Pop music: Fewer gatekeepers, more opportunities
Quick, name the No. 1 song on the pop charts.
It鈥檚 OK if you don鈥檛 know. Most people don鈥檛. Nowadays, very few songs manage to fully saturate our siloed popular culture. Only songs such as Lil Nas X鈥檚 鈥淥ld Town Road鈥� and Dua Lipa鈥檚 鈥淒on鈥檛 Start Now鈥� 鈥� recent winners of the informal annual competition to be crowned song of the summer 鈥� tend to become ubiquitous. This year it may be the turn of Olivia Rodrigo鈥檚 鈥済ood 4 u.鈥� The teen pop star鈥檚 edgy breakup anthem, Gen Z鈥檚 version of Alanis Morissette鈥檚 鈥淵ou Oughta Know,鈥� is ahead of the pack in the 2021 song of the summer derby. It has almost half a billion streams on Spotify.聽
Why We Wrote This
Technology has made producing pop music more democratic. As new songs flood streaming platforms, what opportunities does this create for access and creativity?
The paradox is that even as fewer songs become well known, there鈥檚 never been more recorded music. Anyone can now cheaply record and release compositions directly to streaming platforms. Every day, at least 60,000 new songs are uploaded to Spotify 鈥� a whopping 22 million per year. The deluge of releases, with less room at the top, has made it harder to get noticed. In a bid to score a breakout hit, many songwriters are risk averse and formulaic. Record labels, focused on quick returns, have been signing artists who blow up on TikTok only to become one-hit wonders.
Yet some observers say that this democratized system also offers new opportunities. There鈥檚 more space for quality craftsmen with entrepreneurial savvy to carve out sustainable, middle-tier careers. And fewer gatekeepers means exciting disrupters can emerge to shake the system and keep it fresh. Just ask Billie Eilish, whose new album, 鈥淗appier Than Ever,鈥� comes out July 30. Or Lorde, whose third album, 鈥淪olar Power,鈥� arrives in August.
鈥淚f they鈥檙e great 鈥� and the key word is 鈥榚xceptional鈥� 鈥� their tribe is going to find and support and nurture that artist,鈥� says Benjamin Groff, a music business executive who has signed acts such as Kelly Clarkson, The Lumineers, One Republic, and Kid Cudi. 鈥淭here鈥檚 corners of Spotify for everyone.鈥�
In the streaming era, however, fewer artists truly stand out. In part it鈥檚 because everyone鈥檚 using the same pre-made beats, auto-tune, and production software. But it鈥檚 also because contemporary compositions are often as simple as nursery rhymes. Of course, pop music has always included repetitive songs that claim squatter鈥檚 rights in one鈥檚 head and then never leave. (Many wish there were warnings before the airplay of 鈥淚鈥檓 too Sexy鈥� by Right Said Fred, 鈥淚ce, Ice Baby鈥� by Vanilla Ice, and 鈥淔unkytown鈥� by Lipps Inc.) Even so, pop song structure used to be more adventurous. The trend toward generic musical conformity coincides with the wane of the physical album format in the digital era. The focus is getting traction for singles.聽
鈥淭he opportunity cost of marketing is so high, a record company does not want to promote anything that they don鈥檛 think is a guaranteed hit,鈥� says Bob Lefsetz, the music business analyst behind the influential Lefsetz Letter. 鈥淵ou have multiple writers. They鈥檙e trying to buy insurance.鈥�
Labels started pairing artists with producers to co-write tunes that copy other successful songs. The result is a proliferation of the same very basic diatonic chord progressions 鈥� meaning no key change 鈥� that tends to produce similar melodies because only certain notes sound good over those chords.聽
鈥淲hen I went to Nashville, I did a bunch of writing sessions in late 2013, early 2014,鈥� recalls producer Rick Beato, whose YouTube series 鈥淲hat Makes This Song Great?鈥� has 2.4 million subscribers. 鈥淓veryone I wrote with had multiple No. 1 hits. They wanted to write different things, but they also wanted to feed their families. So they were stuck writing what they called 鈥榖ro-country.鈥欌�� 聽
The diatonic chord progression that鈥檚 ubiquitous in bro-country 鈥� I鈥揤鈥搗i鈥揑V 鈥� also dominates other genres in the song-oriented streaming era, says Mr. Beato. You can hear it on Luis Fonsi鈥檚 鈥淒espacito,鈥� Ms. Clarkson鈥檚 鈥淪tronger,鈥� and Taylor Swift鈥檚 鈥淏ad Blood.鈥� By contrast, Mr. Beato notes that only one of The Beatles鈥� 27 No. 1 hits 鈥� 鈥淟et it Be鈥� 鈥� utilized that chord sequence.
