And now record companies are getting in on the act, so they won't be wasting their money trying to sell stuff that no one will like.
The programme, called Hit Song Science, has already proved it works, predicting the success of jazz star Norah Jones long before she cleaned up at the Grammys.
Star qualities
It compares the bits and pieces that make up the tracks to decide if they are hits.
It even thinks U2 and Beethoven have similar star qualities!
They've checked around 3.5m songs, and have found that the biggest hits often have a lot in common.
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