Talossan Music Top Special Edition! 2025 - Category selection / vote

[Glüc]

Edit: deadline for nominating categories is close. See how to vote here: https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=4326.msg36565#msg36565

tldr: NOMINATE 1, 2, or 3 categories that you would like to see in this year's special edition.

Introduction

As TMT master @Sir Ian Plätschisch has pointed out, it's been three years since we've had a special TMT edition. Special editions are usually held when there's two general elections in a year, so there is a big gap between regular editions.

In a special edition, unlike in regular TMT editions we don't make an overall top 20, but we select the most popular song in six specific categories, allowing us to take a deeper dive into different genres, instruments, lyrical themes, countries of origin, time periods, etc and bring some diversity into TMT as the best song in each category that hasn't been nominated for TMT before will automatically be nominated for the next regular editions. In the past many special edition winners have reached the final of the regular edition.

Categories

So basically the format will be the same as the 2023 special edition. The first order of business will be to select 5 of the 6 categories. This will be done using a modified version of STV. The sixth category, as is tradition, will be songs released since the previous TMT special edition.

There are a couple of rules with regards to categories.

* The following categories were already used in the two previous editions:
- Christmas music
- Classical music to have dinner to in the last day of Earth
- Comedy music
- Electronic Music
- Eurovision nominated songs
- Songs released on or after October 30th, 2019
- Movie Theme Songs
- Country Songs (excluding Johnny Cash)
- Songs with female lead vocals
- Songs to play while overthrowing the government
- German language songs
- Songs released in 2018/2019

These categories are off-limits (of course there can be some overlap, but preferably not too similar as there are still many to explore that we haven't done before).

* Categories can't be too common in regular TMT20. For example: "English language songs" or "Classic rock" might have been good categories, but if you look at the songs that actually made the Talossan Music Top 20, many of those would fall in both these categories, which defeats the point of the special edition. For reference: https://wiki.talossa.com/Talossan_Music_Top_20

* Categories can't be too niche. For example: "Music from Liechtenstein" may or may not be very interesting, but nobody is gonna be able to nominate songs for this category. We're gonna have to select categories where several participants are gonna be able to come up with at least 25 different songs.

* There can't be too much overlap. For example if someone nominates "Italian language songs" as a category and somebody else nominates "Songs from Italy", these will for a large part be the same songs, so if that happens one of these categories cannot be selected.


NOMINATE 1, 2, or 3 categories that you would like to see in this year's special edition. Deadline: August 30th, so in exactly 14 days from now.

Already selected categories (1/6)
- Songs released on or after February 2nd, 2023 (The day nominations opened for the recent songs category in the previous TMTSpecial)

Categories nominated so far:
- Covers of original songs
- Songs with less than 5000 listenings on Spotify
- Songs in invented language
- Songs that include unusual time signatures
- Songs with twin guitars
- Songs about historical events
- Commercial jingles
- Ska/reggae songs
- Metal songs
- Songs in French
- Songs that mention the weather
- Songs with no lyrics
- Songs sung by puppets
- Hymns/spiritual songs
- Indie rock
- Jazz/big band
- Eurodance/Eurodisco

[Glüc]

Links:
Previous edition category selection
Previous edition results
Talossan Music Top 20 overview

[þerxh Sant-Enogat]

Can we have 'covers of original songs' as a category ?
And songs with less than 5000 listenings on Spotify
Plus songs in invented language
(Rephrasing welcome !)

[Gjermund Higraff]

My first try at nominating categories:

1. Songs that include unusual time signatures
2. Songs with twin guitars
3. Songs about historical events

I was considering "unoriginal songs used in movies", but figured it could be covered by the "too common" rule? As in all songs used in Guardians of the galaxy, for example.

[Mic’haglh Autófil, O.Be]

Can we have 'covers of original songs' as a category ?

I was also thinking song covers could be a good category, actually.

[Breneir Tzaracomprada]

Commercial jingles
News musical compositions (think the BBC or MSNBC election themes, etc.)

[Glüc]

And songs with less than 5000 listenings on Spotify

I'm not sure about this one. Not everyone uses spotify, but even if you do I'm not sure how to get listener stats for all songs. Probably in the desktop app? I worry many people won't be able to nominate for this category.

[Glüc]

Can we have 'covers of original songs' as a category ?

Of course!

Although I do wonder if it might be more interesting if it was more constrained.
For example "Live covers that weren't recorded in the studio" or the other way round "Covers that appeared on a studio album". Or "Covers of songs nominated for TMT20" would be funny" Or "Covers are completely different from the original". Just some ideas. As it is written is still perfectly fine though!

[Glüc]

News musical compositions (think the BBC or MSNBC election themes, etc.)

I don't think after the first five or so nominations there will be many interesting picks left. Can we fill 25 nominations with this category?

[Glüc]

My own (fairly standard/predictable) suggestions:

- Ska/reggae songs
- Metal songs
- Songs in French

[Breneir Tzaracomprada]

I don't think after the first five or so nominations there will be many interesting picks left. Can we fill 25 nominations with this category?

That's true sadly. It sprung to mind as an interesting category but there are only so many news agencies with notable themes.

[Iason Taiwos]

My own (fairly standard/predictable) suggestions:

- Ska/reggae songs
- Metal songs
- Songs in French

https://youtu.be/pOH5n6UnfO8?si=M7o7NhxfhlnKGGIa
Or...reggae songs in French? 😆

[King Txec]

Songs that mention the weather
Songs with no lyrics
Songs sung by puppets

-Txec R

[Glüc]

Songs sung by puppets

[Sir Ian Plätschisch]

Hymns/spiritual songs
Indie rock (not sure exactly how to police this)
Jazz/big band