SPEAKER_02 0:00

What it do, what it do, it's your boy Andre Spruel, and you're tapped into Middle of the Fence Podcast. Is music actually getting worse or are we just getting older? In episode 60 of Middle of the Fence, I'm looking at why today's music doesn't seem to hit the same for so many of us. From streaming and the chase for viral hits to shorter songs and the psychology behind why the music from our teenage years stays with us. Has the music industry actually sacrificed creativity, or are the nostalgia in our own memories shaping what we consider great music? Let's get into it.

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When it does what it do, it's your boy Andre Spruel, and you are tuning in to Middle of the Fence podcast. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day. Whether you're listening, watching, or both, as I like to say, time is the most valuable thing on this earth because we can spend it, but can't make it back. So as always, thank you for your time. And for all the music heads out there, uh whether you're really into music or not, it doesn't really matter. But we all have a connection to it one way or another, and that's what we're exploring. So let's get into it. I've caught myself saying something recently that I swore I would never say when I was younger. Music just isn't as good as it used to be. And every time I say that, part of me genuinely believes it. Because when I think about what makes music great to me, three things immediately come to mind lyrics, originality, and most importantly, emotion. I want a song to make me feel something. And lately, a lot of newer music just doesn't do that for me the way music used to. But then I realized every generation says this. The generation before us thought some of our music was trash, and their parents probably thought the same thing about theirs. So that made me wonder, is music actually getting worse or are we just getting older? So, aside from just thinking about this and wanting to do an episode with it, I have deep ties with music. I was never a uh recording artist or anything like that, but because of my multicultural upbringing, I was raised on everything from 90s hip hop to RB to pop music to Motown to Reggaeton to Kumbia to like you name it, other than like maybe like country and like you know, worship type music. But anyway, so that diverse background is what really established my love for music in in the first place. And funny story. So, for those that can remember, before there were Spotify and Apple Music, the original streaming service was Napster. And my mom, so growing up in the home that I did with my mom and her side of the family, multi-generational living, uh on one floor it was my mom, and then in her room, and then in the other room was me and my brother, because we shared a room since we were very, very young. And every night my mom would have the desktop AOL dial-up and all that, and Napster would be playing, and all those different types of genres would be playing at night when she would go to sleep. So as a result, I was just hearing all this over and over again, and it developed my love for music, and to the point where I have about 70 records and counting from all different genres and all that. So when people say I listen to everything, like I really do listen to everything, you know, and again, like those are some of the genres, uh, modern-day artists like Drake and J. Cole and all that, to classic rock bands like Guns N' Roses, uh Metallica, you know, and might be surprised because of the uh of the uh complexion, but you know, even like some heavy metal slept nine, you know, I mean, maybe some country artists, but I won't get too much too much into all that. But uh, but when you have when you grow up on both sides of the fence, uh music is one of the things that you actually become really like in tune with because of the variety that you uh come across on a daily basis within. And that's why I don't think we can completely dismiss the idea that music itself has changed, because the environment surrounding music has absolutely changed. According to the IFPI's 2026 Global Music Report, streaming generated more than $22 billion in 2025 and accounted for nearly 70% of global recorded music revenue. Think about that. Nearly 70%. So the way artists reach us, the way we consume their music, and the way the industry generates money has fundamentally changed. And I think it's fair to ask whether that has changed the music itself. Because if success depends on getting someone to click, stay, replay, share, and not swipe away, does that eventually influence what artists create? And there's another interesting piece of data here. Chartmetric reported that the average song appearing on Spotify's charts in 2024 was around three minutes long. That's about 30 seconds shorter than in 2019. Now, shorter doesn't automatically mean worse. And a two and a half minute song can be incredible, but I think it represents something bigger. We live in a world where everything is fighting for our attention, music included. So maybe today's artists haven't become worse at making music, debatable. Maybe they become better at making music for the environment we're living in. And those are two very different things. With today's music, I think some of the biggest problems, and again, just being a music fan and going to many concerts in my lifetime, it's my favorite thing to do. The business and streaming numbers side of things has taken too much control over the actual creativity and artistry when it comes to music. And that's not saying that every artist falls into that trap, but you're you're starting to see it more across creative processes as well, but especially with music, because now it just seems like it's about getting that next viral TikTok hit so your song can automatically go number one. Or the way that an artist envisions their creative path versus what the executives have in mind aren't necessarily aligned. So I think that's definitely the biggest factor at play. And, you know, can it be changed to be better? Like absolutely, but we have to keep in mind too that things change. So as times change, music is one of the things that are going to change as well. And um, you know, with how things, with how quickly we're getting inf like we're getting information now and all that at a much quicker rate than ever before, and that's only going to continue increasing and getting faster. So, what is that exact how is that exactly going to impact the music industry? You know, time will tell, obviously, but uh I feel like that's a great place to start. And also, too, every song just seems short, you know. Back in the day, 80s, 90s, you had songs that were as long as like seven minutes, nine minutes, five minutes and change, and it was the norm. But now, like you're seeing more and more hit songs being less than three minutes, sometimes even less than two and a half minutes, because the the attention span that we have is shortening and shortening. So, as a result, music is one of the things that's being impacted with that as well. The same technology I'm criticizing also allows talented independent artists who would have never gotten a record deal, let's say 30 years ago, to reach millions of people. So it makes you wonder do we lower the barrier for bad music or remove the gatekeepers