Found Around: Great Song, But Is It A Hit?
Written by Joe Mahoney Posted in: Found Around on November 03, 2010
I knew it was only a matter of time until a company rolled out software capable of translating pop music into science. In 2006, Platinum Blue Music Intelligence announced their company had developed a computer program that could determine whether a song was a hit or not; boasting an 85% accuracy. The program judges new music on the key components of a hit: harmony, melody, and tempo. These characteristics have been based on formulas that created some of the world's biggest hits. While to some this program may seem ideal, just be sure you have up to $6,000 ready to hand over for a full album analysis.
Jump to 2010 and we meet SoundOut, a program that uses fans and consumers to accurately gauge whether your tune has what it takes to stand up to other hit songs. Using SoundOut, artists now have another valuable tool in marketing their music or to starting from scratch all over again. Below is an article from Passive Promotion detailing what an artist should know about SoundOut. Be sure to comment and let us know what you think. Do you think this is a good tool for artist? Is analysis from SoundOut a better indicator of potential than audience response at performances? Let us know!
-Joe
(Passive Promotion) What Artists Should Know About SoundOut
credit: Brian Hazard as seen on Passive Promotion
You know your song is great, but is it a hit? Will it inspire listeners to share it with their friends, hand over their email address, or maybe even open their wallets? You need feedback from average music fans who have nothing to lose by being honest. SoundOut compares your song to 50,000 others from both major labels and indies. They promise to tell you how good your track is with guaranteed 95% accuracy (I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what that means). Starting at $40, they compile the results of 80 reviews into an easy-to-read PDF report. Top rated artists are considered for additional publishing and promotional opportunities. The head of business development invited me to try out the service for free with three 24-hour “Express Reports” (a $150 value). I used the feedback from my Jango focus group to select the best and worst tracks I recorded for my last album, along with my personal favorite, an 8-minute progressive house epic.
You can download all three of my PDF reports here.
