How Today's Hit Songs Are Really Made
The Main Idea in a Nutshell
- Making a hit pop song today is less about one person's genius and more about a "music factory" system where teams of professionals write the songs, and a pop star's job is to be a famous, athletic performer who can make the song go viral online.
The Key Takeaways
- The Music Factory: Most pop songs you hear aren't written by the singer; they are created by teams of professional songwriters and producers in places like Nashville, who work together like in a factory to build hit after hit.
- A Pop Star's New Job: To be a big pop star now, singing talent isn't enough; you also need to be a social media expert who can create viral TikToks, and often you need to be famous before you even release a song (like from a Disney show or being a big influencer).
- Concerts are Military Operations: Putting on a huge concert for a star like Beyoncé or Metallica is incredibly complex, involving massive teams, high-tech gear, and dangerous special effects like fire, all of which have to work perfectly every single night.
- The Spotify Effect: Because of streaming and social media, there isn't one dominant style of music anymore; algorithms just show you what you already like. This makes artists worry about how they get paid and how they'll compete with music made by AI.
- Fun Facts & Key Numbers:
- Fact: The Beatles released 3 full albums in just 364 days, while also touring.
- Fact: A modern pop star like Tate McRae might make 20 or 30 different TikTok videos just to promote one single song.
- Fact: One Coldplay song was credited to 15 different writers, which made the speakers wonder what all those people did.
Important Quotes, Explained
Quote: "> Is this gaslighting the audience into thinking that their favorite artist is a more of a creative than they are, or is this just kind of the way that music is evolving now? Should people be bothered?"
- What it Means: Are music companies and artists tricking us into believing the singer wrote a super personal song, when it was really written by a team of strangers? Or is this just how music is made now, and should we just accept it?
- Why it Matters: This question gets to the heart of what we value in music. Do we care more about the artist being "authentic" and writing their own stuff, or do we just care if the song is good, no matter who created it?
Quote: "> if you don't have a viral moment with a song... the days of the record labels creating your career are pretty much over."
- What it Means: In the past, a big record company could make an artist famous. Now, an artist has to get a song to blow up on its own, usually on a platform like TikTok, to have a real shot at a successful career.
- Why it Matters: This shows how much power has shifted from big corporations to social media. It means an artist's ability to market themselves online is just as important as their musical talent.
The Main Arguments (The 'Why')
- The speakers explain that the way pop music is made has fundamentally changed for a few key reasons:
- First, they argue that songwriting has become a specialized job. Instead of one artist doing everything, there are now "music factories" (like in Nashville) where teams of pros efficiently create songs that are designed to be hits. This is a producer-driven model.
- Next, they provide evidence that a modern pop star's main role has shifted. They need to bring an existing audience (from TikTok, Disney, etc.) and be great performers and dancers, which is why so many are also amazing athletes.
- Finally, they point out that technology has changed the game. Since radio isn't as dominant, artists need a viral hit on social media to break through, and streaming services like Spotify pay so little that artists are worried about their future, especially with AI music on the rise.
- The speakers explain that the way pop music is made has fundamentally changed for a few key reasons:
Questions to Make You Think
- Q: So, do my favorite pop stars actually write their own songs?
A: According to the text, probably not, or at least not entirely by themselves. While some artists like Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran are very involved in writing, most big pop hits are created by teams of professional writers. The pop star's job is often to choose the song they like and then perform it.
Q: Why are concert tickets from places like Live Nation so expensive?
A: The text says it's partly because of "dynamic pricing." This means the price goes up when a lot of people are trying to buy tickets at the same time, like with airline flights. On top of that, there are lots of extra taxes and fees that get added to the final price.
Q: What's the biggest difference between pop stars today and bands from the past, like The Beatles?
- A: The text explains that bands like The Beatles were constantly writing and releasing their own music. Today, a pop star's job is much more about promotion. They need to be social media masters to make a song go viral on TikTok, and they often have to be incredible dancers and athletes to put on a huge stage show.
Why This Matters & What's Next
- Why You Should Care: This conversation pulls back the curtain on the music you listen to every day. Understanding that a pop hit is often built by a team like a car in a factory, rather than by a single person in their bedroom, can change how you think about your favorite artists and the entire music industry. It helps you become a smarter fan and see the business behind the art.
- Learn More: Check out the YouTube channel of Rick Beato (one of the speakers in the clip). He has tons of videos where he breaks down what makes a song a hit, interviews famous musicians, and explains music theory in a way that's easy to understand.