Do you care about and use play counts in your media manager (e.g. iTunes)?


Do you care about play counts/watched flags?  

63 members have voted

  1. 1. Which media manager/player do you use, and does it support play counts?

    • iTunes, so YES it does.
    • Windows Media Player/Media Center/... so YES, it does.
    • Songbird or other open source media managers, so YES, it does!
    • Other media manager. YES supports them
    • Other media manager/player. NO support for play counts.
  2. 2. Do you care about them?

    • No
    • Yes
    • Yes, and I also create smart playlists based on them.
    • Yes, I also use smart playlists and it helps me select stuff for synching to my smartphone/tablet.
    • N/A
      0
  3. 3. If you care about play counts/watch flags, what media do you want or need it for?

    • N/A - I don't give a damn
    • Music
    • TV Shows
    • Movies
    • Other kinds of videos (Youtube downloads, home videos of friends or you, etc)
    • Books


Recommended Posts

I'm obsessed with my play counts, as it lets me create better smart play lists, see which movie I still need to watch (sometimes you're not sure) and generally is awesome for the statistic nazi in me! :laugh:

I'm addicted and obsessed, what about you?

Glassed Silver:mac

Media Jukebox and hell yeah I do!!!

I got a new HDD and I redid my file structure and this install is less then 2 months old so I can't flaunt much at the moment....

however the song with the most plays that i can remember ever is Face 2 Face-Future Trance United (All 4 remixes) That is my theme song!! I love it!!

  • Like 1

I really don't care about the play count in general on my end, but then again, what music I do listen to on my computer, usually takes a back seat to internet radio which I prefer over the played music.

Updated poll with another question. :)

Feel free to delete your votes and submit them again to answer that last question too if you wish. (Y)

Glassed Silver:mac

Nope. Being a poor schmuck I listen to my favorites at most given moments over and over until it starts to annoy me and I don't want to hear it anymore. Sometimes I listen to some fragment over and over in another program (editor) or manually skipping. WMP keeps counting as it does but the number is inflated, even wrong and definitely useless.

I don't generally have background music on these days, it tends to distract me - my HyperThreading's been really unrealiable since the latest BIOS update somewhere after my 18th or so :/

Nope. Being a poor schmuck I listen to my favorites at most given moments over and over until it starts to annoy me and I don't want to hear it anymore. Sometimes I listen to some fragment over and over in another program (editor) or manually skipping. WMP keeps counting as it does but the number is inflated, even wrong and definitely useless.

I don't generally have background music on these days, it tends to distract me - my HyperThreading's been really unrealiable since the latest BIOS update somewhere after my 18th or so :/

WMP counts skipped tracks as played?

Glassed Silver:mac

I'd like it, actually, but I mostly play my iPod in the car which has the Microsoft Sync system in it--it's playing the songs from the iPod but it doesn't record the play counts, so the only ones I get are when it's disconnected or the play counts at home when I play music on the PC. So, basically, not accurate at all. I have manually created a few playlists, but I don't use the smartlist feature.

Yes. In a way that a song has to reach the end naturally, even from the very last second - then up the counter goes.

Edit: Phouchg:StrangeOS

Wait... so how does this actually trigger the play count when you skip them lol, the integral part of skipping is that you don't reach the end. :laugh:

Glassed Silver:mac

Wait... so how does this actually trigger the play count when you skip them lol, the integral part of skipping is that you don't reach the end. :laugh:

Glassed Silver:mac

I may have used the term "skipping" incorrectly here. What I wanted it to mean was skipping to a certain point, for example, the final chorus of a track (happens a lot with soundtracks), not skipping it altogether. Because I'm too lazy to open up an editor and loop it. And then crop it and save it. It does reach the end usually and the play count goes up... I mean, the usual fade out at the end is a giveaway that I have to Ctrl-Alt-B or F a little.

On the other hand, I'm, for example, oftimes very moved by the first two minutes of Primavera but not the orchestra (does not fit the mood). Now, I've listened to it for an hour at a time, but the play count doesn't go up, because I've got five more minutes to rewind it and I usually manage.

WMP is not as dumb as people make it, it's just me being OCD and otherwise amusing in a what-a-hell-is-wrong-with-you kind of way :)

In any case, play count and me are not compatible - how would one count a partial play? A half-play? 10%? Or is it still full 1 play, because without having the whole thing I wouldn't be able to enjoy any part of it either?

Well, if you listened to it twice 50%, give it one count up lol

It's easy, set loop mode on single track and click in the very end of the time slider repeatedly till your count is correct from your playing session :p

To me, I skip tracks in that way, too, but really, to me those few lost counts are not THAT important.

Sure, play counts don't work 100% correctly in that way, but still very fine and are still excellent in finding your personal charts, determining automatic synchs, etc...

Also they aid the statistic Nazi in me as I said before :D

Now, with other media for example, this is less of a problem: movies and tv shows you normally watch in full and if not, their playback position is saved for your convenience to pick up later or at least see that you only partially played it. (Y)

I like your OCD way of doing things, reminds me a lot of me lol :laugh:

Glassed Silver:mac

  • 4 months later...

No matter how you may rate a song, 3 stars or 5 stars, nothing tells you how much you like a song more than the play count. Same for albums and artists.

Play count is the best gauge for what you really like, not what you think you like.

