PURCHASE, N.Y., March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi has always been at the forefront of what's next in pop culture - particularly in the world of music.  The Pepsi Music Index is the latest way we're empowering fans at the intersection of digital and music.  

The Pepsi Music Index is the first music ranking system that truly reflects and completely depends upon the natural conversations of people in the social space.  At Pepsi, we have a theory that the best way to identify the emerging artists who have a better chance for success is to understand people's real-time opinions on a mass scale.  We believe that it can act as a leading indicator of which artists are best positioned to succeed and, potentially, of future record sales in the music space.  

The Pepsi Music Index works like a music discovery engine, scientifically analyzing real-time conversations about the artists across the social ecosystem through a proprietary algorithm. It then translates that information into an easily understandable ranking system.  Music fans can reference the Pepsi Music Index to see which artists are emerging - effectively in real-time.

"We're excited about the possibilities inherent in the Pepsi Music Index, the value it can provide to the music community and look forward to learning and continuing to refine the index together with fans and the music community," said Shiv Singh, head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages.

The Pepsi Music Index is powered by Bluefin Labs and is available at www.pepsi.com.  In celebration of emerging music talent, the Pepsi Music Index will be projected onto large monitors at The Fader Fort in Austin, TX, March 16 – March 19, during the week of the South by Southwest Music festival (SXSW).

SOURCE PepsiCo