Stardom, luck, and fragmented audiences

Chris Dalla Riva is a musician, data analyst, and the author of Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. In this episode, he joins data storyteller Mike Cisneros to talk about musical myths, hidden industry incentives, chart data, and underappreciated hits, as well as the thorny questions about authenticity, categorization, and what it really means to tell an honest story with numbers.

RELATED LINKS

• Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves | Chris Dalla Riva’s book 

• Can’t Get Much Higher | Chris’s newsletter

• Audiomack | Music streaming service where Chris works on analytics and personalization

• Max Martin Knows How to Create a #1 Hit | Chris’s The Economist article on song intros

• Suno AI | Generative AI tool for music creation discussed in the authenticity segment

• Follow Chris at @cdallarivam

SONGS AND ARTISTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• “Want Ads” by Honey Cone
• “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals
• “Hey Jude” by The Beatles
• “Blinded by the Light” (written by Bruce Springsteen, recorded by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band)
• “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen
• “When Doves Cry” by Prince
• “Believe” by Cher
• “Golden” by HUNTR/X