HITLAB is using artificial intelligence to identify the hit songs of the future

A hit song can capture lightning in a bottle, but what is the exact mix of characteristics that make one song a global phenomenon - and another a hidden gem. There has always been a bit of alchemy to this formula, but HITLAB is using machine learning to demystify it. Led by Michel Zgarka (BEd’1975), the company has created the Music Digital Nuance Analysis (DNA) tool, writes Prof. Karl Moore in Forbes.com. To identify the next big thing, DNA analyzes historical databases of songs to identify which new songs share characteristics with the hits in the past.