[Column] Tracking the history of music trends spreading in the internet era and the mechanism of global diffusion
Column en Global Histoy Internet![[Column] Tracking the history of music trends spreading in the internet era and the mechanism of global diffusion](/../assets/images/column-trends-internet-age.webp)
Introduction: What are online music trends?
Text: mmr｜Theme: A long-form analysis that traces the history of music trends spreading in the internet age and the mechanism of global dissemination. Track cities, artists, and services based on facts and explore the background behind trend formation
With the spread of the Internet, music has become a new cultural phenomenon that transcends borders and spreads in real time.
From the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, the Internet changed the core of musical culture. Traditionally, record companies, radio stations, and CD shops were the main sources of distribution, but the Internet has ushered in an era in which individuals can directly distribute songs. At clubs and festivals in cities, it has become commonplace for local songs to instantly spread to other cities via the internet.
In Berlin”s techno clubs and Tokyo”s club scene, DJs and artists informally shared their sets and songs on Mixcloud and SoundCloud, making them accessible to fans and DJs around the world. In this way, a structure was created in which local urban music directly influenced global trends.
Late 1990s-early 2000s: MP3 revolution and file sharing
The spread of the MP3 format and the emergence of P2P services such as Napster, which occurred in the early days of the Internet, overturned the conventional wisdom of music distribution.
In 1995, the introduction of the MP3 format made it easier to compress and share music files, creating an environment in which people could enjoy music without having to rely on purchasing CDs. Los Angeles indie band The Postal Service and Berlin’s underground techno tracks reached DJs and listeners around the world via MP3.
In 1999, Napster was introduced and P2P music exchange exploded. New York college students swapped Jay-Z and Eminem albums, which became a hot topic at clubs in London and Tokyo. These movements have led to the formation of new hits that cannot be measured using traditional charts.
In Tokyo, the movement to reevaluate Shibuya-kei and city pop reached overseas fans via the internet, and there were even cases where it was featured in DJ sets in New York and Paris.
Mid-2000s: The era of blogs, bulletin boards, and music SNS
Individuals’ ability to communicate increases, and trends that cross genres begin to emerge
In 2004, MySpace’s music features allowed artists to upload their own songs and share them with the world. Los Angeles indie rockers Arcade Fire and Bristol trip-hop Massive Attack have found international listeners through MySpace.
In Tokyo, Shugo Tokumaru and Cornelius published their songs on their blogs and personal sites, and they became a hot topic among music enthusiasts in New York and London. In bulletin board culture, 2channel and Reddit became information hubs, and local trends in each city were visualized online, leading to an international movement.
In 2006, Last.fm introduced a recommendation function. The system, which analyzes user listening data and suggests similar artists and tracks, has contributed to the formation of trends that take advantage of the characteristics of each city, such as indie rock in New York, techno in Berlin, and dubstep in London.
2010s: Streaming and Globalization
With the advent of Spotify and SoundCloud, music from all over the world is instantly available, and listener preference data is directly linked to trend formation.
In the early 2010s, Spotify (originated in Stockholm, Sweden) and SoundCloud (originated in San Francisco, USA) became popular, and streaming music consumption became mainstream. Music from cities such as Berlin”s techno DJs Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann, Tokyo”s electronica tofubeats, and New York’s hip-hop A$AP Rocky is now available to listeners around the world in real time.
There has also been an increase in the number of independent artists entering the charts, such as SoundCloud rapper Lil Uzi Vert and London grime artist Skepta. We have entered an era where the club culture and festival culture of a city spreads to other cities via streaming, and DJ sets and playlists are directly linked to trend formation.
Late 2010s-2020s: Short videos and algorithm-driven
The viral power of short videos such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts has become the starting point for new hits, and the traditional chart structure has also changed.
Since 2016, TikTok and YouTube Shorts have become the main means of spreading music. “Old Town Road” by American rapper Lil Nas Even in Berlin’s club scene, techno tracks that gained attention on TikTok were shared across the city by fans and DJs.
Kawaii electropop from Tokyo and K-pop songs from Seoul have also gained popularity overseas through remix videos on TikTok. Short videos accelerated musical exchange between cities and presented a new form of hit formation that went beyond the traditional chart structure.
Current: AI recommendations and generative music
Improved recommendation accuracy through machine learning and the spread of AI composition tools are making music trends even more personalized and faster.
In the early 2020s, AI recommendation technology began to analyze individual listener preferences and incorporate them into playlist generation on Spotify and Apple Music. DJs in Berlin, London, and Tokyo optimize their setlists based on AI data. The global hit formation rate has increased significantly.
In addition, generative AI such as OpenAI Jukebox and Google MusicLM has made it possible for artists to create unique music that transcends the boundaries of cities and countries. A mix of New York indie music, London electronic music, and Tokyo city pop is creating new genres and subcultures.
Chronology: Internet music trend milestones
Organize major events in online music culture in chronological order
Diagram: Diffusion model of online music trends
Illustrating global music propagation and diffusion paths
Final Chapter: Looking towards the next 10 years
Music trends continue to evolve in ways that are difficult to predict as technology and personal communication further intertwine
As we have seen so far, the evolution of online music has been shaped by the intersection of cities, artists, and technology. From the MP3 revolution to AI recommendations, music trends are rapidly changing due to the interaction of personal communication and globalization. Over the next 10 years, with the further evolution of generative AI and the emergence of new SNS, difficult-to-predict trends that fuse urban culture and personal communication will continue to form.
