4 ms·

What do you mean by fragmented?

chrisco255 8y ago
For one, people are not consuming music in the same way. They're not hearing things on a mass-syndicated radio network and then going out and buying albums based on what they and their friends like...they're quietly adding singles to their Spotify playlists. Their playlist is unique to them. To discover new music, one has to consciously seek it out. Whereas, in the past, it was prohibitive to carry more than a few records or cassettes along with you, people now carry more music in their pocket than they can listen to in a lifetime. So the discovery problem has dramatically changed. It's also harder for young artists to strike lightning and make a significant amount of money, so I think that impacts the amount of talent entering the scene.
FigBug 8y ago
There is no more 'mainstream'. In an age where you could only get music on a few radio stations and what could fit in a physical record store, selection was a lot more limited. In the 60s pretty much every teenager listened to rock. In the 70s disco came and you couldn't get away from it. 80s glam metal and rap started. All the youth watch MTV. Now, you can listen to whatever you want to on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Music. There are tons of popular genres: edm, rap, hiphop, rock, pop, etc, etc. The reach of the biggest pop stars is much reduced. In the 60s everybody knew who the Monkeys were. I can't think of any modern manufactured band that has that name recognition. Last ones were probably NSync / Backstreet boys.
- baroffoos 8y ago
  Ah, I guess that would explain very well why people recognize songs less. Simply because less people have heard any individual song.
- int_19h 8y ago
  I would also add, the ability to spread things by word of mouth online is much better in the age of social networks etc. So even very obscure niches can get filled. For example, so far as I can tell, these guys have gotten most of those likes from reshares of the video (I've seen it several times, from completely random people). Whereas if you did market research, I doubt that "Mongolian bluegrass folk" would rate highly, so finding a publisher might get tricky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc

For one, people are not consuming music in the same way. They're not hearing things on a mass-syndicated radio network and then going out and buying albums based on what they and their friends like...they're quietly adding singles to their Spotify playlists. Their playlist is unique to them. To discover new music, one has to consciously seek it out. Whereas, in the past, it was prohibitive to carry more than a few records or cassettes along with you, people now carry more music in their pocket than they can listen to in a lifetime. So the discovery problem has dramatically changed. It's also harder for young artists to strike lightning and make a significant amount of money, so I think that impacts the amount of talent entering the scene.

FigBug 8y ago

There is no more 'mainstream'. In an age where you could only get music on a few radio stations and what could fit in a physical record store, selection was a lot more limited. In the 60s pretty much every teenager listened to rock. In the 70s disco came and you couldn't get away from it. 80s glam metal and rap started. All the youth watch MTV. Now, you can listen to whatever you want to on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Music. There are tons of popular genres: edm, rap, hiphop, rock, pop, etc, etc. The reach of the biggest pop stars is much reduced. In the 60s everybody knew who the Monkeys were. I can't think of any modern manufactured band that has that name recognition. Last ones were probably NSync / Backstreet boys.

baroffoos 8y ago
Ah, I guess that would explain very well why people recognize songs less. Simply because less people have heard any individual song.
int_19h 8y ago
I would also add, the ability to spread things by word of mouth online is much better in the age of social networks etc. So even very obscure niches can get filled. For example, so far as I can tell, these guys have gotten most of those likes from reshares of the video (I've seen it several times, from completely random people). Whereas if you did market research, I doubt that "Mongolian bluegrass folk" would rate highly, so finding a publisher might get tricky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc