

Popular Music Genres Predicted for the 2010s

Here I will talk very lightly of what I think will be the music genre trends for this next decade, that started in 2010.

In the early twenty tens (2010-2015), I think we'll basically see a continuation from the trends started in late 2000s (2005-2009), with genres such as Wonky Pop, Trip-Hop, Glitch-Hop, Grime, Dubstep, Wonky, Electro-House, Fidget House and Electroswing increasing their momentum and continuing their mainstream appeal, with the exception of Alternative-Hip-Hop, which will also continue its mainstream appearance, but has emerged in the 1980s.

Visit a year for 6 minutes: The Nineties (Spirit of the time analysis)

So the next video project out there plans to use tsort's extensive top hits database to document the top 20 hits in each year in music history, from 1900 to 2009.

Below follows every year of the 90s decade (click on the year to watch the respective youtube video):

1990 
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998 
1999

Some early observations: A huge rise in hip hop and rap scenes, as well as an increase in boys bands/girl bands in the late 90s (1995-1999). We also see rising music genres created within the decade itself appearing the top 20 positions, like Trance, Eurodance, with older genres also gaining momentum, such as House and Techno. The Grunge genre that spawned in the late 80s only goes so far as the first half of the decade (1990-1995).

In a subjective analysis of the general feel of the decade, it almost sounds as if there is a certain laid back, almost naive sound of the late 90s, with more pop and soul acts entering the top 20 positions, in contrast to the more experimental, aggressive and intense sound of the early 90s, featuring more developed forms of rock, and new experimental electronic music.

My main point with this series was, and will be, to show how common complaints of current contemporary music do not fit the stereotype that a certain decade is inherently better than other, especially when looking at their top 20. There are subjectively good and bad songs in this top 20 list, as well as songs less memorable than others. If you think, for some reason, that the past decade and the current one (00s and 10s) is inherently bad, it is worth a reminder that many of the great hits of the past sometimes don't even make it in the top 20.

The Ultimate Video on Top Music Charts, By Year (1900-2009) (Most Well-Sourced Version)

109 years of music history in 11 minutes. Enjoy

This video lists the biggest hit of each year in the 96 source charts. The way that the various charts are combined to reach this final list is described in the described here:


http://tsort.info/music/faq_site_generation.htm

For a list of the music tracks, as well as the source where I got all the information from, check here:

http://tsort.info/music/years0.htm

Source warning: "For years before 1950 the source data is quite sparse, so the results should be treated with some caution. For years before 1920 there is so little source data that the results are close to meaningless."

The Evolution of Popular Music By Year (1950-2010) (U.S.A.) (Source: Billboard "Hot 100")

Another music history video, this time exploring Billboard's source. I won't comment on the video itself, since its quite similar to the previous one, using Musicoufitters as a source.

However, any conclusion drawn from the Musicoutfitters video is to be taken with a grain of salt, as it only gathers one source.

Right now I ham finishing the most complete and well sourced video. I will save any comments to when I post it.

What Makes Music Good?

What is the criteria? Are there different kinds of good?

IMO all music taste is subjective. There are, however, some factors that actively condition us into liking music, but at this point i'm only generalizing and inventing as I go on, without any data to back my assertion, so take it with a grain of salt.

IMO, some of the factors that condition us to like a song:

-we can relate to it in the sense that it describes an event that has happened to us, whether that event is pleasant or unpleasant (ie: feeling in love/breaking up)
-we heard it when we were young and its been stuck in our head ever since (nostalgia)
-it describes a complex sentence/feeling in simple terms through analogies
-it is catchy (ie: it relies on simplicity, focusing almost exclusively on the melody line, which is part of the reason why many of us remmember 8-bit era videogame music)

Some personal examples follow (take notice these are only relevant to me)

Welcome to the Twenty-Tens / Tenties (Future Timeline)

This next video intends to be a more realistic look at this next decade, called the twenty-tens or the tenties, featuring the projected main events:

Imagining The Future (Decade Nicknames, Hits) (1920s-2090s)

Here's a small video I made some time ago regarding decade nicknames. The hits I've chosen were pretty much taken from other video and invented by myself