Ongoing History Daily: Short attentions spans when it comes to music

In late 2016, Microsoft reported in a study that the average attention span of a human had dropped to eight seconds. It might even be shorter today. This is important when it comes to music.

Around the same time, Spotify published these numbers. Almost 25% of streamers will skip a new, unfamiliar, or unliked song within the first five seconds. A third will bail in the first thirty seconds. And more than half will skip a song before it ends.

We know that technology always has an impact on the way we listen to music. If musicians, composers, producers, and record labels know they have less than ten seconds to make an impression on a listener with a new song, how has this changed the way songs are written and produced? Shorter intros. Choruses up front. More hooks in the first 30 seconds.

Streaming has changed the way music is written.