keeping great artists out? But there's another side of this argument that might be even more important. Because maybe I'm blaming today's music for something that's actually happening inside me. There's a psychological phenomenon called the reminiscence bump. Basically, memories from certain periods of our lives, particularly adolescence and early adulthood, can become disproportionately important to us. And researchers have found something fascinating when they apply this to music. One study involving adults between 18 and 82 found that autobiographical memories connected to popular songs peaked around age 14. And a newer study involving nearly 1,900 people from different geographical backgrounds found that personally meaningful music peaked around age 17. Think about what those ages represent. You're figuring out who you are. Your friendships feel like everything. You're experiencing first relationships, first heartbreaks, high school parties, driving, freedom. Maybe that song isn't just a song anymore, it's connected to your life. Obviously, the teenage years is the biggest nostalgia factor when it comes to music. And I wanted to highlight these two artists in particular because I feel like they really defined my teenage experience. And that's Mr. 305 himself, Pitbull, and Flowrider. So when it came to Pitbull, uh, give me everything, uh, that was always played at like Sweet 16s, weddings that I went to as a teenager, and even at like high school parties and all that. So uh that was that was a song that I really, really connected with. And also with Pitbull, the anthem was my favorite song by him, and it actually was my very first ringtone. So again, this is just bringing in the fact that the nostalgia factor is something that can't be ignored with when it when it comes to music, because whatever brings those feelings out and brings us exactly back to that space, that's where we're going to resonate with more. And with Flo Rider, uh there was an experience that I had where towards the end of last year, and it made me think about this too, I was coming back on the NJ Transit train, which is not always the best experience, but I was coming back from New York and going back home. And it was a pretty packed train because I believe there was a concert going on. So uh there was someone that took the seat next to me. So I was so I was talking to her, and she actually is uh when I spoke to her, she was mentioning how she's studying at Princeton and all that. So then she went to the to the concert. I I believe it was Cat's Eye or like a K-pop group. I I can't remember. But so we were talking about music, and then she said, Yeah, and I listened to throwbacks like you know, like like some Flowrider and Pitbull, and I was just like, Oh my gosh, there are throwbacks for her. So I'm old, like I'm officially unknown, you know. But uh I won't get too much into like the Flow Rider songs, but like low, Club Can't Handle Me and all that again, just really brings me back to just good times and enjoying great memories. And at the end of the day, that's what music is all about, you know. Regardless of the era, if you're growing up in this era or the previous eras of music that you grew up with, it's about how they made you feel and the memories that are uh that are uh associated with them. So that's the point of music. So if it does that job for you, then who are we to judge? And that's where this argument gets uncomfortable for me. Because maybe I'm not comparing music fairly, or maybe it's because I'm dirty. When we talk about older music, we're usually remembering the classics Michael Jackson, Prince, the greatest hip-hop records, the greatest rock records, the songs that survived. We're not sitting around reminiscing about every tele every terrible song released back then. Time already filtered those out for us. But we're experiencing today's music completely unfiltered. We're hearing the classics, the mediocre records, the TikTok songs, the forgettable records, and everything in between. And we're comparing all of that to the greatest survivors or previous generations. That's not exactly a fair fight. Some song being released today that I completely overlook could become the song someone else calls a classic 20 years from now. Which brings me to the question that probably challenged my opinion the most. What if I were 16 years old today? I generally think I'd probably be defending today's music just as hard as I defend the music I grew up with. Because this would be my era. So after looking at both sides, do I still think music is getting worse? Not gonna lie, to some degree, yes. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend the research completely changed my thoughts when it comes to that. I still think something has changed creatively, though. I think the business model matters. I think the battle for views and likes matters. And personally, I don't feel the same originality, lyrical depth, and emotional connection with a lot of today's music. But I also have to admit something. I'm not an objective judge. None of us are because I'm comparing today's music against songs connected to some of the most formative years of my life. So maybe the answer isn't that music got worse, and maybe the answer isn't simply that we got older. Maybe music changed, and so did we. And because both happened at the same time, it's impossible to know how much of that we're feeling belongs to the music and how much it belongs to us. So I'll leave you with this. Not my singing voice, but the next time you hear somebody say, they just don't make music like they used to. Maybe ask them one question Do you actually miss the music? Or do you miss the person you were when that music meant everything to you? And maybe that's why certain songs will never be replaced. Not because nobody will ever make anything that good again, but because nobody can make a new song that comes with our old memories. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to this episode. If you were expecting to hear my voice or some bars, I'm sorry uh to disappoint you guys with that. But you won't be disappointed by continuing to tune in to Middle of the Fence Podcast. So please be sure to like, comment, and subscribe, whether you're following us on YouTube or your favorite podcast streaming platform. And let me know uh what you think and share some of your favorite memories with songs and artists as well. And no matter which side of the fence you grew up on, we're all more like than we think. My name is Andre Spruel. Catch you guys next time. Peace.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Oh, hey, you stuck it out to the end. Thanks for tuning in to this episode. And if you like this episode, please be sure that you're following us on your favorite podcast streaming platform. And if you haven't already, please give us a five-star rating so we can continue growing this middle of the fence family. And be sure to check us out on YouTube at Andre Spruel and under the playlists podcast, you'll be able to see the full length episode over there. And check out some of the clips and follow us on Instagram at middle of the fence. And for all things related to this podcast, check out www.middle of the fence.com. Thanks again. And as always, no matter what side of the fence you grew up on, we're all more alike than we think.