Talking Music DATA with Chris Dalla Riva

Talking Music DATA with Chris Dalla Riva

Author: Ethan Strauss May 4, 2026 Duration: 57:39

I was introduced to Chris Dalla Riva, who I’d describe as an analytics-driven music historian. He wrote Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. I know very little about music but I’m fascinated by objective measures of subjective taste. I enjoyed our talk and look forward to reading the book for yet more fascinating question fodder. Topics!

* 00:01:14 – Big question: Is taste objective or culturally constructed?

* 00:02:01 – Top-down vs. organic creation of hit music in the 50s–60s

* 00:03:36 – Why 1950s hits often centered on death and tragedy

* 00:05:01 – Data-driven approach: listening to every Billboard #1 song

* 00:09:47 – “Vibe shifts” in music (e.g., Kurt Cobain / Smells Like Teen Spirit)

* 00:11:20 – How technology shapes music evolution (from Jimi Hendrix to Frank Sinatra)

* 00:13:03 – Do lyrics actually matter? Case study: It Wasn’t Me

* 00:18:01 – Organic viral hits driven by DJs and accidents (pre-internet virality)

* 00:29:32 – “Uncanny” factor in hits (e.g., Pumped Up Kicks)

* 00:34:08 – Strange trends of the 90s (swing revival, genre fragmentation)

* 00:41:10 – Death of monoculture vs. rise of creator freedom in the internet era

* 00:52:38 – Taylor Swift as the “last monoculture superstar”

House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Ethan Strauss hosts the House of Strauss, a podcast that operates on a simple premise: the games we watch are never just games. They are reflections of our culture, our politics, and our rapidly evolving relationship with technology. Each episode digs into the collisions and convergences between these seemingly separate worlds. You might hear a deep analysis of an NBA dynasty followed by a conversation about how artificial intelligence is reshaping the media that covers it, or a debate on a political headline examined through the lens of a stadium funding fight. The discussions are built on the understanding that the playing field, the voting booth, and the Silicon Valley boardroom are increasingly part of the same conversation about power, money, and the future. This isn't about hot takes for their own sake, but about tracing the deeper connections that explain why we care so much about sports and what they tell us about everything else. Tune in for thoughtful, often unpredictable explorations where a debate about league policy can easily spiral into a discussion about societal change, all guided by Strauss's curious and contrarian perspective. The House of Strauss podcast is where the passion for competition meets a critical examination of the forces shaping it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

House of Strauss
Podcast Episodes
Neil Paine on Thunder HATE and "Draftism" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:15
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe love Neil Paine, our analytics-forward friend. He covers seemingly every sport with a data-driven zeal. Today we took at look at whet…
Teutonia World: A Super Subscriber Speaks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:31
Teutonia World, otherwise known as “Ben,” has been a prominent subscriber since the earliest House of Strauss days. He’s vocal in the House of Strauss BCC chat and often sends me good ideas over email. He’s an analytical…
Jesse Singal Plays Basketball [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:34
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe’ve got Jesse Singal in large part so we can discuss his quality as a basketball player. Of course, other less important topics were d…
Monitoring the Situation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:06
Sharing the pod I did with the TECH BROS over at Monitoring the Situation. Tried to give some sense of what we discuss over here at HoS, plus engage in the discourse of the day. Topics covered include: * How sports shape…
Narrated: 5 Articles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:59
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comTrying something new and curious what you all think. Instead of separating this week’s articles into their own narrations, I combined th…
Wosny Lambre on Sexual Taboos in the Sports Workplace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:13
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comHonestly, this was one of the most enjoyable podcasts for me. I credit the WNBA, everyone’s favorite league, and also give thanks to the…
Spike Eskin: NBA, Nike, UBS, Diana Russini [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:50
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comSpike Eskin got into it with Sopan Deb of the New York Times and became a character in my article on UBS blaming the NBA for Nike woes.…
Tom Haberstroh on the NBA Star Injury EPIDEMIC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:40
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comOur guy Tom Haberstroh is here to discuss an article of his that sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. What’s going on with this “alarming…