Amazon.com picks best music of the year


12 Dec 2011

Adele performs live in 2009

Adele and Lady Gaga have produced the best music of 2011, e-commerce giant Amazon.com’s lists of the top tunes of the year reveal.

Adele’s album 21 is No 1 on Amazon.com’s best album of the year list, and Lady Gaga’s song Born This Way tops the customer MP3 favourites for 2011 list.

Amazon.com’s lists include the editors’ picks for the Top 100 Albums of the Year, Top 100 Customer Favorites and a breakdown of Best of the Year lists in various musical genres.

Compiling the best-of music lists

Each year, the Amazon Music team digs into a handful of musical genres and editors listen to as much new music as possible and vote on the best albums and songs.

Amazon.com’s goal of creating a thoughtful “best of the year” list is to help customers discover amazing new music and make it easy for them to explore new bands or artists.

“Our customers enjoy discovering new music and we hope there’s something for everyone’s taste in our Best of the Year for 2011,” said Craig Pape, director of Amazon Music Content Acquisition.

“Our editors love to listen to new music and highlight the best of the best, such as Adele’s rich sophomore effort, 21. Rolling In The Deep has become an anthem for 2011 and is the top song in our Customer Picks.”

Here are two of Amazon.com’s lists regarding the best music of 2011:

Top 10 music editors’ picks for best albums of the year:

1. Adele, 21

2. Bon Iver, Bon Iver

3. The Decemberists, The King is Dead

4. James Blake, James Blacke

5. The Civil Wars, Barton Hollow

6. Cut Copy, Zonoscope

7. Cults, Cults

8. Little Dragon, Ritual Union

9. tUnE-yArDs, W H O K I L L

10. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light

Top 10 customer MP3 favorites for 2011:

1. Lady Gaga, Born This Way

2. Adele, 21

3. Original Broadway Cast, The Book Of Mormon

4. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto

5. The Decemberists, The King Is Dead

6. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues

7. She & Him, A Very She & Him Christmas

8. Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys

9. The Civil Wars, Barton Hollow

10. Bon Iver, Bon Iver