To access and utilize the script, open the "final_project_script.R" file, which contains the code for my findings. To access the dataset, open the "STA215-NEEDHAM.R - Sheet (4).csv" file.
The data used for the analyses was gathering all of the finalized original songs from thrash-metal band Megadeth (no covers, remixes, or demos). The question being asked was if Megadeth had as many political songs as many fans claim, and if those songs garnered more listeners, were more intense, or had similar narrative tones. Each unit of analysis was one song and 183 observations were collected. The type of sampling strategy that was used was convenience sampling.
I gathered the data by starting at one album and analyzing its lyrics/intended meaning in order to decipher its narrative tone and political themes. I would also use a metronome in order to find the beats per minute (bpm) of the song for its intensity. Finally, I would check Spotify for the amount of listeners each song garnered.
The concept of the underlying ideas/principles/messages relating to politics was operationalized by using a qualitative coding scheme scale from 1-4 named political references. 1 would describe a song as not being political at all and 2 describing a song with some political references. A score of 3 would describe a song that specifically name drops political events or people and 4 for an entirely political song from start to finish with numerous name drops. For this variable, the meaning behind the song (as described by band members) was especially important; however, the lyrics also were taken into consideration.
The concept of emotional/stylistic quality of the song was operationalized through a qualitative coding scheme scale from 1-7 named narrative tone. 1 would describe any aggressive songs, 2 would describe joyful/hopeful/strife-filled songs, and 3 described any satirical songs. A score of 4 would describe any melancholic/despair/cynical songs, 5 would describe romantical songs, and 6 would describe any songs that had a particularly 'insane' tone, or madness or disarray. Finally, a score of 7 was listed as 'other' or was for any that would not fit any other score. For this variable, the meaning and lyrics of the song were taken into consideration when operationalized.
The concept of the perceived level of excitement/energy in a song was operationalized through a quantitative variable named intensity, where songs were measured on a bpm scale from 0 - 210. A slower song would fall lower on this scale and vice-versa. To measure this concept, a metronome was used in order to calculate the bpm.
The concept of the level of interest/connection/involvement people have with a particular song was operationalized through a quantitative variable named listeners and was measured on a scale from 0 - 200,000,000. Songs with fewer listeners would fall lower on this scale and vice-versa. To measure this concept, the amount of 'listens' was counted on the music platform Spotify.