How to Make a Hit?

As a rule, something becomes popular when people are able to recognize it quickly and without much effort. The effect of familiarity is important because it gives people comfort. But it is a fine balance because only repeating the familiar is not enough for success. The trick is finding the right blend of the familiar and the new.

Musicologist David Huron performed a series of animal testing, trying to establish the right ratio between repetition and originality, the two main ingredients i...