Brisbane-based marketing worker Nick Drew and his mate Tom Knox published their predictions on their website. The list, called ‘The Warmest 100,’ is so accurate that betting has been halted for Saturday’s countdown.
The pair analysed 35,081 Hottest 100 public votes, submitted to Triple J via Twitter and Facebook, to come up with what they think will be the most popular tunes. You can view the list here. [Spoiler alert!]
University of Queensland Chair of Applied Statistics Professor You-Gan Wang believes the Warmest 100’s predictions will be mostly correct.
“I think they’ll probably get most of them right,” he told Fairfax Media.
As of Tuesday, a number of bookmakers stopped taking bets on the Hottest 100 – though it’s unclear how many did so as a direct result of the Warmest 100 site.
Tom Waterhouse said the betting had been suspended.
“Yes that market has been taken down,” the company said via email.
Sportsbet said it closed betting to coincide with the end of public voting, on Sunday night.
But the bookmaker was offering odds on Triple J ditching its social media Hottest 100 voting system next year.
It was offering $1.33 for `yes’ Triple J will ditch the system, and $3.00 for `no’.
Sportsbet had US act Macklemore’s Thrift Shop as favourite for No.1 song when its market closed, followed closely by Little Talks, by Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men.
Meanwhile, ABC managing director Mark Scott appeared to cast at least a little doubt on the Warmest 100 predictions.
“Can a big data analysis predict the #hottest100?” he tweeted.
“Who knows? We will all find out on Australia Day.”
