THE MUSIC CONSUMPTION & ITS RECENT TRENDS

It’s needless to say that the music distribution industry or the music industry itself is changing everyday. When one of the major reasons is technology, however it can’t be identified as the only reason. As people’s taste, the way they perceive music, the way people listen to music changed significantly over time. Along with these much predictable changes of taste the change of music distribution services also became evident. Also the future of music consumption and music distribution is still unknown.

PAST & PRESENT OF THE MUSIC CONSUMPTION 

There was a period when CDs and cassettes, which were retailed in stores, were used in music distribution. However, as digital media emerged and the internet era progressed, these distribution systems became even more active. More evident on social media and online music platforms. 

The way people listen to music changed dramatically, with the successful incorporation of “Music Streaming” services. The victorious implantation  of platforms like: Spotify, JioSaavn, Apple Music, Gaana etc lay the foundations of  the “Streaming” culture. As users now have unrestricted access to a huge music library at any time and from any location. Everything is just a click away. Previously, even a decade ago this change was unthinkable. Also the music distribution business became much more competitive and analytical than before. 

RECENT TRENDS OF MUSIC CONSUMPTION 

• USER GENERATED CONTENT 

In the era of Web 2.0 and music streaming, it is needless to say about the changing trends of music consumption through popularity of User Generated Content. Nowadays artists or any person for that matter can share their personal taste and creation of music through various social media platforms. Platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube provide the artists independence to release their own song. Artists don’t always need a label these days to get their music known.  

YouTube is paying a lump sum amount of money to their creators. Also the option of “Reel”, the shortest form of content, helped greatly to monetize the music. 

• CUSTOMISED PLAYLIST 

In this music distribution service and with the new music streaming culture a significant part is occupied by the customised playlist. These days music streaming or the music consumption is a personal choice. 

Playlist recommendations from DSPs are increasingly derived from data within listeners’ personalised ecosystems. This goes beyond a listener’s location, language, or chosen genres to include their activities, moods, and backgrounds.

The popularity of playlists tailored to specific moods has made music consumption and discovery more context-based. The majority of playlists are still made by editorial teams and curators, who then optimise them using music search and tagging systems.

AI-assisted editorial playlists and playlists driven by algorithms are two new features that music streaming services are utilising. Furthermore, machine learning and natural language processing methods are being used more often. The tendency can be clearly seen in Spotify’s personalised playlists and AI-generated suggestions, such as Release Radar and Discover Weekly.

• The 30 Seconds Content 

 The music industry depends on the popularity a certain music gains. But in the era of short videos, the music consumption  algorithms sewed dramatically. With the popularity of the “Shorts” or “Reels” the content creator started using only the chorus of the music. Thus sometimes it is noticed that, 30 seconds of the chorus part of a piece of music went viral. Listeners, mostly the Gen Z, are consuming only the viral part. And the music is getting significant popularity. 

With this change is music consumption , thanks to these streaming services artists are making music mostly focusing on the chorus part of a song. With the intention of going viral and gaining overnight popularity. 

A SUPPOSED FUTURE OF MUSIC CONSUMPTION 

• AI &  AUTOMATED CONTENT 

Needless to say the introduction of Artificial Intelligence overtly changed and will continue to the music consumption & music distribution technique. AI is automating music in nearly a few seconds when it takes months and so for an artist to compose  a song. But the future is yet to come and it’s uncertain. 

However this is clear that the music distribution services have to be dynamic and accept the changes in music consumption. Also being welcoming about it.