Excellent research. My issue with how we evaluate the popularity of music today is that we just focus on streaming numbers. When Taylor Swift releases a new album and all of the tracks make the top ten that week can we really say those songs are popular? The Hot 100 is reflecting something completely different than it did 30+ years ago. I think this system of evaluating streams keeps newer and indie artists from getting the attention they deserve. It's hard to see songs spending a year on the charts when there is so much other great music trying to get more ears to listen to it. There are niches of music that are under served by the charts today.
Great article, and useful too. I have been writing about the industrialization of songwriting and other ills of the music industry (here is a sample: https://zapatosjam.substack.com/p/the-songwriters-who-ate-america-part?utm_source=publication-search) and it's helpful to have these kinds of data as a reality check. I have to say I am surprised that song length peaked in the late 1990s--as a fan of prog rock and metal I would have expected the peak to have been much earlier. The bigger question is what about music outside the US/UK ecosystem? Some 95% of the world's music (and music audience) is not captured in U.S. chart data. What would it take to extend the study to capture other major markets (eg., Japan, India, China, Nigeria). That would be fascinating.
The comprehensive data and historical context make it a fascinating read for anyone interested in the music industry’s transformation over time. Now, AI technology,https://medium.com/@phototech/stem-separation-software-6adee559a6bd ... enables anyone to create their own singing for any famous composer. A.B.C.S. (Anybody Can Compose and Sing) within minutes. No longer limited to experts, now you can make it too.
Just came across this post via Substack Reads. Your stats shed a fascinating perspective on Rock history. I recently wrote another perspective you might find of interest: https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/imagine-theres-no-muzak .....traces a brief history of Rock (from 1960 on) and poses the question - in relation to the approx 60+ million record releases listed on iTunes - "what songs will endure when all rock’s ephemera evaporates into the mist of time?"
Thanks, Danny! Your thought-provoking piece makes me wonder what will be the next logical evolutionary step in music.
Given that many of the transformations over the years essentially made music more listener-accessible and controllable, is the ultimate expression of control over music some AI system that dynamically adapts to the listener's environment, mood, or biometric data?
Perhaps there will be a new genre of "living music" that provides a uniquely personalized experience for each moment of each listener's day. Imagine a song that changes its tempo based on your running pace, shifts to a calming melody when your stress levels rise, or seamlessly transitions between genres as you move from work to relaxation.
This concept of adaptive music could revolutionize how we interact with and consume music, potentially making static recordings a thing of the past.
Is someone already thinking about this? Maybe I should start a Spotify killer with this idea ;-). Who's with me?
Spotify does already have a similar feature, Daylist, which gives you custom playlists throughout the day based on your previous listening habits dependant on the time. Nothing based on biometric data, though - yet.
Excellent research. My issue with how we evaluate the popularity of music today is that we just focus on streaming numbers. When Taylor Swift releases a new album and all of the tracks make the top ten that week can we really say those songs are popular? The Hot 100 is reflecting something completely different than it did 30+ years ago. I think this system of evaluating streams keeps newer and indie artists from getting the attention they deserve. It's hard to see songs spending a year on the charts when there is so much other great music trying to get more ears to listen to it. There are niches of music that are under served by the charts today.
Great article, and useful too. I have been writing about the industrialization of songwriting and other ills of the music industry (here is a sample: https://zapatosjam.substack.com/p/the-songwriters-who-ate-america-part?utm_source=publication-search) and it's helpful to have these kinds of data as a reality check. I have to say I am surprised that song length peaked in the late 1990s--as a fan of prog rock and metal I would have expected the peak to have been much earlier. The bigger question is what about music outside the US/UK ecosystem? Some 95% of the world's music (and music audience) is not captured in U.S. chart data. What would it take to extend the study to capture other major markets (eg., Japan, India, China, Nigeria). That would be fascinating.
The comprehensive data and historical context make it a fascinating read for anyone interested in the music industry’s transformation over time. Now, AI technology,https://medium.com/@phototech/stem-separation-software-6adee559a6bd ... enables anyone to create their own singing for any famous composer. A.B.C.S. (Anybody Can Compose and Sing) within minutes. No longer limited to experts, now you can make it too.
Just came across this post via Substack Reads. Your stats shed a fascinating perspective on Rock history. I recently wrote another perspective you might find of interest: https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/imagine-theres-no-muzak .....traces a brief history of Rock (from 1960 on) and poses the question - in relation to the approx 60+ million record releases listed on iTunes - "what songs will endure when all rock’s ephemera evaporates into the mist of time?"
It appears that Vulfpeck got its inspiration from Todd Snider's "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues"
Thanks, Danny! Your thought-provoking piece makes me wonder what will be the next logical evolutionary step in music.
Given that many of the transformations over the years essentially made music more listener-accessible and controllable, is the ultimate expression of control over music some AI system that dynamically adapts to the listener's environment, mood, or biometric data?
Perhaps there will be a new genre of "living music" that provides a uniquely personalized experience for each moment of each listener's day. Imagine a song that changes its tempo based on your running pace, shifts to a calming melody when your stress levels rise, or seamlessly transitions between genres as you move from work to relaxation.
This concept of adaptive music could revolutionize how we interact with and consume music, potentially making static recordings a thing of the past.
Is someone already thinking about this? Maybe I should start a Spotify killer with this idea ;-). Who's with me?
Spotify does already have a similar feature, Daylist, which gives you custom playlists throughout the day based on your previous listening habits dependant on the time. Nothing based on biometric data, though - yet.
YouTube does this with my music depending on which song is requested by me.
Then it loads, along with ads, a song in a similar style. After six or seven of my songs it will go to other's songs to which I have recently played.
This is such a fantastic deep dive. So much to process. Thanks for doing this heavy lifting!
Of course! This was a fun one to write. Feel free to share with other music-lovers if you enjoyed it :)