The X-Factor In Music Uncovered Reveals The Anatomy Of Hit Songs

For immediate release

The X-Factor in Music Uncovered reveals the anatomy of hit songs

31 May 2016, Jyväskylä, Finland

Contact: geoff.luck@jyu.fi

Blog: http://bit.ly/LuckyBlogger

What makes a great song? A catchy melody? Definitely. Killer lyrics? Possibly. But if you really want to know what helped Mark Ronson shift 14 million copies of Uptown Funk in an age where piracy and streaming rule, research suggests you may have to dig a little deeper.

When it comes to our music preferences, everyone’s taste profile is different. Yet a hit song by definition transcends those differences. Clearly there’s something about a massively popular song that appeals to a large swathe of the population. It’s not the characteristics of the song per se though, but the way certain characteristics stimulate our mind, capture our heart and seduce our body to render it utterly irresistible.

So says experimental psychologist Dr. Geoff Luck, who’s spent 20 years studying the neurological, physiological and behavioural effects of sound and music. He’s identified more than a dozen characteristics present in music we desire that tap into our most basic of human instincts to reel us in.

From manipulating our brain chemistry to hacking our natural movement frequency, the quantifiable effects of these characteristics can be conceptualised as the so-called X-Factor, that elusive quality that elevates great music above the rest.

And crucially, because music is a human universal that has evolved over such a massively extended period, these fundamental effects are more or less similar for everyone. Which explains why a song that taps into them becomes so popular. 

You can discover more about Geoff’s approach to modelling the anatomy of a hit in his new book, The X-Factor in Music Uncovered. Available now on Indiegogo, it promises to profoundly connect you with the soundtrack to your life.

Campaign page: https://igg.me/at/thexfactorinmusicuncovered 

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Geoff Luck, PhD, Assoc. Prof.

Finnish Centre for Interdisciplinary Music Research

+358 (0)50 576 2286

geoff.luck@jyu.fi

Geoff Luck is Associate Professor at the Finnish Centre For Interdisciplinary Music Research, and an expert on music perception and cognition. In his new book, The X-Factor in Music Uncovered, he reveals how songwriters and composers can write more captivating music, music fans can intensify their listening experience, and industry professionals can maximise audience engagement all by understanding the basic science behind the sound. If music plays a significant role in your life, this book is for you.