A Gentle Warning...

OK, maybe not a warning, but at least a request.

I really do appreciate that people are excited about the Top Kids Music Albums of All Time Poll and are e-mail folks and putting it on Facebook, et cetera. But as I review submissions, I'm beginning to wonder if some artists are starting to cross the line.

For better and for worse, I tacitly accept the craziness of the KidVid Tournament, where encouraging folks to vote for your video happens (and, you know, it's a competition).

But this poll is something different -- it's not a competition. Look at it this way -- rules for public radio business support are pretty clear -- you can't have qualitative language (e.g., award winning, leading, Pulitzer Prize Winner, etc.) or state facts that cannot be proven, you can't use comparative language (e.g., better, best, oldest, largest, etc.), and you can't have a call to action ("Visit our store…"Call xxx…etc.).

The announcement in Bill Harley's latest e-newsletter was just about perfect, I thought:

For those who are just looking for a fun family-music activity, Stefan Shepherd... is looking for your list of top 10 kids albums of all time! Here's your chance to make a wonderful list of all the family music you love and share it with other! It's easy to do and will certainly be fun. Check out the details here!

Anything more than that, and I think you've crossed the line. Sure there's qualitative language and calls to action, but none of it is directed at Bill -- it's just a heads-up about the poll. It's like a public service announcement.

So, kids music artists, please don't encourage fans to vote for you. It cheapens the poll, I don't like it at all, and it makes big-eyed puppies very sad.

And everybody else without a stake in the end result, please do vote -- the more people who vote, the better the result will be.

The First Gentle Reminder About the Top Kids Music Albums of All Time Poll

The reminders will probably become less and less gentle as the October 7 deadline for submitting your list of the top 10 kids music albums of all time approaches, but for now, I'll just say that I appreciate the number of folks who have already sent me their lists. And I also would like to thank Elizabeth Bird at Fuse #8 (whose idea for a Top 100 Picture Books poll she borrowed from someone else just as I borrowed from her) and the folks at friend-of-Zooglobble the Cybils Awards (a really great resource for keeping up on the best kids books of the year) for their nice words.

Go vote already (click on pic for details). No pressure, of course.

Announcing the Top Kids Music Albums of All Time Poll

How many "Best Of" album lists are there (answer: about a kajillion) and how many of them are for albums recorded for kids and families (answer: none)? I mean, sure, there's the assorted list here and there, but where's the definitive list of the best kids music albums from the genre's rich history, based on the expertise of dozens, if not hundreds (thousands?) of reviewers, librarians, parents?

Right here.

Well, OK, it's not here yet. That's where you come in. I'm announcing my Top Kids Music Albums of All Time Poll, and I need (or at least would like) your participation.

The rules are fairly simple (I think):

1) By October 7, at 8:59 PM West Coast time (11:59 PM East Coast time) -- e-mail me (zooglobble AT earthlink DOT net) your list of the top 10 kids music albums of all time. Put "top kids music poll" (or something like that) in the subject line. Don't give me your list in the comments below.

2) Rank your 10 albums from most favorite (which will get 10 points) to least most favorite (which will get 1 point). If you give me 11 (or more), I'll just ignore anything after the first 10. If you give me less than 10, then you won't get all 10 points for your top choice (in other words, if you just submit 2 albums, the top one will get just 2 points). Oh, and I don't like ties -- I will simply give a higher score to the album listed first. Update: If you can write "Top" or something like that next to your top (10-point) choice, that'll just make me confident that I have the order correct.

3) Feel free to leave comments with your poll submission. I may choose to incorporate those comments into the poll results, with your attribution if you so desire. Your ballot will remain private (unless you want to publish it elsewhere) and not be published or forwarded on.

4) Artists: Don't solicit votes for your albums. It's tacky.

If you have any questions, please feel to shoot me a line. Finally, full credit for the idea goes to Elizabeth Bird at Fuse #8, who put together a fabulous Top 100 Picture Books of All Time Poll this past spring.

I'm looking forward to getting swamped with entries!