CBS-owned Last.fm claims its “Best of 2011” is the only chart that represents the music people have actually been playing, tracking over 11 billion ‘scrobbles’ globally. That adds up to 71,596 years, 345 days and 7 hours of music listening.
“It’s not based on sales data or radio airplay, it’s based purely on the number of times people have listened to the artist,” the Internet-based personalized music service declared.
Not surprisingly, Adele was the most listened to artist of 2011 globally and came in as the second most listened to artist in this country, while J. Cole topped the list in the US. Joining J. Cole and Adele in the U.S. top ten are artists as diverse as long running chart topper Britney Spears, electric pop singer and actress, Natalia Kills and indie folk rockers, The Decemberists.
This year also sees the launch of Last.fm’s New Discoveries chart, revealing the top artists who have broken into the music industry in 2011. Topping the global New Discoveries chart is Indie band, Youth Lagoon, with their album The Year of Hibernation gaining critical acclaim. On a local level, viral sensation Rebecca Black, who showed off her penchant for a certain weekday, claimed the top spot, while artists and bands such as Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, showed his brother he can do just fine flying solo and country singer and American Idol winner Scotty McCreery proved he can outlast the hype. The New Discoveries chart shows the unpredictability of the music industry and the top 100 artists feature an eclectic mix of mash-ups, viral sensations, experimental music and beyond.
Best of 2011 – The US Top 10*
J. Cole
Adele
Natalia Kills
Foster The People
Diddy-Dirty Money
Lady Gaga
Britney Spears
Christina Perri
Jennifer Lopez
The Decemberists
Best of 2011 – The Global Top 10*
Adele
Lady Gaga
Foster the People
Britney Spears
Natalia Kills
J. Cole
The Strokes
Foo Fighters
Radiohead
Avril Lavigne
*The chart compiles all scrobbles between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011, for albums released in 2011.
Top Global New Discoveries in 2011*
Youth Lagoon
Rebecca Black
Noel Gallaghers High Flying Brids
Purity Ring
Death Grips
Work Drugs
Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory
Sol Romero Campbell
Klaypex
Ford & Lopatin
Top US New Discoveries in 2011*
Rebecca Black
Youth Lagoon
Death Grips
Purity Ring
Work Drugs
Klaypex
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Scotty McCreery
Pistol Annies
2 Chainz
* The chart compiles artists with the most listeners who received their first scrobble between December 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011.
