Since the heyday of radio, records, cassette tapes, and MP3 players, sound branding has evolved from a wide range of genres such as rock and hip-hop to ‘Supernatural Dark Cabaret Afternoon’ and ‘Synth Space’, and streaming has become the default.
Meanwhile, the ritual of discovering new things is now neatly packaged in a 30-song playlist that refreshes weekly. Like any other industry these days, the only rule in music streaming is personalization.
But what we gained in convenience we lost in curiosity. Sure, you can listen to Swedish tropical house or New Jersey hardcore with unlimited access, but having so many choices doesn’t actually make the listening experience any less expansive or eclectic.
As we get used to the convenience of shuffling through created playlists, we forget that finding music is an active activity. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Read the full story.
—Tiffany Ng
Tiffany’s work latest print MIT Technology Review magazine celebrates its 125th anniversary! If you haven’t done so already, Subscribe Now You can secure your copy later when it arrives.
Roundtable: Climate-friendly food production
