If someone had the magic formula, every song would sell lots of records

ALL people can do is get behind a trend or into a genre, and compose something they THINK people want to hear.

IF it gains momentum, it is pushed and pushed and pushed some more, in various incarnations until things move on...all according to the old joke (thanks to our dear friend Bob Young)...who is Bob Young, get me Bob Young, get me someone who sounds like Bob Young, who was Bob Young...

So the answer to the question of why a particular piece of pop sells is because someone likes it, then more people like it, then the serious money backs it and pushes and spreads it and capitalizes on it (sometimes trying to imitate it) until no more money is being made.

YOU may not like it personally, but one person does not a market make.

We've been through this "argument" before and the same arguments go round and round...but the inescapable conclusion is that art is subjective.

Who knows why exactly a trend takes off? There is just a certain "je ne sais quoa" about it that captures people's attention.

We do know that when it does, money rushes in to exploit it as much as it can.


If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop