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How Songs Get Popular

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the why-stuff-sucks dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers created an artificial music market of 14,341 participants split into two groups to pick music from unknown musicians. In one group, the individuals had only song titles and band names to go on. The individuals in the other group saw how others had rated the songs. Turns out popularity bred popularity, which explains why there's so much crap on the radio."

4 of 316 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Just like /. by AK__64 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Welp, I have mod points, and I'm going to say..... LOL

  2. Re:Would the Beatles have made it today? by drinkypoo · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    So, today stars are foisted, created, presented to the consuming public by fiat, not a great surprise. It's too bad though. I even wonder a group as good as the Beatles

    HAHAHAHAHAHA. HAaHaHaAHA! *snort*

    Let me let you in on a little secret, that no one in the world seems to know: The beatles fucking sucked. Off-tune, off-time. They became popular mostly due to their haircuts, and the fact that they were doing something new. Remember, 2 Live Crew became one of the best-selling rap groups of all time just because they were cussing a lot. The best part of the 2 Live Crew was the Mega Mixx tracks done by their truly excellent DJ...

    If you could listen to the beatles with ears unclouded with the idea of the beatles, as I did the first time I listened to them (and many times thereafter) you would recognize the truth of this statement. Oh, you might still like them - I like a lot of crappy music. But I know it's crappy.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. Re:A key to music is the familiar. by chanrobi · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    It's hard to take someone seriously when there are spelling mistakes all over the place.

  4. Re:It's the Garmlich effect. by BungoMan85 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is terrible pretentious crap for people who like to claim they don't just listen to mainstream stuff. And I'm not just sayin that, I've had this conversation with someone else before. If you can even stand 5 seconds of "My Humps" you have bad taste. Condescending? Yes. True? Hell yes. Take what I say with a grain of salt. I listen to hardcore.

    --
    Bungo!