I think when talking about music whose primary concern is how much it can sell to how many people, talking about sales figures is valid. But the comical part about poptimism is that it tries to attach artistic gravitas to acts who are often just the face of a giant operation of people creating music that is about sales more than it is about the artistic whims of whatever popstar is at the head of it.
Btw like the song a lot! I know this probably wasn't the main, or even an, influence, but I got some Gary Numan vibes from that guitar riff. Liked the lyrics too, they were really well done. I have a new one out today myself, give it a listen wherever you listen to stuff: ditto.fm/the-old-ways
Learning about sales & streaming numbers, learning how those numbers are affected by various factors, and making predictions all seem like a nerdy-but-fun hobby to have. But the idea that bigger numbers is indicative of better music (or better movie, etc) is so absurd it's hard to comprehend someone sincerely believing it. Even when I was a middle-school tween in the 00s, there were plenty of radio hit songs that I didn't enjoy very much, and plenty of more-niche music (introduced to me by my parents) which I loved. Are there really a bunch of people in this world who have never had the experience of "Huh, I enjoy this niche thing way more than I enjoy the most popular thing..."?
This is such a brilliant post. I’ve noticed this before but never really thought about just how damaging it is. This seems to happen in every ‘fandom’ as well, which is sad. People like to defend their favorite artists/bands, I suppose, but it can go too far.
as a Gen-z pop head stat nerd, this kind of discourse is all I've known. its what socialized how people my age talk about music. I also whoever, share that feeling of how twisted it is. There is so much around this topic to talk about. It plays into the gambling issues that you talked about, the "industry plant allegations" trend, high streams = good music disillusionment.
My hope is that, like sports, actual qualitative debates will still find ways to challenge people at a large scale. In the sports world, you get Stephen A Smith and in this industry we get Anthony Fantano and bloggers alike.
The biggest threat I feel is algorithms using stats to decide what music it feeds to people, I know for a fact that there is music out there that has less than 1,000 streams that would be cherished by the recording academy that would never be recommended by any algorithm.
You see the same type of talk online for movies, TV shows, video games, books, etc. Fans seem more obsessed with the sales numbers and number of views and player counts than the actual substance of the media. They are more interested in being validated by their media of choice "winning" than whether or not it is any good.
this is so good. i’ve definitely noticed this and it makes talking about music insufferable.
I think when talking about music whose primary concern is how much it can sell to how many people, talking about sales figures is valid. But the comical part about poptimism is that it tries to attach artistic gravitas to acts who are often just the face of a giant operation of people creating music that is about sales more than it is about the artistic whims of whatever popstar is at the head of it.
Btw like the song a lot! I know this probably wasn't the main, or even an, influence, but I got some Gary Numan vibes from that guitar riff. Liked the lyrics too, they were really well done. I have a new one out today myself, give it a listen wherever you listen to stuff: ditto.fm/the-old-ways
I pegged Give To Me as Creedence Suzie Q inspired until the 70s part. Beyond that stumped. Maybe something by Elvis Costello?
You got it. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up”. I’ll give you a premium sub when I’m near my computer
Learning about sales & streaming numbers, learning how those numbers are affected by various factors, and making predictions all seem like a nerdy-but-fun hobby to have. But the idea that bigger numbers is indicative of better music (or better movie, etc) is so absurd it's hard to comprehend someone sincerely believing it. Even when I was a middle-school tween in the 00s, there were plenty of radio hit songs that I didn't enjoy very much, and plenty of more-niche music (introduced to me by my parents) which I loved. Are there really a bunch of people in this world who have never had the experience of "Huh, I enjoy this niche thing way more than I enjoy the most popular thing..."?
This is such a brilliant post. I’ve noticed this before but never really thought about just how damaging it is. This seems to happen in every ‘fandom’ as well, which is sad. People like to defend their favorite artists/bands, I suppose, but it can go too far.
I am hearing a mix of My Sharona and We didn’t start the fire by Billy Joel
I hear a bit of the Knack's "My Sharona."
as a Gen-z pop head stat nerd, this kind of discourse is all I've known. its what socialized how people my age talk about music. I also whoever, share that feeling of how twisted it is. There is so much around this topic to talk about. It plays into the gambling issues that you talked about, the "industry plant allegations" trend, high streams = good music disillusionment.
My hope is that, like sports, actual qualitative debates will still find ways to challenge people at a large scale. In the sports world, you get Stephen A Smith and in this industry we get Anthony Fantano and bloggers alike.
The biggest threat I feel is algorithms using stats to decide what music it feeds to people, I know for a fact that there is music out there that has less than 1,000 streams that would be cherished by the recording academy that would never be recommended by any algorithm.
You see the same type of talk online for movies, TV shows, video games, books, etc. Fans seem more obsessed with the sales numbers and number of views and player counts than the actual substance of the media. They are more interested in being validated by their media of choice "winning" than whether or not it is any good.
is it inspired from "Suffragette city" by Bowie?
Either Gimme Some Truth or Billy Joel's It's Still Rock n Roll To Me!
Was your song inspired by Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon?
You beat me to it! That was my choice too :-)