Billboard chart analysis from 1950 to 2022 indicates a decline in melodic complexity, influenced by new genres and digital technology, while overall musical complexity may remain balanced.
Research on top Billboard songs from 1950-2022 shows a decrease in melodic complexity, potentially linked to genre evolution and digital music production advancements, even as other musical components may have grown more complex.
The complexity of the melodies of the most popular songs each year in the USA — according to the Billboard year-end singles charts — has decreased since 1950, a study published on July 4 in the journal DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64571-x
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