Ask Slashdot: Will Technology Disrupt the Song?

An anonymous reader writes: The music industry has gone through dramatic changes over the past thirty years. Virtually everything is different except the structure of the songs we listen to. Distribution methods have long influenced songwriting habits, from records to CDs to radio airplay. So will streaming services, through their business models, incentivize a change to song form itself? Many pop music sensations are already manufactured carefully by the studios, and the shift to digital is providing them with ever more data about what people like to listen to. And don't forget that technology is a now a central part of how such music is created, from auto-tune and electronic beats to the massive amount of processing that goes into getting the exact sound a studio wants.

Comments

Shut your whore mouth!

[Anonymous Coward]

Many pop music sensations are already manufactured carefully by the studios,

WHAT?! What a corruption of the traditions of our country's musical heritage. Give me the organic groups-- the Monkees, Menudo, One Direction, O-Town, the Backstreet Boys, NKOB, the Spice Girls.. you know, talented musicians who found each other and came together through the music.

Re:Shut your whore mouth!

[narcc]

You might notice that most of the artists you named here were terrible.

FTFY

Technology isn't killing music

[CeasedCaring]

That's Simon Cowell's job.

Re:Will Technology Disrupt the Song?

[geekmux]

Are you joking? Technology has always disrupted the nature of music. Early forms of recording were very short in duration and essentially dictated the time lenggh of their contents. Popular music has had to conform to the technology, and arguably is permanently changed. How many charting pop songs over five minutes long that aren't novelty tunes can you think of?

Uh, let's not use time as a measure or indication of quality or intent, shall we?

I'm a bit too afraid that the attention span of today will start handing out Oscars for Vine videos.