In the dawn of my band’s first demo tape, my mind has been running wild. The creative process isn’t easy, but the last few times I’ve sat down in attempt to craft a chord progression or jot down lyrics, I’ve been urged to generate something of greater magnitude. I’ve always felt rather insecure about the songs I write, primarily because I set such high standards for myself in the things I set out to accomplish. Thus, most projects I’ve been involved with only feature one or two songs wholly composed by yours truly. While I don’t regret this, I know that this approach is not at all helped by the generation of music consumption we currently live in.

Allow me:

No, Urban Outfitters has not resurrected vinyl- and people hardly even download music anymore. The way most people listen is through streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music. We live in an age of streaming, an age where people can click on a track, and hear it immediately- before the audio file has even been completely processed. The result is amazing. With services featuring over 30 million songs, we have a lifetime’s worth of music literally at our fingertips.

I think it’s safe to say that my Spotify account knows more about myself than I do. My “Discover Weekly” and “Daily Mix” playlists are almost always on point. In case you don’t already know, services like Spotify and Apple Music use algorithms to curate songs that determine what each individual person would enjoy most. Some are songs that the person has listened to before, while most others are completely new to that person. I can accredit a great deal of some of my favorite new artists to these algorithms. These algorithms can also detect whether you love or hate not only a specific song- but a specific sound.

So how does this generation of music consumption affect the way people write music? Well, in addition to modern technology easing the way people record/produce music- it’s also given people more control of hearing what they want to hear. I can skip any song I dislike, if I like a song from an artist I’ve never heard of, I’m able to explore their entire discography. So when I come up with a song, I think, “Would I skip through this? Or would I keep listening?”

It’s easy to envision an artist becoming caught up in this mindset. It’s innocent to be creative for your own enjoyment, but when you start asking yourself, “Would (someone else) skip through this? Or keep listening?” that is when you start to sabotage the significance of what you are putting out. You are diminishing the meaning of the music if it doesn’t resonate with yourself. Music (or any artform for that matter) should not be aimed to initially please anyone besides the artist themself. I wouldn’t mind if one of my songs made it onto a “Discover Weekly” playlist, or someone’s “#LIT” playlist, but it’s not going to be my primary goal.

This age of listening is a technological wonder, even though it may pick at the scabs of the music industry. It’s just important to remember that you shouldn’t put out music with the fear of not being added onto someone’s “#LIT” playlist.