] A computer program is changing the face of the music
] business by allowing record labels to predict a hit at
] the click of a mouse. Is this the death of pop as we know
] it, asks Jo Tatchell, or a new hope for unsigned bands
] everywhere?

] Sounds unlikely? It shouldn't. Because, while no one's
] talking about it, it seems that the whole record industry
] is already using just this process. From unsigned acts
] dreaming in their garage, to multinationals such as Sony
] and Universal, everyone is clandestinely using a new and
] controversial technology to gain an edge on their
] competitors. And just as with athletes and
] performance-enhancing drugs, there is a remarkable
] reluctance to talk about it. But the secret is out: the
] record biz, once that bastion of wayward creative flair,
] is succumbing to the plain old-fashioned science of
] statistical analysis.

Hit Song Science, ripping the soul out of a type of critical listening that's existed since the dawn of baroque music. Lovely. More product development then artist development..

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