"You Have to Get People's Attention in the First Two Seconds"

And other updates on previous articles

Below I’m sharing breaking news on recent articles at The Honest Broker.

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Are songwriters finally ready to fight the algorithm?

I recently claimed that arts and entertainment—from highbrow to lowbrow—is getting longer. This runs counter to conventional wisdom in media, where short clickbait-ish “content” is aggressively promoted.

It won’t be easy to push back. The algorithms are programmed to push short fluff. If you visit any digital platform you see it. Everything smart and in-depth has been replaced by reels of recycled material. Platform owners like this because it gives them the opportunity to insert more ads.

The worst offender is TikTok. Here, according to the BBC, musicians have learned why it is “named after the sound of a ticking clock.”

“You had to get people’s attention in the first two seconds,” laments pop artist Claudia Valentina. She has written two hits—both of them under three minutes in duration.

TikTok’s approach has been widely imitated by other platforms. The result is devastating to our music culture. Artists are forced to abandon all complex songwriting techniques—because it’s more profitable to write a short musical meme than an actual song.

Can longform really win in this environment? It won’t happen unless artists fight against the combined power of algorithms and financial incentives.

But they’re starting to do just that.

I have further confirmation, and it comes from epicenter of ultra-short videos—TikTok itself. According to the BBC, musicians are now pushing back against the relentless promotion of clickbait.

The BBC shares this chart, which shows that longer songs are finally getting traction—after ten years of shortening.

Source: BBC

We’re still several steps away from new pop epics as long as “Hey Jude" (7 minutes 12 seconds) and “Bohemian Rhapsody” (5 minutes 55 seconds). But we’re trending in that direction. I wouldn’t be surprised if a new breakout hit surprises everyone with its length.

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Fifty staff members at the New York Times rebel against the cuts in culture coverage—and the shift to video.

I’ve been watching the decline of music (and other culture) coverage at the New York Times with dismay (and wrote about it here). It’s now clear that I’m not alone. Fifty staff members at the Times have sent a letter to the leadership, expressing “shock” and “concern” over recent reassignments.