A new ratings system for music
I have long been frustrated with the rating system in iTunes. Well, not really iTunes specifically, but rating systems in general. The problem with rating things is that a given rating depends so much on external factors. What mood you are in. What you have been doing lately. What your friends have said recently. What you have been listening to lately (in the case of music).
So, I have decided to try a new system for rating my music in iTunes. Instead of giving a song a rating, I will give a song another star when I like it. Then the more stars a song accumulates over time the more I must like it. i will never take stars away. If I am enjoying a song, I will increment its star count. That's it!
Now, here is the question. Songs I like more often I listen to more often. So, they will have a better chance at receiving stars. Should I only increment star counts if I am listening to my music on random (which is most of the time) but not if I select a particular song to play?
I am not going to do movies and TV shows like this though. Though I do rewatch movies and episodes, I don't do it nearly frequently enough for it to work with this system.
Well, I'm off to back up my star counts and then erase the info! Woo!
16 March 2008 04:53pm UTC • 428 views • 2 comments
Tagged with music, ratings, experiment
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2 comments
Peon Peetie
17 March 2008 02:26pm UTC
what happens after 5?
Dread Pirate Benjamin
17 March 2008 07:03pm UTC
Well, I think what I might do is write an applescript to increment the iTunes rating for a song or playlist by 1 (because internally the rating is stored as a number between 1 and 100). If I am listening to it on my computer I will just run the applescript on the songs as I listen to them. If I am listening to music on my ipod and come across a song I like I will add it to an on the go playlist and then when I sync my iPod I'll increment all the songs on that playlist.
Then, I think I'll probably subtract 5 points every 6 months to account for how my tastes change. And if I every reach 100, then that means I need to subtract more than 5 points.