The way we consume music has evolved beyond recognition over the last century. Changes in technology have been the biggest driving force. If you speak to your grandparents, they are generally stunned at how things have evolved. Growing up, they most likely would have had a radio with 2-3 channels to choose from. The luckier ones would have had a vinyl player. Other than this, the only option would have been live music - and even then you were stuck with whatever was available locally. Add in the fact that the genres on offer would have been extremely limited. This cultural paradigm, where a limited choice of media and entertainment forms dominated public consciousness and shaped collective preferences, was known as monoculture. 

Now speak to someone born in the last 20 years. Their access to music is completely unparalleled. They will most likely each have their own phone, access to the internet, and with that, the ability to scour the world to find the perfect tunes for their mood and personality. Whereas back in the day you would have to argue over what gets played on the radio, in today's world, if you don’t like what's on, simply put some headphones in and dive into your space. Not only has technology changed how we listen to music, its impact on the entire musical ecosystem has been profound.

The 1950s - 1990s: Monoculture Reigns Supreme

This period saw the birth of the music industry. It was the beginning of big record labels, radio stations and television programs that dominated the musical narrative. They chose what's hot and what's not, reaching nationwide audiences and turning musical acts into global superstars. Think Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Madonna - superstars that became revered with almost godlike obsession around the world. Everyone knew the same tunes, everyone could sing along to the same songs . Rock and pop stars became omnipresent- TV, radio, sports stadiums, they were everywhere. Adding to the frenzy was having their every move covered by a fervent tabloid media keen on feeding the public with any bit of information about their superstars. This was the era of big - if you were a star, you were a super star.

During this time, the dominant format was vinyl. Expensive and difficult to produce, the capital and technical requirements put a limit on who could produce and distribute music. 

The Mid 1980s: Cassette Culture 

Remember these? Cute but fiddly as hell - it could be argued that cassettes were the beginning of the end for monoculture. Why? Because they gave birth to the mixtape. Original Walkmans allowed you to record as well as play music, empowering people of all ages to curate their own playlists, breaking them free from the grips of monoculture. It changed how we listen to music and in a sense acted as a precursor to streaming services.

The 90s: CDs

Compact discs aka CDs were the next technological game changer in music distribution. The quality of compression was significantly higher than cassettes, and they could store more music. In one sense, CDs heightened the power of monoculture, as it facilitated mass distribution, allowing big artists to further monopolize revenue streams. On the flipside, cds allowed underground and independent culture to really break the mainstream and flourish. As production costs for recording and distributing cds were so much lower than vinyl, you saw a big rise in new genres such as rock indie labels and hip hop and r&b. Some of these artists and labels would get absorbed into the mainstream and become part of the monopoly, yet for every artist that made it big, you’d have an endless amount of new sounds and styles looking to become the next big thing. 

The New Millennium: The Internet, MP3s, and Napster

While indie cds and cassettes made a small dent in the music industry’s monopolistic power, the end of the millennium was when things really started to change. The internet became ubiquitous. MP3s squished music into tiny files that lived on portable devices. And then along came Napster - somewhat illegal, the peer to peer file sharing platform allowed music fans to download tunes from around the world for free. They were no longer limited to what the radio was playing, what their record store was selling, or what their budget could afford. The financial impact on big labels was huge. People didn’t have to buy a whole album just for one good song anymore. They could simply go on Napster, cherry pick what they like and then burn their own CDs. 

Post Millennium: Algorithms and Streaming 

If you were around in the early 2000s, you’ll remember just how faulty the internet was. It was slow, downloads would take hours and the quality of badly compressed music was generally terrible.  As the years moved on, the internet got faster. It didn’t just go from fast to faster, it went superfast. Downloads that would take days were done in seconds. It was the beginning of instant: what you want when you want it. And with this transition, pretty much the entirety of recorded music got uploaded on to the world wide web. Platforms likeYouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp broke the control the music industry had. Anyone and everyone could upload and distribute music they had made. It totally killed album sales - listeners would no longer have to buy a whole album just to get that one song they liked. In just a few clicks they could create the perfect playlist, plucking sounds from across the globe. 

What does this all mean….. 

Well… album launches now feel like a drop in the ocean. The power of the big star has been totally diluted. There’s new music coming out every day. Music production has been simplified to the point anyone with a phone, a few apps and a bit of creativity can create something magic. The album doesn't matter anymore, it's all about the single. 

The death of monoculture has totally changed the music industry and reshaped how we consume music. The rise of digital technology, streaming services, and social media has fragmented the musical landscape, allowing for greater diversity and personalization. While this shift has democratized music access and fostered global exchange, it also presents challenges related to discoverability, artist sustainability, and the pressure for constant content production. 

In this new era, music consumption is characterized by autonomy, exploration, and niche communities. Listeners have the freedom to curate their musical journeys, discovering new artists and genres beyond the constraints of traditional media. The big hits of yesteryear are missing, yet you can have something new every day. 

As technology continues to advance, the future of music consumption promises to be even more dynamic and interconnected, offering endless possibilities for artistic expression and listener engagement. Being liberated from monoculture feels empowering. I can be my own DJ, selecting what I want when I want. At the same time… not gonna lie, I’m missing those big album drops, the big hit singles that everyone from anywhere knew all the lyrics and we could all sing along to…