"Artist obscurity index"

blog obscurometer

I know very well that my music taste is pretty obscure. But how obscure? Without any accepted standards or parameteters there is a high risk of ending up in endless discussions about obscurity in general and if x is really more obscure than y in particular. Fortunately, there is now a legitimit and scientific way to answer the question and settle all disputes, namely the Obscurometer (see link here). The Obscurometer measures the obscurity of an artist from 0 (no obscurity) to 100 percent (total obscurity). You can read how the overall obscurity level is computed in more detail on the Obscurometer website. The average artist obscurity according to the Obscurometer is 93,2 percent. This is a very high figure, but bear in mind that there are nearly 370 000 artists in the database (of which some are known only by the artists themselves). Some statistics so you get the general idea: Lady Gaga 10,9 percent, Taylor Swift 28,5 percent and Garth Brooks 50,9 percent. I put all artists in the 42 articles on the website in the Obscurometer and here is some basic statistics: average mean 85,6 percent, first quartile 79,6 percent, median 86,9 percent and third quartile 91,2 percent. The result is fairly as expected. The most obscure artists in the article series are American Sinner (98,5), Pushin Rope (97,5) and The Blackthorns (96,7) percent. The least obscure artists in the article series are 16 Horsepower (65,6), Murder by Death (65,8) and The Handsome Family (68,6) percent. After studied the result I have three general conclusions:

1) Obscurity is a good thing

 "Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong." - Oscar Wilde 

2) Obscurity is desirable

In my opinion, the higher obscurity level the better. Obscurity level should not be less than 66,6 percent. And never under 50 percent.

3) Obscurity is, however, not an end in itself

“Money may not buy happiness, but I'd rather cry in a Jaguar than on a bus.” - Françoise Sagan

 

Below is a complete list of overall obscurity level (all artists in 42 articles).

 

ARTIST/BAND 

Obscurity (%)

 WEST

 

The Denver Gentlemen

86,6

Pushin Rope

97,5

Tarantella

83,3

Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots

85.3

The Handsome Family

68,6

16 Horsepower

65,6

Wovenhand

80,2

The Builders and The Butchers

77,2

Palodine

91,4

 SOUTH

 

Sons of Perdition

86,1

Blackgrass

93,3

Baptist Generals

95,0

Highlonesome

90,9

American Sinner

98,5

The Shivers

n/a

Pinebox Serenade

89,7

Creech Holler

89,0

The Victor Mourning

96,4

Antic Clay

86,5

Myssouri

86,9

Trailer Bride

90,8

Jim White

72,6

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

73,3

Vic Chesnutt

70,1

 MIDWEST

 

Blanche

78,9 

The Blackthorns

96,7

Souled American

91,2

The Roe Family Singers

96,3 

Strawfoot

86,2

Christian Williams

88,8 

Those Poor Bastards

79,6 

.357 String Band

90,4 

Murder by Death

65,8 

Puerto Muerto

85,4 

Slackeye Slim

91.2 

 NORTHEAST

 

Fire on Fire

87,1 

Rex

87,1 

Filthy Still

96,4 

Reverend Glasseye

86,0 

O'Death

77,5 

 CANADA

 

Uncle Sinner

91,2 

Elliott Brood

77,7


 

Note: Data was retrieved from Obscurometer 2014-09-01.

 

 

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