What Happened to Music?

Derek Watson
20 hours ago
4 min read

Is music even timeless anymore?

With yet another highly anticipated Drake album on the way, all the hype has me thinking… is music even timeless anymore? I’d consider myself a bit of a music connoisseur. I grew up with music constantly playing, whether it was the radio on in the house or my dad taking me on little cruises in his trucks, cars, boats, or even motorcycles. No matter where we were or what we were doing, there was always music playing, and it was always something different. The songs I grew up listening to, I still listen to this day. And, yeah, you could say that’s just nostalgia.

Every generation holds onto music from their childhood. That’s nothing new. But, after really going back and listening to a lot of these older songs, I’ve come to realize it’s not just nostalgia keeping them alive. They’re still just that good. Take Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill, for example. In my opinion, and I think a lot of music lovers would agree, that’s an album that could drop today and still have the same impact, maybe even more than it did when it first came out. And, honestly, I think this is even more obvious when you look at hip-hop and early 2000s hits. Songs like “In da Club” by 50 Cent or “Yeah!” by Usher are still being played in clubs and on the radio like they never left. But then you look at songs like “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas or “My Way” by Fetty Wap—songs that, at one point, felt like the soundtrack to my life—and you barely hear them anymore. Not in clubs, not on the radio… nowhere near the same way. And that’s what got me thinking.

What has changed?

If you ask me, I say the culprit is once again social media, more specifically, TikTok. More and more artists are making music that they hope will trend online through someone adding a dance challenge to it or a funny meme. I believe that takes the substance out of a songwriter's skill and work. Instead of focusing on making a complete, well-rounded song, it feels like the focus has shifted to making the catchiest snippet possible, and snippets, in my opinion, don't make classics. Something that people won’t skip in the first few seconds. Something that can be looped easily. Something that grabs attention fast, even if it doesn’t hold it for long. And, because of that, I think a lot of the substance gets lost.

Quality?

The storytelling, the buildup, the replay value those things don’t matter as much when the goal is to go viral for a week instead of staying relevant for years. Back then, songs had time to grow on people. You’d hear them on the radio, learn every word, and they’d slowly become part of your life. Now, a song can blow up in a matter of days… and disappear just as fast. It’s like music has turned into fast food. Quick, catchy, and easily accessible, but not always something that sticks with you. And, don't get me twisted, not every artist in the industry is doing this. There are still many talented artists out there making real, lasting music. But when the music industry starts rewarding viral moments more than long-term quality, it’s hard not to notice the shift.

Just my opinion?

And, of course, I had to see if it was just me feeling this way or if other people noticed it too. So, I did a little poll. I asked more than 10 friends from different generations how they felt about music today. Is it still timeless? Surprisingly, almost everybody tried to defend this generation of music at first—and honestly, some of them made really good points. But then I asked a different question: does this generation have its own Yeah! or Get Low? A song that instantly changes the energy in a room the second it comes on. A song that people from completely different age groups all know word for word. That’s when people started to hesitate. Eventually, almost everybody admitted the answer was probably no. What was even more interesting is that multiple people brought up TikTok and social media as the reason why—without me even mentioning it first. That’s when I realized maybe I wasn’t just overthinking this whole thing. Maybe music really is changing in a major way. One of my friends made a point that honestly stuck with me the most. He said the club scene isn’t what it used to be, especially after COVID. People don’t go out the same way anymore, and music doesn’t really have those shared spaces to live in like it used to. Now, most people experience music alone through headphones and phone screens.

So, what does all of this mean?

Maybe timeless music still exists—it just looks different now. Or, maybe we’re living in an era where music is no longer built to last forever but instead built to dominate a moment. Either way, I can’t help but feel like something has changed somewhere along the line. Because when a song from 2003 can still shut down a party in 2026, but a song from 2021 already feels old, that says something.

Let me know what you think though chat. Is music still timeless?

Is music still timeless?

0%Yes
0%No