Pop songs are getting WAY shorter

[bmw]

I pretty much quit paying attention to current music in the past few years, but out of curiosity today I took a look at the Top 40 chart, and as looked songs up on youtube - one thing jumped out at me right away - the short length of a lot of the songs. Here's just the Top 10:

1 - Tate McRae - Greedy - 2:35
2 - Doja Cat - Paint the Town Red - 3:52
3 - Paul Russell - Lil Boo Thang - 1:55
4 - Miley Cyrus - Used to be Young - 3:09
5 - Billie Eilish - What was I made for - 3:41
6 - Taylor Swift - Is it Over Now - 3:50
7 - Dua Lipa - Houdini - 3:07
8 - Jack Harlow - Lovin on Me - 2:18
9 - Olivia Rodrigo - Get him back - 3:32
10 - Tyla - Water - 3:22

That's an average of 3:08 with no song at or over 4 minutes. Wasn't all that long ago that 3:30 was typical with a lot of songs at 4 or 4 and a half minutes. Is this just an attention span thing with today's generation?

[Ben Zonia]

It's about time they went back to 1970 track lengths. Anything much more than 3:00 is usually superfluous intros and outtros from outtakes. There are a few exceptions.

[Mega Hertz]

I mean, this is the way it was back in the 50s and 60s. Single driven market, 2 to 3 minutes (sometimes 3 minutes was pushing it), having the hook at the start of the song, nothing Little Richard and the Beatles didn't do 60 years ago.

[audiophile]

It's to make more money. Song royalties on the internet are paid by the song x number of listeners.

[ChrisWL1980]

At this rate, American Top 40 could easily go back to being a three-hour show, as it was before 1978. One less hour of Ryan Seacrap might actually be a good thing.

[ral315]

If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit. So they cut it down to 3:05.

[Mega Hertz]

If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit. So they cut it down to 3:05.

Excellent reference.

[TC Talks]

In my third year as a dj, I learned the Inagada Devita trick. Hands down the best song to drop a deuce. And every radio edit rock song was 2:45 - 3:30.

Maybe this is Biden's fault.

[Mega Hertz]

In my third year as a dj, I learned the Inagada Devita trick. Hands down the best song to drop a deuce. And every radio edit rock song was 2:45 - 3:30.

Maybe this is Biden's fault.

SONGS WERE LONGER WHEN TRUMP WAS PRESIDENT!!!11!! FACTS WOKE THE LEFT LGBTQ× SN0WFLEAK!!!