Researchers from Washington University's Olin Business School found that though people claim to like and enjoy unfamiliar music, they actually prefer familiar songs and music pieces.
Music is an integral part of our lives. It plays the role of a soother while doing different tasks such as traveling, working or even resting. But the choice of music varies from person to person. A new study from Washington University's Olin Business School has found that a common factor in people's choice of music is familiarity. Although people believe they enjoy new tracks, they most often pick familiar music.
Previous studies have shown positive effects of music on health and emotions. Researchers of this study, Joseph K. Goodman, PhD, associate professor of marketing at Olin and co-author of the study, Morgan Ward of Southern Methodist University, and Julie Irwin of University of Texas at Austin, found that music is often subjected to selection based on its familiarity to the listener rather than its novelty.
The findings of the study show that customers believe they prefer new tracks when actually they prefer listening to familiar music.
"Our results suggest that the emphasis on novelty in the music domain, by consumers and people often protesting the current state of the music business, is probably misplaced," Goodman said in statement. "In the marketplace, and in our pilot study, consumers say that they want more novelty when in fact their choices suggest they do not."
Goodman emphasizes on the need to promote familiar music to the customers that will help marketers and artists achieve better results. But there will always be room for new music, says Goodman.
The success of music services like Pandora and Spotify continues because they play both personalized familiar music and novel tracks. Most participants in the study chose the radio station that played more familiar tracks than the most liked ones. Most people listen to familiar tracks than the new ones while they are busy working with tasks. Hence, the power of familiarity is a major determining factor for the choice of music.