Book a flight online and you'll be offered various add-ons: a hotel room at your destination, a rental car waiting at the airport, tickets to a show, "a mani-pedi," jokes Tim Westergren, founder of the Internet radio station Pandora. The music industry could learn something from the travel business, he says. "The health of your industry depends on your alliances with surrounding industries," he says. "If you play your cards right and you structure your deals correctly you can get to a point where one and one is greater than two." Westergren, a musician himself, started what's now ... Read More
‘Mozart Effect’ Real — For Some
July 30, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment
Since it entered the public consciousness in 1993, the “Mozart effect” — the notion that listening to the Austrian composer’s sublime music can boost brainpower, particularly in children — has spawned a small industry of books and CDs. But its reception among researchers has been anything but harmonious, with many expressing skepticism that a sonata could supply significant cerebral stimulation. Researchers from Royal Holloway (University of London) have tested a thesis that may explain why studies of this phenomenon have produced such inconsistent results. In a study just ... Read More
Sharing Intense Emotions Motivates Maestros
July 21, 2009 • By • 2 Comments
In movies, orchestra conductors tend to be portrayed as egomaniacs. But a new study of why certain musicians gravitate to the podium suggests a very different set of motivations are at play. In an article just published in the journal Psychology of Music, Ioannis Makris of the School of Higher Pedagogical and Technological Education in Greece reports on a survey of 101 orchestral conductors. They were presented with 92 possible motives for entering their profession and asked which of them reflected their own views. "The motives most strongly evoked were the ones linked with emotions and ... Read More
Post-Op Opera: Music Helps Surgery Patients Recover
July 14, 2009 • By • 2 Comments
Even hard-core music lovers may not feel like reaching for their iPod as they're being wheeled out of the operating room. But two new studies report rhythm and harmony promote rejuvenation and health in the hours and days immediately after surgery. The research papers, which describe a pilot study of cardiac surgery patients and an experiment featuring older adults undergoing hip or knee surgery, are both published in the inaugural issue of the journal Music and Medicine. Together, they suggest the much-discussed healing power of music can play a valuable role in the postoperative healing ... Read More
Music Education Improves Literacy of Second-Graders
March 17, 2009 • By • 1 Comment
According to a just-published study in the journal Psychology of Music, the reading skills of young children who received structured training in music were clearly superior to those of their peers who did not have the benefit of such instruction. The finding is particularly striking because both groups of kids took part in comprehensive literary training, in which lengthy periods of their school day were dedicated to reading and writing. The study, conducted by psychologists Joseph M. Piro and Camilo Ortiz of New York's Long Island University, directly compared second-graders from two New York ... Read More
Name That Tune. On Second Thought, Don’t.
February 24, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment
Got a song stuck in your head? Researchers at Kansas State University say that merely thinking about a certain tune — even if it's not actually playing — can summon vivid memories of a time, place or emotion. "That's why oldies stations are so popular," said Richard Harris, professor of psychology, in a press release announcing the study. "Not because the music is good but because it reminds us of specific times in our lives." (And here we thought oldies stations were popular because America still can't get enough of "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am.") In the study, the researchers asked ... Read More
Cut, Paste, Enrich: Art in the Remix Era
January 14, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment
In 2007, the English rock band Radiohead released its latest album online, where it was available for download for as much or as little as fans wanted to pay. After fulfilling their previous contractual agreements, the band had decided not to re-sign with a major label and instead keep complete creative and distribution control. They had earned the freedom to give away their music for free, and that's just what they did. In a period when digitized music is easily copied and distributed, Radiohead beat the pirates to the punch. The band even encouraged fans to download one of the songs and ... Read More
The Eight of 2008
December 31, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Initially, I thought the idea of a one-year-old magazine naming a "top 10" list of stories from its single year of existence to be, let's say, overambitious. Yes, I know the nation has suffered through a period of self-involved twenty- and thirtysomething memoirs; does that mean it should encourage a publishing bubble in infant autobiography? But then rationalization and pride took over: After all, many readers have come to Miller-McCune only lately, and without a year-end list, they might never encounter the surprising amount of inventive, in-depth journalism one new magazine published in the ... Read More
ROCK STAR! (Brought to You by HUGE ADVERTISER!)
November 4, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
This summer, Kohl’s department stores launched a massive back-to-school advertising and clothing campaign, unveiling several brand-new apparel lines inspired — and pitched — by famous musicians, including Lenny Kravitz, Avril Lavigne and Vanessa Carlton. Grammy-winning superstar Kravitz, in particular, seemed inspired by his partnership with Levi’s to design a denim and T-shirt collection for Kohl’s; his new song “Love Revolution,” from his aptly titled recent album It Is Time for a Love Revolution, is a centerpiece of the ad campaign. Related: Watch the Top 10 Songs in ... Read More
All You Need is Loving Lyrics
October 2, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Numerous studies have concluded that songs conveying antisocial messages — which are all-too-common in contemporary rap music — tend to promote aggressive thoughts and hostile feelings. New research finds the opposite is also true: Songs with lyrics promoting peace and love can increase empathy and encourage charitable behavior. In an upcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, psychologist Tobias Greitemeyer of the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, describes three studies featuring students at a university in Munich, Germany. In each case, participants ... Read More
