In their research, the team used artificial intelligence software to analyse 50 years of top 40 singles, looking for the features that distinguish that can make a single a success or a failure.

A ‘hit potential equation’ that scores a song according to its audio features was devised.

The team found they could classify a song into a ‘hit’ or ‘not hit’ based on its score, with an accuracy rate of 60 per cent as to whether a song will make it to top five, or if it will never reach above position 30 on the UK top 40 singles chart.