No more foreplay – How streaming has changed song structure

Pop songs used to build – from verse to bridge to chorus. A power ballad like I Will Always Love You took its time. Now, producers are terrified of space. The listener might wander off, or worse, start listening to another playlist. So instead of a build-up, you get the chorus upfront — or a snippet of one. No long intro, no suspense. The first fifteen seconds decide your fate. As one producer puts it – “You’re at the party the moment the door opens.” Simon Napier-Bell / Simon’s Substack