The social perception of harmony in popular music

Abstract

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the influence that an harmonic pattern, placed in different pop music songs, can have over the audience. This is an important factor within the "greatest hits" media phenomenon and can help both to clarify the impact on society and to achieve a better understanding of the reception of new hits in the field of popular music. It is our understanding that success is conditioned by the said pattern, often located in radio-formulas and websites which enable the listening of music via streaming.  We shall see how a purely musical parameter, in this case, harmony, can influence the audience at the time of reception and evaluation of new releases launched by the greatest links of the music industry such as producers, record companies or radio stations.