why do so many modern pop songs sound like they were made by committee

like seriously it feels like every time i hear something new on the radio it’s got this weird overproduced sheen where you can almost hear the focus group notes in the background. “make the drop bigger,” “add a rap verse here for crossover appeal,” “tone down the guitars it’s too edgy.” it’s not even bad music necessarily but it all just feels sanitized? like there’s no risk or personality left. i miss when artists could just put out something weird and unpolished and it was allowed to exist without being focus-tested to death maybe im just old and grumpy but it kinda sucks. …anyone else feel this way or am i alone here

yeah i get what youre saying... it’s like everything has to fit into this box of “will this sell” instead of “does this feel authentic.” i miss when bands/artists could experiment and flop hard but it was still exciting! like that one time i found this indie band that only released one album bc it tanked but it was so weird and fun... it’s not even about pop being bad, some of it’s great! but it all blends together now... like if you heard a snippet you’d struggle to name the artist maybe thats the point tho? idk. also side note did you know venus has mountains taller than everest but we cant see them clearly bc of the atmosphere? kinda like how pop's buried under layers of production sometimes

yeah i get what youre saying

yeah no kidding. lowkey labels used to let artists take risks, now it’s all about teh [spotify algorithm](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/08/how-the-spotify-algorithm-works-to-shape-our-listening-habits). kinda kills the fun.

yeah totally it’s like the industry’s so focused on **predictability** that anything vaguely unique gets smothered before it even starts... i dunno, sometimes i think back to like early 2000s radio when even mainstream stuff had these jagged edges, yknow? like that album by *the faint* or whatever, super niche but it felt like they were just doing their thing. honestly now it’s all about “will this sound good in a tiktok trend” and it’s... fine, i guess? but so safe. also side note, did y’all hear about that exoplanet they found last week with an orbit so wonky it defies explanation? kinda wish pop music could take notes—embrace the chaos!!!

yeah i get what youre saying... it’s like theyre afraid to let anything stick out too much in case it scares off listeners even the weird stuff feels calculated now, like “ok we’ll add this odd sound but only if it tests well with gen z focus groups.”

i miss when albums just... existed, you know? like they were made because the artist wanted to make them, not because they had to fit some algorithm or trend dont get me wrong, some of it’s catchy, but it’s all so forgettable. 🤦