Is Music dying?

[Mr Peabody]

What prompts this question I look forward to what I call "new music Friday", it's when all the new releases hit Tidal and other streaming services. I was disappointed yesterday not much hit. Rather than being March the service looked like the end of the year when nothing is usually released.

My first question was this the same for Qobuz and Spotify, other services? In mean there were a few albums but not in genres I listen to and it was very few. "Metal" typically has nearly a dozen new titles due to all the small labels, this week maybe 5. Same for Rock/Indy. 2026 in general seemed to be slow, maybe not as bad as Friday except for the first couple weeks of January. Even Jazz has been slow on new releases. And, don't get me started on what is under Jazz these days. I mean I like new music/bands like Go Go Penguin, Yuseff Days but some of that noise...... I guess someone likes it, LOL I'm usually the guy who turns my friends onto new music, so far I've nothing.

So what do you guys see and feel is going on? Seriously, I can look at my digital library and notice new additions have been down the past few years.

 

[Mike]

There are sure weeks where the new releases are stinkers. But I don’t think good music is dying. We are just no longer finding everything tasty at the big buffet that is streaming.

 

[Phil A]

There have been studies - e.g. https://www.the-independent.com/art...top-song-melodies-simpler-study-b2574633.html

They have found (with regard to mainly populat music) that the complexity and variety of instruments used have decreased since the 1960s.

There's still plenty of good music out there. There are areas of the United States (and I'm sure in other countries) where live music available is not to the same level as other places. Many of the mainstream places which used to sell music (Tower Record Stores, Borders stores and even places like Best Buy) are gone. So we have things like streaming, internet radio and forums like these now.

I remember when I was young (long ago) where there were so many more places to buy music vs. what's around today.

 

[exupgh12]

Physical era — CDs/vinyl sold for ~$15–$25. Artists often got 10–25% (sometimes much more on direct sales), so a decent-selling album could earn real money.

Streaming era — Pay is per stream (~$0.003–$0.008 per play on average). A track needs tens or hundreds of thousands of streams to generate meaningful income.

This pushes artists toward singles, short tracks, and playlist/viral plays instead of full albums. The low per-stream rate and high volume needed make sustainable income harder for most artists than in the old sales model.

The payment structure—not streaming itself—is what many say is harming music quality and artist earnings.

 

[mep]

Physical era — CDs/vinyl sold for ~$15–$25. Artists often got 10–25% (sometimes much more on direct sales), so a decent-selling album could earn real money.

Streaming era — Pay is per stream (~$0.003–$0.008 per play on average). A track needs tens or hundreds of thousands of streams to generate meaningful income.

This pushes artists toward singles, short tracks, and playlist/viral plays instead of full albums. The low per-stream rate and high volume needed make sustainable income harder for most artists than in the old sales model.

The payment structure—not streaming itself—is what many say is harming music quality and artist earnings.

And meanwhile back at the ranch, premium reissues of old jazz and rock LPs are everywhere.

 

[Michaels HiFi]

Physical era — CDs/vinyl sold for ~$15–$25. Artists often got 10–25% (sometimes much more on direct sales), so a decent-selling album could earn real money.

Streaming era — Pay is per stream (~$0.003–$0.008 per play on average). A track needs tens or hundreds of thousands of streams to generate meaningful income.

This pushes artists toward singles, short tracks, and playlist/viral plays instead of full albums. The low per-stream rate and high volume needed make sustainable income harder for most artists than in the old sales model.

The payment structure—not streaming itself—is what many say is harming music quality and artist earnings.

I think people forget that is not an accurate comparison.

The good news for artists is their music will be listened to / streamed in exponentially higher numbers than when physical medium needed to be sold. Also it's much easier to discover their music and thus earn revenue than before where you had to decide whether to waste $20 on an album/artist you hadn't heard of.

Previously when an album was sold the artist only got paid once. Now they get paid every time I listen to their songs.

And finally most artist have always made money on tours more than album sales.

As someone who doesn't want my monthly rates for streaming music to keep increasing, I am totally OK with what artists are getting paid. Let's see the record labels and executives reduce their cut significantly they are making on the backs of the artists before they are so quick to ask me to pay more.

Just my personal opinion.

 

[Mr Peabody]

I may have spoke too much. Good comments. My main point and especially if you think the music is still there, where is it? It's not that I don't always like what's out, It's the new titles aren't there. New releases are down from what used to be released each week.

 

[NewAlkyogre]

Nowadays It is much more easy to earn money with a tribute band then with own new work. Play and sing some evergreens and everybody is happy. Unless you are really good and have the right marketing, hardly no one is visiting your performance with music they don’t know

 

[Kramer64]

We have quickly learned to take it for granted, but I marvel at our ability to have access to millions of tunes in an instant and at CD quality for $15-20 a month. I've discovered dozens of artists I would never have heard and bought records produced by many of them. I remember being a kid in the 60s and saving up the $3.99 it took to buy a record at the Ben Franklin five and dime. It was critical to choose wisely, because there was a long time between purchases.

 

[mep]

I may have spoke too much. Good comments. My main point and especially if you think the music is still there, where is it? It's not that I don't always like what's out, It's the new titles aren't there. New releases are down from what used to be released each week.

What genre(s) of music are you wishing that new albums are released weekly?

 

[Mr Peabody]

What genre(s) of music are you wishing that new albums are released weekly?

Almost all genres have new releases weekly. In the past it was more than what I see now.

Here's what I notice over the years using Tidal.
Blues; may be a month between new releases added.
Classical; used to have several a week.
Rock/Indy/Metal; all used to have several a week.
Jazz; used to have several a week.
Country; hit and miss, some weeks one or two, others more. Same with Folk/Americana

Those are the main ones I hit. I will sample new albums you never know what I might like.

It just seems to me new releases are smaller in number now. Maybe because it's something I look for every week. I'm just talking new releases. I also find music from friends. There's also a Jazz thing I listen to on Sundays like a podcast that I pick up on music. Most of this is already released but still new to me.

 

[Mr Peabody]

We have quickly learned to take it for granted, but I marvel at our ability to have access to millions of tunes in an instant and at CD quality for $15-20 a month. I've discovered dozens of artists I would never have heard and bought records produced by many of them. I remember being a kid in the 60s and saving up the $3.99 it took to buy a record at the Ben Franklin five and dime. It was critical to choose wisely, because there was a long time between purchases.

Right, I remember back in the day having a bunch of albums I wanted to buy and looking at record stores. Also, finding those occasional gems at yard sales, thrifts, etc.

It is crazy, I do have access to tons of music, my personal library and Tidal, sometimes I sit down to listen and like a deer in the headlights because I don't know what I want to listen to. Usually I'll hit a playlist until something strikes me or scroll, my library.