#nextbigsound

PREDICTING THE INDUSTRY OF MUSIC

Dylan said it best when he sang “Oh the times they are a changing.” And changing they are in the world of music.

Since 2009 Next Big Sound: Analytics and Insights of the Music Industry has been looking at the online world and collecting data to gain insight on musicians and their fans.

Next Big Sound has created unique algorithms to individualize and better suit the artists experience when using both sights. They have created charts based on the listeners activity providing results for upcoming artists on what tracks and competing artists do well.

Next Big Sound has created three charts: Pandora Trendsetters, Pandora Top Spins and Pandora Predictions.

Pandora Trendsetters is based on the top 20 artists entered by listeners. Artist Kiiara has been 01. for 12 weeks running. This comes as no surprise as her hit song Gold offers a fragmented vocal experience on the chorus combined with an infecting verse. The reverbing metronome, providing the beat, compliments the chopped up vocals captivating listeners with its controlled experimentation.

The music that is most successful has simple melodies and choruses that are repetitive, keeping the attention of the listener. When listeners can experience something unique, while still retaining organization and pop qualities, it will no doubt be a favorable sound sought after in other artists.

These are reasons why songs, such as This is What I Came For by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna do so well and currently sit on the .01 spot on Pandora’s second list Pandora Top Spins which are generated by the weeks most listened to songs. The song provides an amped up beat, easy lyrics, and everyone’s favorite bad girl.

Pandora’s last chart is the most impressive. Pandora’s Predictions uses the algorithm to hypothesize which artists will make the top of any Billboard chart and continue on into mainstream success. .02 on the Pandora Predictions list, for 19 weeks, is artist Christine and the Queens, whose music video for Saint Claude has reached over 18 million views. With an outfit reminiscent of Michael Jackson and smooth dance moves the Saint Claude video is something new and appealing. The subtlety and mix of both her French and English lyrics make for a fresh texture along with her alto range voice.  

As well as Pandora, Spotify’s relationship provides the ability to be included in Next Big Sound’s field of data.

The Internet has allowed artists to spread themselves over a wide variety of platforms including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and SoundCloud. Next Big Sound’s mission is to use all these to the artists advantage by using likes, comments, posts, shares, pictures, tags and hashtags to provide supported “intel”.

Though not the only company of its kind Next Big Sound is paving the way for an entire new market in the music industry. Soundscan, Next Big Sound’s competitor, is of less convenience and its service is not free.