2021 SOP 107 - How Streaming Changed the Sound of Pop

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Artist: Bob Tozier
School: North Allegheny

Notes:

Streaming hasn't just changed the way we listen to music, it's changed the way that pop music sounds. After years of losses due to the death of the CD and the rise of file sharing, the music industry has finally found a profitable business in streaming services. Streaming has overtaken all other music sales. Digital music platforms are the new Virgin megastore. But these services are more than just a distribution mechanism, they have created a whole new music economy. Album sales have been replaced by "album equivalent units," a business fiction that equates 1,500 streams to one physical sale. Artists are now effectively paid by the song. With ad-supported and subscription based business models, these platforms have upended incentives so significantly that it can be heard in the songwriting. Songs are getting shorter, albums are getting longer, and there is an entirely new section of the song that draws from the classical past: the "pop overture." In this episode, Nate and Charlie are joined by Aisha Hassan and Dan Kopf to unpack the sound of pop in the streaming era. Be sure to check out their article on Quartz: "The Reason Why Your Favorite Pop Songs Are Getting Shorter."

Songs FeaturedLil Pump - I Love ItBenny Blanco - Eastside ft. Khalid & HalseyKodak Black - Calling My SpiritPost Malone - Better NowLeonard Bernstein - West Side Story OvertureDua Lipa - One KissDrake - God’s PlanPost Malone - I Fall ApartAriana Grande - NasaTommy Dorsey - All The Things You Are

Comments

Reka Gotz from: North Allegheny - posted: February 27, 2021
I find it kind of funny that we no longer have the patience to listen to songs over just a few minutes. However, it interesting that pop songs are getting shorter to appeal to their audience, and it really goes to show the influence that streaming platforms have over the music industry. It makes me wonder where pop is headed in the future!

Raef Smalley from: North Allegheny - posted: March 7, 2021
People are now able to play what they want when they want. Also, you can send music to other people and show them when new music comes out. I really like rap and every Thursday I'd stay up till 12 and wait for new music and when I found good songs I'd share it with my friends.

Vaishnavee Sundararaman from: North Allegheny - posted: March 24, 2021
When listening to this podcast, it was honestly kinda sad realizing that we don't even have the patience to listen to long songs. I was just so annoyed by the fact that artists have to make their songs even shorter just to get the audiences attention more. I hope people realize that it takes more work for these artists to make a song shorter and better. Props to all the artists that are doing that all the time.

Olivia Belcher from: North Allegheny - posted: March 24, 2021
I think it's alright that a lot of people don't have the pataience to listen to long songs - they'll still be around for the people who do have the patience to listen to, even if they're not the majority. However, the way that streaming has completely changed the majority of music being produced is very interesting, and song length is just one way to show how deep it goes.

Kassi Barry from: North Allegheny - posted: March 25, 2021
It is really sad to think that because we have no patience our music has to move as fast as minds.

Hunter Badamo from: North Allegheny - posted: March 26, 2021
I think that streaming services are incredibly convenient and it's easier than ever for small artists to blow up with social media.

Nicholas Palermo from: North Allegheny - posted: March 26, 2021
It's crazy to think that streamimg platforms has that much of an impact on the music written today.

Rohan Puri from: North Allegheny - posted: March 27, 2021
I am indifferent to the fact that peoples' patience and attention spans are getting lower. It seems to simply be an evolution of peoples' tastes, and as the world continues to get busier and busier, music will naturally change along with it.

Kate Patterson from: North Allegheny - posted: March 28, 2021
Streaming services are great to give smaller artists publicity. However, because of streaming, it is harder for musicians to make a living off of their music.

Julia Maletta from: North Allegheny - posted: March 28, 2021
Streaming Platforms have increased the likelihood of small artists to be noticed. This is really cool because it's allowing for growth in the music industry.

Bri Cobbey from: North Allegheny - posted: March 28, 2021
I think because of just modernization and the evolution of society and how fast paced everything seems to be is why we dont even have the patience to listen to a song thats more than 5 minutes.

Erik Bloomquist from: North Allegheny - posted: March 29, 2021
I find it disappointing that many people are not willing to listen to songs for their full length. The instrumental intros, breaks, and outros are often some of the best parts of songs, especially in hip hop.

Josi Pietrzyk from: - posted: March 29, 2021
Sometimes I screen record songs and then listen to it that way to avoid certain people getting my streams. It's kind of mean, but I'm just edgy like that... :/

Eric schaefer from: North Allegheny - posted: March 29, 2021
Streaming services are very convenient and I use them all the time myself. I never relized the streming services were changing the music itself. Music will always be changing based on the world around it.

Nick Faber from: North Allegheny - posted: March 29, 2021
I feel like a decreasing attention span isn't all bad; maybe we're just able to process information faster, however it is sad to see the emotional world of music being dictated by clicks and fame instead of creativity. I wish there was a way to make a living as a musician more feasible without basing it around economics.

Cassandra Pultorak from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
I had no idea that streaming services had such an impact on the type of music being made today. Still, I'm so greatful for them even if it means songs become shorter since some can't appreciate longer songs.

Rae Dwyer from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
Some of my favorite songs are long! Why have a short song that you'll just listen to over and over again until you start to hate it. Although, it can show a lot of talent in a short song if it is really good.

Clay Sheleheda from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
Streaming services are a double edged blade, becuase they can provide a lot of music to a lot of people, but the artists themselves can lose money because of them.

Sarah Feick from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
I enjoyed the part about our attention span becoming shorter and shorter. We use to enjoy longer songs and now they are shorter. Just like we use to like youtube videos and now we can only sit throuh short tiktoks

Amy Hendricks from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
Though streaming platforms may be lowering our attention spans for new music, I think they're an amazing tool to find music that you really love really easily. Spotify can make all of these playlists custom to your taste and it helps you explore music in ways you couldn't before.

Nick Brar from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
If songs are getting shorter, that is because people like listening to shorter songs. Artists will typically cater to their audience and I see no issue in this.

Grace Elliott from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
Streaming is the future of the business. It is smart and innovative, but something that we must embrace and get used to.

Ethan Chen from: North Allegheny - posted: March 30, 2021
I found it interesting to learn about the effects of the streaming industry on song length.

Hyunjun Chang from: North Allegheny - posted: March 31, 2021
I find it amusing that we cannot tolerate music that isn't brief and sensational in one moment rather than a collective musing whole. People have gradually become mroe accustomed to this type of trend, and it might be unavoidable even more so.

Nick Lev from: North Allegheny - posted: March 31, 2021
I think streaming services are a vital part in todays music culture. It is one of the main ways to spread music from all different types of artists.

Dylan Shields from: North Allegheny - posted: March 31, 2021
I think its interesting how people have completely lost patience to listen to long music. It is cool though how with everything being online we are able to listen to all kinds of music whenever we want with just the click of a few buttons.

Kai Su from: North Allegheny - posted: March 31, 2021
Along with encouraging artists to make shorter songs, I think that streaming has made copywrite laws around playing music on social media exponentialy more comfusing and contradicting, espescially on vio sharing sites like youtube and twitch where fair use is very vaugely defined.

Nathan Lam from: North Allegheny - posted: March 31, 2021
It kinda sucks that people don't listen to songs over 3-4 minutes long because there are some really great songs out there that are 7-10 minutes long, but nobody listens to them because of their length.