We’ve know this for a long time, but the data makes it truer and sadder: everyone is skipping through their music like a fiend. If you’re a millennial of course, it’s even worse. Attention spans are shrinking, since there’s always something else to listen to, but now it’s even affecting the music that’s getting released.
From the article:
It seems that the industry has already recognized the reality behind our skip-happy habits. They’ve started to tailor their music accordingly. Songs have been getting shorter since the ’80s and ’90s. Few singles clock in at longer than 3:30, and some radio stations have started chopping these in half to try keep listeners’ attention from wandering. Industry professionals have argued that the industry would be better off switching to an entirely song-based release structure, instead of an album-based one. They argue that the average listener just doesn’t have the time, energy or patience to take in a whole album in a single sitting anymore. Listeners are only going to skip to the songs they like anyway, so it’s more profitable to sell them a few $0.99 pop anthems rather than have them half-stream a whole album.
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