In just under one generation, we moved from appreciating albums as cohesive works to consuming individual tracks, and then to music becoming reduced to muzak: background noise for gaming, viral videos, or endless scrolling. Disappearing is music as an art in its own right, which commands sustained attention and deep engagement. A song’s success is... See more

In the age of streaming, listening to and enjoying music has become rooted in our personal devices. Your hand-held access to a whole virtual discography that transcends musical genres to create perfectly packed moments with relatable titles, ( Weekend Traffic Jam, Going ‘Out Out’ with the Girls ) all carefully crafted into an easily accessible... See more

Blowfish

10h

Another theory complementary to this is that when the cost of switching to a different song/album/artist is basically zero, there is a lot less opportunity for music to "grow on you". Before, if you bought an album and didn't like it on the first listen, you are still stuck with the album, so you would probably listen to it again and... See more