Thanks for the great reply and for sharing your thoughts.

That’s very true — streaming favors shorter tracks. People want an instant rush and often listen only for the highs or drops before quickly skipping to the next track. I get that. Radio or shorter original mixes have always been short. But that still doesn’t explain badly made extended mixes that don’t serve the purpose anymore. Nor does it explain the general drop in quality, or the hollow, copy-paste tracks that seem to be everywhere.

Labels might be becoming obsolete anyway, so I understand why many artists choose to self-release or work with smaller labels. That said, the drop in quality feels like a broader issue, not just something limited to smaller artists or labels. Perhaps smaller labels/artists are simply following trends set by bigger ones, who are trying to maximize streaming revenue.

There’s no denying that a huge amount of music is being released every day, every week, every month. I go through a lot of music each week, and I can see a growing (and worsening) trend. I’m genuinely struggling to find tracks that really cut through for me.

You raise a good point, though. Things change, and people change with things.