Superstardom in Popular Music: Empirical Evidence

TLDR

The market for popular music is debated as either lacking consumer appreciation for singing or exemplifying a superstar phenomenon where small ability differences lead to disproportionate success. This paper provides empirical evidence countering these two opposing views. Using an external voice quality measure, the study finds record‑sales elasticity to voice quality is significantly positive but less than one. © 1991 MIT Press.

Abstract

This paper offers empirical evidence which counters two opposing but frequently expressed views concerning the market for popular music. The first view is that the consumers of popular music have no recognition of or appreciation for or in singing. The second is that the market is an example of the Superstar Phenomenon, in the Marshall-Rosen sense, wherein small differences in ability are magnified into disproportional levels of success. Using an external measure of quality, provided by the literature on voice, the estimated elasticity of record sales to voice quality is found to be significantly greater than zero but less than one. Copyright 1991 by MIT Press.