Have you dissected your music into the core parts?

How would you describe your vocal style? Do you have screaming Marshall amps or lilting guitar riffs? Are the beats heavy in your songs?

Dividing your music into the basic components is one of the two major strategies behind the online players and recommendation engines on the web. The technique breaks down each song into attributes. These attributes define the fundamental blocks which underly a song. A single attribute does not constitute a song. It is the combination and collection of attributes that make up a song. By combining different attributes in different combinations, you have different songs.

This idea is taken from the biology concept of DNA and genomes. Now, I know next to nothing about biology, but I understand DNA and genomes describe the basic attributes of humans and other organisms. They describe the basic building blocks of life. Combine them in different ways and you get different variations on life. For music, Pandora.com is the product of the this concept, called the Music Genome Project.

Imagine this situation. You, as a listener, are told that a song contains a full chorus of voices? That information is helpful, but, taken alone, the voices don’t mean anything. By adding in other attributes, you can either define a gospel group singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” or you can get Queen singing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The products of the different combinations are vastly different. For a band, this analysis can open up a handful of new areas for finding fans. If your music contains impossibly fast guitar solos, then you’ll find new fans who listen to other groups with the same guitar filled sound.

This analysis may seem mechanical and uninspired to many people. Music is supposed to be an ethereal and awe-inspiring creation. Breaking down the components loses all the emotion. On the other hand, it works. Consider your own music collection. While many people brag about their diverse tastes, there’s a good chance you’ve got clusters of similar groups. Those clusters represent the similarities in your preferences and will consist of overlapping attributes.

If your band is looking for new fans, try breaking down your sound. Finding bands with similar tastes will help you find new fans.