Big Brother will be happy to pick your songs:

By GRANT ROBERTSON

They know what songs you like, even before you like them.

Record labels spend millions of dollars each year trying to predict what singles will top the charts and which ingredients make a hit single.

Now, two Massachusetts Institute of Technology PhD grads believe they have cracked the code.

After years of crunching data, Brian Whitman and Tristan Jehan have devised a computer program that listens to a song, then predicts how humans will react to it.

The response is so specific at times that it can forecast how a single will perform on the charts and spit out a review, guessing what words will be used to describe it, from "sexy to romantic to loud and upbeat," Mr. Whitman said.

(much more at link)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051110.wxhits10/BNStory/Business/

Trusting an analysis algorithm is better than listening to what MTV tells you you should be listening to, and frankly, IMO even people I genuinely like and have a lot in common with have horrible taste in music. If the algorithm was available, I'd definitely give it a whirl and see if it found any good songs or groups I have not discovered yet.

The way it's used, though, in the article, would be a bit scary if I didn't already know that everything on the radio dials is crap.

they will ALWAYS pick what you liked before.... no more "surprises" or "innovations"

Well what if there is a weird song that I think is romantic?