CY’s Weblog

Popularity bred popularity?

February 10, 2006 on 2:11 pm | 英文日志, Topics |

Found an interesting topic. Do you like smash hits?? How do you choose which album to buy?

So what makes a hit?

A new study reveals that we make our music purchases based partly on our perceived preferences of others.

….. continue to read The Science of Hit Songs

Basicly, 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.

One reader remarks

(the experiment) turns out popularity bred popularity, which explains why there’s so much crap on the radio

Another interesting remark is

It’s the law of physics that states that if one girl screams for something, it will make other girls scream … until all girls within a five-mile radius are screaming. Once you get girls screamin’, you can’t stop ‘em! They’re crazy! –Chef, South Park

This is exactly how I see those pop songs. Not many pop songs stay popular for long, the possible reason is that their popularity was created mainly by marketing rather than quality.

I am not saying that this is actually good science. Actually, if you know a little bit science, you will find that this research had made too many assumptions.

Following Comments:

hum~~popularity stuff~~rather complex….I would say that there must some reason essentially lead to the popularity, not just the popularity itself, ‘cuz the base(very first) quantity of ‘popularity’ should be large enough to bred even bigger popularity….(felt i am saying the tongue twister~~hoho)whatsoever, nothing comes from nothing~ as regard to the pop song,
well…u know, lots of the classical music today were once the “pop music” in the time when they had been written~what makes the difference is their qualities….i agree with u upon this point. today’s pop song is just like MASS production, ‘cuz music-making is also a popular thing…………so, let’s just wait and see which pop song we know will remain after fifty years or more……hehe…

oh, forgot to say>元er - 10/02/2006 22:51

when people need to make a choice, given that nowadays there are so many choices, taking other ppl’s preferences into account seems to be good idea and an efficient way to be entertained.
also, when people are talking about a song, you will want to listen to it so that you can talk about it. we all live with other ppl, so being influenced by others is unavoidable.i feel sad that the increasing number of choices is now obstructing us from having our own tastes and make it a bit inefficient for quility works to emerge, maybe?

yuaner, i like your comments, “lots of the classical music today were once the ‘pop music’ ” may be true. but i can hardly imagine when i am 80 years old say, any of today’s hits become “classical”. 200 years later,perhaps?

Published By CY- 11/02/2006 01:22

yeah~~it’s inevitable for us to take other people’s preferences into account when we are making our choises, so that we can get ourselves be involved in most of the talking.^^just read the article link above~only to find out that’s sth called social influence~
hehe, and it indeed, has given some negative effects on the emergence of good quality work, i agree.Yet, i want to say that nothing will obstruct u from having ur own taste, (u’v been doing it well i think~)and there will always be someone who share the same taste as u…..^^hoho….
why u so pessimistic about the prospect of today’s music ?well… maybe in ur mind, classical music has to be performed seriously by orchestras, i think the definition of classical can be broader….to some extents, Beatle’s music have already become somehow ‘classical’ in many people’s minds…..right?

Published By 元er - 11/02/2006 23:45

well, yuan’er evidently we share some interests and i am glad to say so. is that the reason you *..^^hoo…* ? hehe
i was not saying that something will prevent me from having my own tastes but in a rather general terms. you see, i am not a person with peculiar tastes i must thank the people i was connected to for it.
i am not pessimistic about today’s music that much, but i do not believe those hits will become “classical music” in future. In my point of view, rather narrow, classical music is refined and produced in the traditions of art which is contrasted with pop hits, and certainly must be concert music. beatles music are good and may become classical in many people’s mind as you said, but i don’t believe it will be universally recognized. on the other hand, i see the potentials of new-ages. like yanni’s

Published By CY- 12/02/2006 00:31

By CY | 来自BlogCY