The year is 2040 and you have just picked your child up from school and as you sit in the after school traffic, they ask if they can change the radio. They fiddle around for a moment and eventually settle on a channel titled “The Oldies.” 

Before any music comes on, your mind is already flooded with expected songs and artists such as Tupac, Prince, and Queen, but to your shock “God’s Plan” by Drake begins to play. You’re taken back for a moment because you haven’t heard that song in over a decade, but the moment you hear the chorus, a million different memories suddenly rush back. 

A sense of euphoria rushes over you, but that feeling is quickly replaced by a sudden shock. A song that defined your teenage years was now considered a throwback. As you sit there and ponder, you begin to realize that the music currently being put out sounds nothing similar to any of the songs that you were raised with. 

The beats were different, and the modern artists had different intent with their lyrics than those that you remember growing up. The state of the music industry had changed before your very eyes, and you did not even notice.

The music business is constantly creating and adapting to new trends that arise on a daily basis. A style of music that is popular now likely will not be all too popular in only a matter of months because we as the consumers are always wanting the next best thing.

If every song that is set to release for the next 5 years sounded nearly identical, in terms of rhythm, beat, lyrics, and overall vibe, numbers would drop dramatically because in the simplest terms consumers would get bored.

Mrs. Mariano is the leadership teacher at Enochs High School, and when asked about what made music enjoyable to her personally while growing up, she stated “I was a dancer, so it was definitely about beats and rhythm.”

Mrs. Mariano grew up in the 80’s which was a major transition period for the music industry. It was slowly leaving the disco style that defined the 70’s and was rapidly adapting to the upbeat, electronic style that would go on to define that generation.

For most of recent history, each decade can be associated with a distinct style of musical preference, but with this most recent decade, the years of 2010-2020, finding an identifiable trend is not as simple. Most would consider it to be the age of internet music.

Despite your feelings on it, the internet has made it easier than ever to break into the music industry. Countless numbers of today’s biggest stars in all genres were discovered through either a clip posted online or through a viral song that they posted using platforms such as SoundCloud.

These platforms have allowed for un and coming artists to expand their horizons and push the boundaries of what it means to be an artist. They no longer have to conform to a label, and can put out any style song that they please. This has led to the rapid development of new subsections of the traditional genres, one being mumble rap.

“I’ve heard some decent songs, but honestly if I can’t understand what they’re saying, the beat has to be crazy for me to like it.” says senior Jacob Cuculich when asked on his opinion of mumble rap.

For most, mumble rap is the most extreme subdivision that has risen to popularity as a result of the internet, but there are plenty of others that are constantly rising. Social media apps such as Tik Tok have played a critical role in this transformation and growth.

“I still think my music taste is top tier, but I don’t think that there is one person who can honestly say that they haven’t gotten at least one song in their playlist from Tik Tok.” says senior Jason Divis.

Music is constantly evolving around us and similar to a snowflake, it will never repeat itself. It is best to enjoy our current state because it certainly will not last forever.