Music Consumption: Streaming, Algorithms and Virtual Concerts

How do you consume music?

On a recent long-haul flight, I did something that I haven’t done in a very long time. I listened to a full album from beginning to end (it was Mark Ronson’s Late Night Feelings). No shuffle, no skips. I simply enjoyed how the 13 tracks were thoughtfully put together across 43 minutes.

As a pre-Napster 80’s kid, I used to buy CDs from the artists or bands that I liked after having discovered them through the radio. Every now and then I may splurge on a concert, but that about sums up my entire music consumption experience "back in the day".

That's then, what about now? Well, (almost) everything has changed.

Streaming > CDs + Cassettes + Vinyls

Music streaming is one of the most obvious shifts in recent times. Across the world, 89% of music consumers stream on-demand and spend 42% of their weekly music listening time (or 7.5 hours) doing so. This means that the old fashioned CD is no longer as relevant.  In terms of 2018 global recorded music revenues, paid streaming generated more than double the revenues from physical formats (which include CDs, cassette tapes and vinyls).

Streaming’s dominance is no surprise though. At an affordable (or even zero) cost, it enables consumers to listen to their favourite artists on repeat and explore a massive catalogue of other artists they would never have come across otherwise. Can there be a downside?

We must first understand how the commercial side of the streaming business works. Effectively, artists are paid based on the number of song plays, and a play only counts if it passes the 30-second mark. 

What this model has done is incentivize some artists to release a greater number of shorter, "punchier" songs. A greater number because more songs means a higher probability of plays (Drake’s Scorpion has 25 songs versus the traditional 10-12 song album). Shorter because a play is a play, regardless of the length (the median length of the Billboard Hot 100 songs has decreased by 30 seconds to 3.5 minutes between 2000-2018).  

The most interesting is the adapted composition of a song. Certain artists today place their hooks at the very beginning, hoping that it would be catchy enough for the consumer to keep listening (ideally, beyond the 30-second mark). Re-listen Panic! At The Disco’s High Hopes to get a sense of what that means. Not saying this didn’t happen before, but maybe it’s now constructed with a purpose.

Without even realizing, the substance of what we are listening to is changing, but let’s face it. Our average attention spans are (allegedly) shorter than that of a goldfish. Is it at all shocking that the music we listen to is adjusting to our distracted, social media-driven behaviours? Perhaps a more unsettling question we should contemplate is whether this trend affects the integrity of music creativity moving forward. Doesn’t seem like it for most cases, but it’s still early days.

Algorithms Eat Radios For Breakfast

“You Like Bread? Try Toast!” I borrowed this line from The Guardian, which I thought was simple, yet snuggly depicts how algorithms are ambushing our musical tastes.

Think back. When was the last time you discovered a new artist? Chances are that you were recommended an artist based on your previous listens while you were passively streaming. You didn’t even notice the unfamiliar tune, but it was kind of in your lane, so you didn’t press skip. You probably still don't even know who the artist was now. A majority of us would enjoy this (read: great CX), but won’t this make music less experimental and more of the same?

Algorithms have also spawned a relatively new phenomenon: playlists. Everyone loves a good playlist - they’re good for the gym, work, parties and almost every other occasion. Take a quick look at the homepage of your preferred streaming provider and check out all the "curations" available. Liz Pelly talks about how these popular, robot-selected playlists have both created and fulfilled our desire for ambient, “lean back listening". They've now made it extremely easy for all of us to put the same, vanilla mix of music on repeat, instead of proactively seeking out artists or albums. Good for streaming providers, but not so great for music diversity.

To take this further, Spotify even announced a partnership with Ancestry, which enables consumers to input their DNA test results in order to receive customized playlists based on the geography of their ancestors. Too much?

Sidebar: Before we move on, another significant channel for modern day music discovery that should be highlighted is TikTok. With over 320 million DAU’s worldwide, this app is known for its 15-second user-generated videos layered over music, and is powered by an algorithm that favours new videos over videos from popular users. It has quickly become a “staging ground” for big hits - like Lizzo’s Good As Hell - before they enter into the mainstream. Something to look out for.

Live (But Not Live) Concerts

Imagine this. You’re super stoked because you got free tickets to your favourite DJ’s concert. Better yet, you don’t have to get through any traffic. You just need to sit in your room and head bang away. How? In early 2019, Marshmello hosted a virtual concert on Fortnite, which garnered over 10 million in-game attendees, making it one of the farthest-reaching online musical gatherings to-date.  

There's more. Whitney Houston’s estate has announced a worldwide hologram tour for 2020, featuring the late music icon performing her classic hits on stage in holographic form. Scary.  

Even though these modern formats are supported with better technology, it may be comforting to know that they aren’t entirely new. If we look at Gorillaz, the Grammy award-winning virtual band from the late 90’s, they have enjoyed huge success without ever taking physical form.

Not all concerts are going virtual or holographic by the way. In a majority of cases, it seems like the classic concert experience is still intact (for now).

--------

Music consumption has evolved dramatically over the past decade (and generally for the better), but let’s not forget that music itself is meant to be creative. So, maybe try to avoid the standard playlists and listen to full albums on the plane every now and then. You might discover a couple of new artists that will keep the algorithms guessing (I found Lykke Li and YEBBA through Mark Ronson).

Which do you prefer - music consumption then or now?  Welcome your comments below.