PhD Dissertation Proposal by Jing REN | Music Popularity, Diffusion and Recommendation in Social Networks: A Fusion Analytics Approach

Music Popularity, Diffusion and Recommendation in Social Networks: A Fusion Analytics Approach

Streaming music and social networks supply an easy way for people to gain access to a massive amount of music information, but also brings challenge and opportunity to the music industry for the design of new music promotion strategies via new channels. My dissertation employs a fusion of machine-based methods and explanatory empiricism to explore music popularity, music diffusion, and music promotion in the social network context. Essay 1 investigates music popularity duration and patterns over time by combining machine learning and explanatory econometric methods. Essay 2 examines the impacts on streaming music diffusion in a semi-closed social environment. Essay 3 discusses the design of a utility-based recommendation system to help music industry professionals promote music and artists more effectively on streaming social networks. These essays involve fusion analytics and hybrid system design in a cycle that encompasses theoretical arguments, econometric analysis of big data, and construction of a software application. My hope is that it will help to shed light on new channels of music popularity and how to promote music better in social network scenarios.

About the Speaker

Jing REN is a PhD candidate in School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University. She works under the guidance of Professor Robert J. Kauffman. Her research lies in the interdisciplinary study of Data Analytics and Information Systems & Management, covering social media analysis, user behavior analysis, information diffusion and recommender systems. She is interested in applying data analytics, econometrics, optimization and other relevant methodologies to support decision-makers in digital media understanding and promotion. She received her M.Eng. degree from Hefei University of Technology in 2011. From 2015 to 2016, she participated in a 10-month training residency at Carnegie Mellon University.