I finally had time to export the stats on the top circulating CDs of 2024 to better understand what music works and how well it performs. Why a Top 16? I initially planned a Top 10, but many CDs had the same number of borrowings. Sixteen is the point where the number of borrowings changes, so I used that as the cutoff.
Let's dig into the statistics! :)
| Artist | Album Name | # of Borrows | Collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yannick Noah | La Marfée | 39 | Chanson française |
| Barbie the album | 12 | Musique de films | |
| Tiwayo | Desert dream | 11 | Rock (folk) |
| The Libertines | All quiet on the eastern esplanade | 11 | Rock |
| Vianney | À 2 à 3 | 10 | Chanson française |
| The Black Keys | Ohio players | 10 | Rock |
| Youn Sun Nah | Elles | 10 | Jazz |
| Scorpions | Face the heat | 10 | Hard rock |
| Joshua Redman | Where are we | 10 | Jazz |
| Nirvana | In utero | 10 | Rock (grunge) |
| Michael Jackson | Dangerous | 10 | Disco/funk |
| Grand Corps Malade | Reflets | 10 | Rap |
| Gims | LDVM : symphony | 10 | Rap |
| Miley Cyrus | Endless summer vacation | 10 | Pop |
| Blur | The ballad of Darren | 10 | Rock |
| Les noces royales de Louis XIV | 10 | Musique classique |
When we add all the numbers, there is a total of 193 checkouts, which makes average number of borrows 12.06 per album. Not bad ! Most borrowed album was Yannick Noah – La Marfée with 39 borrows, and honestly, I never heard about the artist, so I definetly need to check it out, because it leads by far !
Most represented genre is rock, with all it's subgenres, but other genres showed solid performance, like rap and jazz. There is a diversity in genres, and while rock dominates in count, no single genre monopolizes user interest, suggesting a broad range of musical tastes. Chanson française is high-performing, which is not surprising with the fact that we are in France ;) Film music can perform well: Barbie the Album had 12 borrows — possibly boosted by the film’s popularity. I need to contemplate about more ideas hwo to connect film and music collections of the médiathèque.
I'm glad to see that there is a classical music album on the list! The collection is not performing very well, so this gives me hope! Two rap albums, that's awesome, and I need to contemplate about how to promote rap more. I did buy more albums, but they don't go out...Haha, and Scorpions on the list ! I love that ! :D
So, what's the conclusion? Well, there is a mix of new stuff, but also some classics, so I believe the key is in a mix - continue buying new materials, but also highlighting classics and making presentations about older stuff also, so it doesn't get forgotten. I will need to talk with my colleagues to discuss how - do we have space, what does our members think, using online materials, making a physical materials? That's the part that we miss - presentation - we are passive, often waiting for our members to borrow stuff!