Decoding the Algorithm for Pop Music

fb4f writes "Over at Modplug, they have an article describing a mathematical algorithm to predict if a given song will become a hit or not. Paraphrasing the article, a Spanish company called Polyphonic HMI has made a business out of analyzing song submissions and predicting their "hitability". Here's their description of the algorithm and here's their FAQ. They claim to have predicted the commercial success of Norah Jones through this method. Here's my question (which is not fully answered in their FAQ): if they (music company executives) are currently using the algorithm to screen submissions for their "hitability", can we (people who listen to music) use the same algorithm to reject recycled tunes and encourage originality? I for one, still like the fresh talent and community feel of the tracking scene."

Comments

Dupe.

[Bootsy Collins]

Well, I don't know how to tell what songs will be popular. But, obviously, this topic is popular.

Re:Star success?

[JayBlalock]

And just to add an interesting bit of trivia, a lot of people don't know she's the until-recently-estranged daughter of world-famous Indian musician Ravi Shankar.

(And if you don't know THAT name, he was the guy who introduced The Beatles to the sitar.)