The Computer As Music Critic
Monday, October 1, 2012 at 11:30AM
There's been plenty of news lately regarding computer analysis of music. It's getting slower and sadder. It's sounding more and more the same. Record labels are using algorithms to vet songs for their hit potential.
For a musical purist who believes in the transcendent spirit of music, it's all a little depressing.
However, the scientists involved in some of these studies would like us to consider a different interpretation. From the New York Times:
[W]hat if it is all about economy of resources? If today’s music still satisfies listeners the same way pop music did 50 years before, then maybe its creators are simply better at crafting pleasing songs.
If music is a form of information and musicians are using fewer “words” to convey their message, maybe they’re getting more efficient.
Anyone want to buy that argument? Read the whole article here.
Reader Comments (1)
Once an algorithm can predict the next music revolution like 70s punk or the British Invasion, I might actually care about how computers have some influence on music