Does Music Streaming Help Expose People to Genres They Wouldn’t Have Tried Before?
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There are streaming services for all kinds of digital content these days; so many in fact that most of us take this concept for granted, even though it is a relatively new phenomenon when compared to the age of the internet. However, the popularization of music streaming services is changing how most of us consume music.
The development of AI and machine learning allowed streaming platforms to get a relatively accurate picture of our tastes and interests. These systems do so by storing and analyzing our browsing habits. Is it helping people to explore new music, though? Keep reading and find out.
The Greatest Hit
Music streaming services have taken the world by storm. The market size of the music streaming industry crossed the USD 29 billion mark globally last year. This market is still expected to grow 14% annually until 2030. These numbers show the undeniable success of their marketing strategy.
In fact, the artificial intelligence of these platforms is becoming ever more refined. These platforms create playlists for everything and suggest artists that you might not yet know but are somehow similar to the ones you like a lot.
Streaming and Online Gaming
Cloud-based services are transforming the digital sphere. Not only are movies and albums now free from the constraints of physical media. Also, games no longer need installation or specific hardware. The online casino industry has also benefited greatly from cloud technology.
Thanks to it, online casinos can offer thousands of different games to their customers without requiring the installation of a single byte. So, in the same way, this technology is helping listeners to get in touch with new music; it’s also helping players to find new games. Why not try one of the new Sic Bo casinos for beginners?
A Loud Revolution
Image from Pixabay
Those born until the 80s have witnessed a real media revolution. The shift towards digital technologies has transformed our habits forever regarding entertainment. There was already a huge transformation from LPs to portable cassette players (who still remembers the walkman?) since now people could carry their favourite music everywhere.
Although the good old walkman doesn’t really look “portable” by today’s standards, it opened new avenues for the music industry. Walkman’s upgrade, the “Discman”, used better technology. Yet, it wasn’t very innovative in its concept – walkman had made music portable already.
Skip a few tracks, and we are somewhere between the 90s and early 2000s, going crazy downloading MP3 files overnight. We’d carry them in MP3 players, which were indeed much more portable than their predecessors.
Not only so, but MP3 players could also store more music than any other device until then, once again influencing how we consume music. Now, it was possible to access entire discographies simultaneously, in opposition to the costly physical CDs.
Moreover, MP3 and smaller audio files made it possible to store a vast library of albums in forums and on social media. However, LPs, cassettes, CDs, and MP3s have a defining feature in common: the listener was the sole active agent defining the repertoire. Music streaming services like Spotify, Deezer, and Apple Music have brought another groundbreaking change: platforms that suggest new music to their listeners.
Not Only for Music
Music streaming platforms also became an important medium for disseminating news via podcasts. Many famous influencers on other platforms like YouTube or Instagram have regular podcasts. Streaming platforms are one of the best ways to further their messages to a broader audience.
Recently, Neil Young left Spotify over a verbal brawl about Joe Rogan’s podcast and his controversial speeches about the pandemic. On occasion, Young threatened to leave the platform if it continued to air Joe Rogan’s podcast. The podcast wasn’t taken down immediately, so Young left Spotify, only returning after Rogan’s content was shut down.
Other Impacts
Songs are getting simpler and shorter to attract listeners right from the start. Introductions, bridges, and solos make space for more straightforward songs, like Lil Uzi’s “The Way Life Goes.” The same is true for a sizable portion of rap songs written after Spotify was created, according to Martin Connor, in his “Rap Analysis.”
The length of the tracks is also being affected since Spotify, and the likes pay much less per access than CDs. The tracks on Lil Pump’s 2017 album have an average duration of two and a half minutes; there are many other similar examples. Music streaming hasn’t only changed the way we listen to music. It’s also changing how artists make music, shaping the artistic production of a generation.