JACKSON’S MUSIC GOOD FOR ECONOMY?
Wed, July 15, 2009  
Let's reverse the process - if all all bands would start making music with a lot of beat variation, could they influence stock market behaviour?

"Only if the social mood of the people were such that we would want to listen to them! It's not that musicians make whatever music they want and we are forced to listen to it. We choose which track on a new album will be popular. We choose what we like to hear and buy.

"Try listening to a lot of low beat variance music in a row -- things like A-ha, Ace of Base, etc. It is easy, fun, no problem. You could listen to such a mix for hours. Now try to listen to Ray Charles and Streisand and other high beat variance songs. It is much harder, at least it is for me. Is that because they are intrinsically and always harder to listen to, or because the economy is where it is?"

  Phil Maymin's website

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On the technical side - how exactly did you calculate "beat variation" within the songs? Was that some kind of software analyzing tool?

"Oh yes! That's the important part. I used Echonest.com, a new and unique website that does precisely that, among other things."

Thanks Phil. Interesting stuff. With Michael Jackson songs taking Billboard by storm right now, his death may turn out the thing to revitalize the economy.