Have you noticed some of your favorite current songs are shorter than songs use to be?

A study found the average consumer attention span is 8 seconds.

From Hypebot:

In a report released by Samsung in December 2020, scientists found the average consumer attention span is now 8-seconds long. That discovery is 33% lower than a similar study from 2000 that claimed consumers had 12-second attention spans. Four seconds may not sound like a great deal to some, but in the age of streaming, every moment counts — now more than ever.

The team behind the study cites our shrinking attention spans as one of two main factors shaping the current state of music. The other factor is streaming, which grants consumers so much access to content that every artist must work harder to grab and hold listeners’ attention. These two forces are making songwriters rethink their approach to crafting hit songs. So much so that the same report claims that by 2030 the average length of a hit song will be two-minutes. That is about half the length of a hit song from the 1990s.

It is predicted that by 2030 the average length of a song will be 2 minutes.

The following songs had great success with a length under two minutes :

• Radiohead – I Will (1.59) …
• The Clash – White Riot (1.58) …
• David Bowie – Breaking Glass (1.51) …
• The Smiths – Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (1.50) …
• The White Stripes – Fell In Love With A Girl (1.50) …
• Tenacious D – Dio (1.44) …
• The Beatles – Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (1.41)  Thank you RADIOX for help with that lovely shorty list.

Chart history was recently made by OLD TOWN ROAD, now the highest-certified song ever by the Recording Industry Association of America, verified as 14 times Platinum. Lil Nas X’s catchy tune ends early at 1.53.

James Shotwell, Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music explains more in this very interesting video about short attention spans.

Susan Saunders 1/12/21