
Are Hit Songs Becoming Less Musically Diverse? - rbanffy
https://pudding.cool/2018/05/similarity/
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juststeve
should a pop band be finish their concert by re-harmonizing an entire album by
mahavishnu orchestra or Miles Davis?

IOW, why would music that is intentionally written to peak in the top 10,
require to be musically diverse or innovative? Marketing the artist, or
creating PR 'buzz' in the press seems to be more important than how many
scales or time signatures an artist can play.

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gerbilly
>why would music that is intentionally written to peak in the top 10, require
to be musically diverse or innovative?

Of course it doesn't require it, but it's a nice feature.

One feature of good music is that it can surprise the listener (key changes,
chord changes, sudden shifts in rhythm or even style).

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juststeve
agreed it's a nice feature, but if a song is too complicated it may negatively
impact sales. it's like asking "Are fast food chains becoming less diverse?"

musical skill has been devalued in the top 40 for decades.

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gerbilly
I think music listeners aren't dumb, they can appreciate more complex
compositions.

It's just when you turn on the radio, it all sounds the same.

The promotion machine makes it such that the music put in front of us all
tends to sound the same, because the industry is just trying to rehash the
same hit over and over to milk us for money.