But as fans of the Fab Four can attest, rock 鈥檔鈥� roll thrives when rule-breakers upend the status quo. For example, Mr. Groff recalls the first time he came across a pre-fame Lady Gaga in the Myspace era. At the time there was no dance pop in the charts.聽
鈥淚 remember thinking to myself, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 not going to work,鈥� says Mr. Groff, who owns the music publishing company Brill Building as well as We Are: The Guard, a talent and record label business. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always that artist that ultimately then changes what is perceived as being the norm.鈥�
Mr. Groff points to rap star Big Freedia, whom he signed, as someone who fits that description. The hip-hop sound she helped pioneer, called bounce music, draws from New Orleans parade drums, jazz horns, and Mardi Gras call-and-response chants.聽
鈥淚 just continue to be myself and be authentic and not try to follow the pack,鈥� says Big Freedia, a Louisiana native. 鈥淢y mom always taught me to be a leader and not a follower.鈥澛�
She released her first album, 鈥淨ueen Diva,鈥� in 2003. Back then, her underground music wasn鈥檛 as easily discovered 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 on mainstream radio. Her lyrics are too explicit for airplay, anyway. Now, streaming platforms facilitate music discovery. Beyonc茅 and Drake sampled the New Orleans rapper on hit songs. Collaborations with Lizzo and Kesha have also introduced her to new ears.
鈥淓very time I did a song with a different person that took me to another level, I would call my manager, and say, 鈥楾he price just went up again!鈥欌�� she says.
Today, musicians such as Big Freedia are empowered as never before to forge direct connections to fans via Instagram and TikTok. A catchy hook embedded in a 30-second video reel often spurs TikTok users to listen to the entire song on streaming services. Record labels have less sway on influencing what goes viral on TikTok, so it鈥檚 more possible than ever for unknown musicians to have hits.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about algorithms. Spotify looks at what is saved and what is played and they move that into more significant playlists,鈥� says Mr. Lefsetz. 鈥淣o matter who you are, you鈥檙e not guaranteed success. And you see this all the time. People put out tracks 鈥� like Justin Bieber 鈥� that go nowhere. So the system is somewhat democratic.鈥�
Indeed, musicians have never been less beholden to the old power centers. That鈥檚 especially true for mid-tier level artists. Who needs record labels when you can sell music and merchandise directly to fans on Bandcamp? Many artists also receive monthly donations from their most ardent fans via Patreon. Playing live gigs is essential.
鈥淚t is really just about figuring out how to get as many people as possible to give you about $50 a year,鈥� says J.R. McKee, a music executive who鈥檚 played an instrumental role in boosting streaming numbers for hip-hop stars such as Lil Durk and Rod Wave. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to be No. 1 to thrive. There are a lot of artists I鈥檝e never heard of, but they鈥檙e making a great amount of money. They have a fan base. That was impossible 10 years ago when it was only the top [artists] at the top.鈥澛�
Musicians at that mid-tier level can find an audience for whatever type of music they鈥檙e making, says Mr. McKee, who hosts an online course on how to be a music industry entrepreneur. 鈥淪o there鈥檚 no need to copy anyone.鈥�
The music industry may have changed, but the ingredients for success haven鈥檛.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 about hard work,鈥� says Big Freedia. 鈥淎nd even when the world tries to knock you down or when you go to situations where you may have a hiccup, you get up, you dust yourself off. ... You continue to bring great music to the world and they can鈥檛 deny you.鈥澛�
