The internet's impact on music megathread

[Corpsey]

Too Many Songs, Not Enough Hits: Pop Music Is Struggling to Create New Stars

Music executives say that a deluge of new music — and the difficulty of influencing TikTok's algorithm — has made artist development and building an audience harder than ever for new acts.

www.billboard.com

The steady disappearance of a musical mainstream, 80k new tracks a day (is that an exaggeration?), TikToks erosion of attention spans, remember the good old days of buying a CD from HMV and discovering later on that it's shit, etc.

 

[Corpsey]

I've cited all bad things there but there's obviously plentiful upsides, please don't eviscerate me third

 

[Corpsey]

The ease with which people can now make music (cracked copy of Ableton, sample packs, YouTube tutorials) another interesting topic

 

[Corpsey]

Old music now makes up nearly 70% of American consumption: Report

Is new music dying? That's what one prominent critic had to say in response to the data suggesting old songs make up a larger share of the market than ever before.

consequence.net

 

[Corpsey]

Old music now makes up nearly 70% of American consumption: Report

Is new music dying? That's what one prominent critic had to say in response to the data suggesting old songs make up a larger share of the market than ever before.

consequence.net

I guess properly speaking I should have bumped the retromania thread but this is really all about me

 

[linebaugh]

I think the top 200 being less than 5% of all listens has a lot to due with factors outside the internet, as much as anything can actually be said to exist outside the internet now

 

[linebaugh]

this is a gut feeling though and could be very stupid.

 

[sufi]

I think the top 200 being less than 5% of all listens has a lot to due with factors outside the internet, as much as anything can actually be said to exist outside the internet now

yeh a new type of obscurity - yt and the internet widen the field of accessible music enormously, but if that track is not findable it is nowhere
this goes for everything not just music

 

[sufi]

this is a gut feeling though and could be very stupid.

that's all we have

 

[linebaugh]

but it doesnt feel like music fandom is for the masses anymore. the optics of a 'music fan' are intimidating now, its an elitist position. Think this has alot to do with the invention of the normie 20-30 years ago.

 

[linebaugh]

and its a bit like movies now where success can be assured via market dynamics: I dont think a pop song is trying to be a 'hit' now and more so trying to make sure it fulfills specific criteria that allow it to be played in certain spaces and guarantee everyone makes their money back. It seems like the route to getting your song on certain radio stations, in commercials, on tik tok, on spotify playlists, in cafes/malls/bars is much more formalized.

 

[WashYourHands]

May be more to be explored from the past compared to contemporary but I’m old and not an accurate yardstick to measure what lens younger generations see through

If you see the internet as a culture jamming prism, we might agree, more mileage in said discussion. Flip to thread question is access to music and its evolution - p2p soekseul immediacy for downloads, blogs which sprang up with rare and free electronica gold, supplanted bit by bit by streaming. Who hasn’t picked up favourites this route?

Still, if you’d told me in 1988 one day I could listen to just about anything released commercially or independently (whatever than means now), as and when my mood took it? Truly would’ve said fuck off back to Tomorrow’s World Judith Hann

Chance finds by sifting through music for keepers never changes regardless of platform or format, or a chance composition from a recommendation. Access to vast volumes and archives is remarkable, from archive.org to @Corpsey ’s drill thread (where even though I have no idea wtf is going I do see full engagement and the joyfully alive value inherent in that)

 

[linebaugh]

and its a bit like movies now where success can be assured via market dynamics: I dont think a pop song is trying to be a 'hit' now and more so trying to make sure it fulfills specific criteria that will allow it to be played in certain spaces and guarantee everyone makes there money back. It seems like the route to getting your song on certain radio stations, in commercials, on tik tok, on spotify playlists, in cafes/malls/bars is much more formalized.

I think this is both a response to the forms that music is dispersed but also advancements in market analytics. This has always been the goal of pop music but I think a song hasnt always had the ability to to approach the masses from such acute angles

 

[sus]

Old music now makes up nearly 70% of American consumption: Report

Is new music dying? That's what one prominent critic had to say in response to the data suggesting old songs make up a larger share of the market than ever before.

consequence.net

I think the opposite would be more alarming TBH

 

[sus]

We live in the largest library ever assembled. Why wouldn't we take advantage of its offerings?

 

[sus]

Too Many Songs, Not Enough Hits: Pop Music Is Struggling to Create New Stars

Music executives say that a deluge of new music — and the difficulty of influencing TikTok's algorithm — has made artist development and building an audience harder than ever for new acts.

www.billboard.com

The steady disappearance of a musical mainstream, 80k new tracks a day (is that an exaggeration?), TikToks erosion of attention spans, remember the good old days of buying a CD from HMV and discovering later on that it's shit, etc.

Other than the Tiktok attention span thing (and boomers have been making such accusations of new media since the days of newsprint) all this good. What's the bad part?

 

[linebaugh]

youre trying to make this a soap box thing of yours

 

[Corpsey]

Apologies as usual I've opened Pandora's box and then wandered away to have a lie down

I was being quite flippant in the original post and in the follow up saying all those things are bad

I think it's all a fascinating mixed bag. E.g. you might think a mainstream of music is lame, tending towards mediocrity, and even coercive -- but there must be something to be said for a musical mainstream, in terms of providing common cultural touchstones, for example...

Anyway the intention of the thread isn't to argue that THE INTERNET HAS RUINED MUSIC, despite that initial unfortunate framing of it

 

[linebaugh]

the mainstream is undoubtedly worse which is bad as thats the ambient sound of your public life and it separates you from your fellow man to a degree but outside of that the internet is great for music

 

[linebaugh]

the live component also insures music from going complete retro mode