Let's Hear It For Shorter Songs

Finally, in the Country format, we are getting shorter songs to play. Why is this so good? Listener attention spans are infinitely shorter than they used to be.

When was the last time you watched a video sent to you that was longer than 2:30? Are you watching more TikTok? If you program a radio station, you know that new song categories are often in drop positions. Therefore, because of timing, they are more likely to get played if they are in the 2:30 rather than 3:30 range. More exposure means more new music, which means fresher sounding radio stations and more sales and streams for labels.

DSPs have learned that getting to the hook more quickly means less skips. For radio, that means less tune out. And shorter songs mean more songs per hour, and that's never bad,

Shorter songs come from tighter writing. As radio programmers, aren't we always trying to write tighter liners and promos? So, why shouldn't songwriters and producers? We live life in a society that prizes snack-sized bites, for better or worse. Hey, I don't make the rules, I just live with them.

The lesson here is take the time you need, but no more. You'll also notice this may be the shortest consultant's column you've ever read, and you're actually reading it.

So, when you're choosing music, if all else is equal, you might give the nod the shorter song.