The Michael Effect

How a wildly popular biopic made Michael Jackson as big as today's top superstars

Jul 2 • Matt Bailey

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June 2026

How Drake Personally Ruined the Billboard Hot 100

The Hot 100 chart is more accurate than ever before. It's also less useful than ever before.

Jun 18 • Matt Bailey

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2026: The Worst Year for Hits this Decade?

If the first four months of this year are predictive, 2026 will see fewer Top 10 hits than any year in Hot 100 History. Will new releases in May fix it?

Jun 4 • Matt Bailey

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May 2026

WKRP in Cincinnati: A Music Analysis

The music on America's favorite fake radio station was very much real. How realistic was WKRP's music format?

May 21 • Matt Bailey

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The Crest and Crash of New Wave

Why did the genre that defines Eighties music seemingly appear out of nowhere? And when will the next new wave arrive?

May 7 • Matt Bailey

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April 2026

How Morgan Wallen Brought Country Fans to Streaming

Country finally achieved parity with Pop and Hip Hop on streaming platforms in 2024--but what Country fans stream and what they hear on the radio are…

Apr 23 • Matt Bailey

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Why are Young Adults Suddenly So Nostalgic?

The #BringBack2016 trend comes ten years before nostalgia typically invades. You can thank collective trauma for The Chainsmokers and Fetty Wap’s sudden…

Apr 9 • Matt Bailey

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March 2026

Old Songs Young Folks Just Discovered

Mar 26 • Matt Bailey

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Yacht Rock: How Big is the Boat?

A specific sound of smooth soft rock from the late 70s and early 80s is suddenly popular again. It isn't what you think. Its newfound fans aren't who…

Mar 12 • Matt Bailey

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February 2026

The Hits Radio Ignored in 2025 (and the Stiffs they Played Instead)

The type of songs that are huge on streaming, but AWOL on Contemporary Hit Radio, have changed dramatically in recent years. Why ignoring these songs…

Feb 26 • Matt Bailey

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Bad Bunny Won Big

The artist some pundits suggested wasn't popular among enough of America just became the biggest halftime performer of all time.

Feb 12 • Matt Bailey

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Um Actually... Bad Bunny is a Big Freakin’ Deal

How does the star of this year's Super bowl halftime show stack up with other big-name artists? And why outrage about Puerto-Rican musicians at sports…

Feb 5 • Matt Bailey

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