Q3’s Hit Songwriting Trends In Pop

Major Shifts In Sub-Genre Influences, Primary Instrumentation & More

The third quarter of 2012 yielded some key shifts in Hit Songwriting Trends that went into shaping the 21 songs that landed in the Billboard Pop Songs top 10 during the quarter.

Some of the categories most affected in Q3-2012 include:

• Primary Sub Genre Influences (specifically Dance/Club, Hip Hop/Rap, R&B/Soul and Mix/Fusion): One is on the rise, one is in decline, and two were no-shows on the Pop Songs chart.

• Primary Instrumentation: Songs featuring a prominent Synth as well as songs featuring a mix of primary instrumentation saw a reversal of the trends that had been defining them for over a year.

• Songs that Kick Off with the Chorus: The decline of two specific sub-genre categories had a direct effect on the number of songs that kicked off with the chorus as opposed to the verse.

• 1st Chorus Occurrence in the Song: Shifts in certain compositional characteristics greatly affected where the first chorus occurred in top 10 hit Pop songs.

Read this report to see what’s in, what’s out and what trends are shaping today’s top charting Pop songs!