The researchers found that, while quality songs (as determined by market share and rank by the independent participants) do better on average, songs of any quality can experience a wide range of outcomes. "The 'best' songs never do very badly, and the 'worst' songs never do extremely well, but almost any other result is possible," they said. A song in the top 5 in terms of quality had only a 50% chance of finishing in the top 5 of success.
Here's a study on the effect of social influence on music preferences:
http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/publications/press_releases/musiclab.html
The researchers found that, while quality songs (as determined by market share and rank by the independent participants) do better on average, songs of any quality can experience a wide range of outcomes. "The 'best' songs never do very badly, and the 'worst' songs never do extremely well, but almost any other result is possible," they said. A song in the top 5 in terms of quality had only a 50% chance of finishing in the top 5 of success.