Why Songs are Hanging Around Forever, in Six Graphs

The typical song now spends over twice as long among Spotify's biggest hits than it did just a few years ago. Why are more people playing the same old…

Aug 13 • Matt Bailey

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July 2026

The Curse of the Aging Millennial

Throughout the 20s, the average age of pop hitmakers keeps aging. Why are older artists dominating the top of the chart?

Jul 30 • Matt Bailey

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What Year Do We (Musically) Want to Live in?

Nostalgia is seemingly at an all-time high. But when, exactly, is that time we're revisiting most?

Jul 16 • Matt Bailey

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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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