Many artists believe that if their music sounds like someone else’s, they should target that artist’s fans. But music preference isn’t built on sound alone—it’s built on emotional transformation. In this episode, I explore why targeting by similarity leads to shallow results, how neuroscience and parasocial bonds reveal the limits of this approach and what to focus on instead if you want listeners who will actually stay.

🎧 For questions or comments, reach out to me at jayson@listenpath.com. 📝 The full transcript of this episode is available at listenpath.com.