Eras in human history are characterised and separated by the things that are outstanding or different when the ages are compared. For example, seemingly small modifications to a system can push for a shift in direction and cause changes in developments for any given amount of time. These changes are called trends.
These ‘trends’ are very present in culture – as time progresses both individuals and society decide the prevailing fads or crazes for the foreseeable future. It is stereotypical that the following of these trends is required for both social acceptance and to avoid being ‘left behind’ in the cultural collective. The features of a trend at any particular time also dictates the successors in many industries, the music industry included.
In recent years, song writing and song structure has undergone massive changes, especially in music that is made for recreational listening and the radio. In a previous post, I discussed the progression of how music is delivered to its consumers, and the journey that music has gone through, including changes from album to playlist.
Expanding on from that post, if I were to make a prediction on a cultural trend in music to develop within the next few years, it would be the end of seeing music tracks in physical form, with all music instead being delivered virtually through streaming platforms. This seems like a natural progression and as other aspects of the world make haste to become ‘online’ and keep pace with the rapid improvements in technology, why should the music community be any different?
The move from physical to virtual is already present in some parts of this industry, with the younger generations of audio producers and sound engineers beginning to rely, learn, and work on digital audio workspaces (DAWs) as opposed to analogue mixing desks.
Some professionals in the industry speculate that the reason for this movement is a result of trying to appeal to this younger generation of music consumers. Songwriter Nicola Roberts states that some songwriters have changed the structure of their writing in order to appeal to virtual streaming platforms such as Spotify, including placing choruses at the beginning of songs and shortening the running time of the overall track (Traynor, 2017).
Writers also suggest that the use of streaming platforms will also influence the design and assembly of whole albums. With the modern choice of ‘pick and choose’ (Hanford, 2017), albums are not necessarily considered to be the musical journey they once were, and is more often than not consumed in just a handful of songs, instead of one whole musical collection. As a young consumer of music myself, I can confirm that I am much more likely to listen to tracks and albums online over physical CD, and usually in conjunction with other tracks outside of the album, instead listening to my music in a personalised playlist.This may also push artists to go against the grain, and attempt to release music in more unconventional ways, as was seen with Beyonce’s 2016 visual album Lemonade.
I feel that the progression (and possible loss) of things such as the physical CD is only natural in the worlds attachment to technology in this day and age. Although this prediction may come to truth, 35 years on from the invention of the CD still sees music consumers purchasing vinyl records, with claims that they give music an emotional feel that cannot be found in modern recording technology, in both CD and virtual platforms. This prompts the thinking that perhaps relics such as the CD and vinyl records will still be kept, used, and bought, for music lovers who have an appreciation for the history of this art form.
Works Cited
Hanford, P. (2017, January 3). Muisc in 2017: These Trends Will Be Huge. Highsnobiety, pp. 1-3.
Roberts, N. (2017, January 2). 8 Predictions for Music in 2017. BBC Music. (C. Traynor, Interviewer) London, United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Company.
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