Read Text I and answer question.
Text I: The speed of sound
Some music fans now know 15-second sped up
snippets of songs better than the real thing. It’s thanks to an
emerging trend on social media, particularly TikTok, of
creators changing the tempo of popular songs by 25-30%, to
accompany short viral videos of dances or other themes.
This phenomenon presents a very modern challenge – how
can singers create the next hit tune when the one people
actually listen to might sound so different?
Sped-up listening emerged in the early 2000s as
“Nightcore”, launched by a Norwegian DJ duo of the same
name, who sped up a song’s pitch and speed. This is now
commonplace on social media apps, where the speed of
podcasts, voice notes, movies and more can be increased so
that people can consume them in less time. But what people
might not know is that unofficial sped-up or slowed down
tunes are different to a professional remix because they are
far shorter and can be easily made by anyone, including on
TikTok, Instagram Reels and other apps.
In 2023, more than a third of Spotify listeners in the
US sped up podcasts and nearly two-thirds played songs at
a quicker tempo. The streaming service recently confirmed
to the BBC that it was testing a new and more widespread
feature that could potentially allow its customers to remix the
tempo of songs and share them. In addition, some popstars
are embracing this phenomenon. In November 2022, for
example, fan-made sped-up versions of RAYE’s single
“Escapism” helped the artist to achieve her first ever number
one on the UK Official Singles Chart, nearly three months
after its original release. Furthermore, Billie Eilish has also
released official fast and slow versions of songs and Sabrina
Carpenter’s hits “Please Please Please” and “Espresso”
received similar treatment.
Dr Mary Beth Ray, an author focused on digital music
culture, says short-form video platforms like TikTok
“constrain our ways of listening into snippets, but those
constraints also let you experience a track in a new way”. She
also said that “short clips provide a quicker line to that
dopamine rush social media wants us to feel – so there is an
addictive element which we’re pushed towards.”
BBC Radio 1 DJ Maia Beth feels it's now getting hard
for established labels and musicians to ignore this trend
because it can sometimes feel like if they don't release the
sped up version, then someone else will. Beth, who admits
she can't imagine sitting and listening to a sped-up version
of a song the whole way through, believes the trend shouldn't
necessarily be a major distraction for musicians though.
“Sped-up versions of tracks can help artists break through or
go viral, although that initial success may not last,” she
added.
TikTok says it has noticed an increase in the number
of sped-up and slowed down versions of catalogue tracks
taken off the platform, then become officially released. These
official changed-tempo releases are now grouped together
with the original song in the UK Official Singles Chart, along
with remixes, acoustic and live versions, helping artists to
climb the ranks.
That said, not everyone is happy with the trend. The
popularity of speed-altered versions can make it harder to
distinguish original from remix while altering an artist's intended pacing, mood and tone. However, while some
artists like them and others less so, it seems they are here to
stay.
Adapted from:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqv5x2qe8q6o
Published: August 17, 2024
