Here’s some snippets of a talk I gave with Jeff Staple for Re:Mix Lab & Wired Magazine

Purchasing a car represents a major decision in an individual’s life. Next to one’s home, it’s typically the most expensive item that you buy. There are different types of automobiles, some classic, some new, some designed for families. Let’s go backwards and discuss a few of the different types of consumers. To generalize;

The Alpha Male drives a sports car like a Porsche. They’re typically small, fast and expensive. It’s a two seater, there’s no room for kids. It’s fast, expensive and a…

In my research with the Billboard Hot 100 charts and how it affects popular music, I found the link between tempo to be stronger than the link with key. This means two things;

In a short period of time, the tempo or speed of a track may more effectively affect mood than key does

1. In a longer period of time, the more easily it is to detect the key or modality

In order for it to touch the emotional aspect of our minds, we need to be able to compute it. Consider these numbers:

• A song is playing at 120…

I had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Trudi Loren, Vice President of Corporate Fragrance from Estée Lauder. I’ve always been interested in how scent can affect the sales and marketing . Below is a scent pyramid:

© Yale Fox and Robert J. Brym, 2009

Researchers have long known that music influences behavior. Food courts chase away loitering mall rats by piping in classical music. Teen boutiques boost sales by playing uptempo tunes. American troops blared hard rock for 15 days in 1989 to encourage Panamanian president Manuel Norriega’s surrender, and the 361st PsyOps company repeatedly blasted AC/DC’s ear-shattering “Hell’s Bells” and “Shoot to Thrill” to prepare the battlefield for the 2004 assault on Fallujah. …

[ download full pdf w/ graphs]

Club goers, including patrons, bar staff, disc jockeys, owners and management all agree that music is an integral part of the club experience. Music contributes to the (i) overall club experience, (ii) bar revenues, (iii) how late customers stay after “last call”, (iv) and overall customer satisfaction at the end of the evening. This paper will examine the role of the DJ’s and his or her musical selections on the nightclub experience and his or her influence on club revenues via music choices.

A number of the world’s top DJs suggest that people want…

In 2006, I spent a few months within the Islands of Hawaii studying Humpback Whales. The Humpback Whale is an incredible creature, up to 50 feet in length and weighing up to 36 000 kg. Whales are one of the only other mammals other than humans that sing, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so interesting.

I was working under supervision by field pioneer, Dr. Adam Pack of the University of Hawaii. The other interns were focused mainly on migratory patterns between Humpback Whales. This population of whales has travelled around the world, and so it was important…