Science Confirms What Top 40 Knows ... Listeners Like The Hits

It's Scientific!

Research from WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY's OLIN BUSINESS SCHOOL has found that while people may claim they want to hear lots of new music... they actually prefer familiar music. SCIENCE DAILY reports, "the study, 'The Same Old Song: The Power of Familiarity in Music Choice,' could have implications for marketers and the playlists, events, venues and products which they choose to advertise."

"In three studies, we examined the power of familiarity on music choice and showed that familiarity is a more important driver of music choice than more obvious, and commonly tested, constructs such as liking and satiation, i.e., being 'sick of' certain music," said OLIN Associate Professor of Marketing JOSEPH K. GOODMAN, PhD, who is the co-author of the study, along with MORGAN WARD of SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY and JULIE IRWIN of the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN.

"Our results suggest that the emphasis on novelty in the music domain, by consumers and people often protesting the current state of the music business, is probably misplaced," added GOODMAN. "In the marketplace, and in our pilot study, consumers say that they want more novelty when in fact their choices suggest they do not."

Good news for those promoting new tunes though, as GOODMAN told SCIENCE DAILY that although "the studies show the importance of familiarity in music, it also shows that there is a place for new music as well. Consumers have a need for both novel and familiar music, and they especially prefer familiar music when they are busy working or doing cognitively demanding tasks."

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