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

I use Foobar, Spotify and my phone, everything comes together on my Last.fm profile.

I can't believe nobody else mentioned that. It's the ultimate solution for play counts since it works with pretty much anything.

I only really cared when I was wanted to free up space, so looked for the number of plays: 0/1/2 etc. and found that actually ipod's random is just crap and actually it didn't play a load of songs but played some other songs all the time.

I use iTunes, so it keeps count of my songs, but I only check occasionally to see what my most listened to music is. I can't say that I care about it though, if it got reset (a new computer, for example) I wouldn't mind at all.

I only really cared when I was wanted to free up space, so looked for the number of plays: 0/1/2 etc. and found that actually ipod's random is just crap and actually it didn't play a load of songs but played some other songs all the time.

I was actually just thinking to myself why on earth would anyone care at all about how many times they chose to listen to a song, so thank you for providing a reason it does actually make sense.

I tend to just leave my music player on shuffle as I have more than enough songs to never hear the same song more than twice in several weeks. So while playcounts are a fun little "did you know that" type statistic, they hold little management value to me.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Price Drop: Save 86% on Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus lifetime digital license by Steven Parker Today's highlighted deal comes via our Apps + Software section of the Neowin Deals store, where you can save 86% on a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for Windows. This bundle is for families and small businesses who want classic Office apps and email. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote. A one-time purchase installed on 1 Windows PC for use at home or work. Lifetime license for MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, & OneNote One-time purchase installed on 1 Windows PC for use at home or work Instant Delivery & Download – access your software license keys and download links instantly Free customer service – only the best support! Microsoft Office Professional 2021 (for Windows) includes: Microsoft Office Word Microsoft Office Excel Microsoft Office PowerPoint Microsoft Office Outlook Microsoft Office Teams Microsoft Office OneNote Microsoft Office Publisher Microsoft Office Access No faffing about with subscriptions, just classic apps that don't expire. Good to Know ONE-TIME PURCHASE INSTALLED ON 1 DEVICE Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Access options: desktop Full versions No subscriptions – no monthly/annual fees Version: 2021 Updates included* *Support for this version of Office ends on Oct 13, 2026 A lifetime subscription to Microsoft Office 2021 Professional normally costs $219.99, but this deal can be yours for just $29.97, that's a saving of $190. For full terms, specifications, and license info, click the link below. Get Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for just $29.97, or learn more Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. Support queries If you have queries or need support for any of the Neowin Deals, please use the contact form here. Neowin Deals are managed and sold by StackCommerce who represent Neowin on an affiliate basis. Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • The only reason I want to know where you from is because if you are not from the U.K, then why should you care what we in the U.K do or don't do? Racist I am not, I am fed up with the amount coming over here and feel they can come over here and think we need to support them. Do you know how much it costs this country to support these people coming over here? Even when we give them a place to live it is not good enough. We had a barge that was being used to house immigrants, oh but that was not good enough. A mate said to me at the time, when he was homeless, he would have been happy to live on the barge, instead of ending up sleeping on a bench on the beach. I am not scared to say what my family heritage is, unlike you who is scared to say where they are from or where they live. Father side U.S, mother side Wales, still have family living in the U.S. A mate who sadly died a few years ago, had a load of people from different races recording in his studio, I got on with all of them. Skin colour don't bother me, where they are from don't bother me. Religion don't bother me as long as they don't push it onto me and it is not crazy stuff. I am not religious. But if you are not living in the U.K, then why should you care if we are in the E.U or not? This the problem, too many people poking their noses into where it don't belong. But you believe what you believe, if you think I am racist, then be it, I really do not care. Just grow a pair
    • If he hasn't been able to figure that out, then why is he obsessed with tariffs? Because that's one of the most prominent tools to level the playing field when you have high cost of labor.
    • Microsoft released Windows 11 KB5102558, KB5095615 Setup and Recovery updates by Sayan Sen This past week Microsoft released the newest preview update (C-release) under KB5095093. Alongside those, Microsoft also released new dynamic updates. For those who may not know, dynamic updates bring improvements to the Windows Recovery process in the form of Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) updates, which are also called Safe OS updates. The dynamic updates also affect the Setup file binaries in the form of Setup updates. These Dynamic Update packages are meant to be applied to existing Windows images prior to their deployment. Dynamic Updates also help preserve Language Pack (LP) and Features on Demand (FODs) content during the upgrade process. VBScript, for example, is currently an FOD on Windows 11 24H2. This time both recovery and setup updates were released for Windows 11. The company writes: "KB5095186: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 11, version 26H1: June 23, 2026 This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment (WinRE). After installing this update, the WinRE version installed on the device should be 10.0.28000.2335. KB5102558: Setup Dynamic Update for Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2: June 23, 2026 This update makes improvements to Windows setup binaries or any files that setup uses for feature updates in Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows 11, version 25H2. KB5095615: Safe OS Dynamic Update for Windows 11, versions 24H2 and 25H2: June 23, 2026 This update makes improvements to the Windows recovery environment (WinRE). After installing this update, the WinRE version installed on the device should be 10.0.26100.8737." Microsoft notes that both the Recovery and Setup updates will be downloaded and installed automatically via the Windows Update channel.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      508
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      200
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      151
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      73
    5. 5
      macoman
      62
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!