• Login
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    The evolution of popular music: USA 1960-2010. 
    •   QMRO Home
    • School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science
    • Centre for Digital Music (C4DM)
    • The evolution of popular music: USA 1960-2010.
    •   QMRO Home
    • School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science
    • Centre for Digital Music (C4DM)
    • The evolution of popular music: USA 1960-2010.
    ‌
    ‌

    Browse

    All of QMROCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects
    ‌
    ‌

    Administrators only

    Login
    ‌
    ‌

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    The evolution of popular music: USA 1960-2010.

    View/Open
    Published version (1.376Mb)
    Volume
    2
    Pagination
    150081 - ?
    DOI
    10.1098/rsos.150081
    Journal
    R Soc Open Sci
    Issue
    5
    ISSN
    2054-5703
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    In modern societies, cultural change seems ceaseless. The flux of fashion is especially obvious for popular music. While much has been written about the origin and evolution of pop, most claims about its history are anecdotal rather than scientific in nature. To rectify this, we investigate the US Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 2010. Using music information retrieval and text-mining tools, we analyse the musical properties of approximately 17 000 recordings that appeared in the charts and demonstrate quantitative trends in their harmonic and timbral properties. We then use these properties to produce an audio-based classification of musical styles and study the evolution of musical diversity and disparity, testing, and rejecting, several classical theories of cultural change. Finally, we investigate whether pop musical evolution has been gradual or punctuated. We show that, although pop music has evolved continuously, it did so with particular rapidity during three stylistic 'revolutions' around 1964, 1983 and 1991. We conclude by discussing how our study points the way to a quantitative science of cultural change.
    Authors
    Mauch, M; MacCallum, RM; Levy, M; Leroi, AM
    URI
    http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/7959
    Collections
    • Centre for Digital Music (C4DM) [210]
    Language
    eng
    Twitter iconFollow QMUL on Twitter
    Twitter iconFollow QM Research
    Online on twitter
    Facebook iconLike us on Facebook
    • Site Map
    • Privacy and cookies
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility
    • Contacts
    • Intranet
    • Current students

    Modern Slavery Statement

    Queen Mary University of London
    Mile End Road
    London E1 4NS
    Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 5555

    © Queen Mary University of London.