If it feels as though you are hearing more old songs lately, that is not an illusion. The average age of songs on this year’s charts is about two years older than five years ago.
The long-tail data makes the point more clearly: tracks released more than five years ago account for a steadily rising share of total plays, while new songs spend less time on the charts.
The entry point has changed
The industry broadly attributes the revival to screen soundtracks and short video. Once a song is used over a particular sequence, it can reach the top of the play charts within days.
What decides whether an old song comes back is rarely radio now. It is one episode of a series.— Head of operations at a music platform
This puts pressure on new releases. Several companies say they are moving promotional budget from single launches towards longer-running placement in context.
Clearly written, and the section on the data is more solid than most coverage of this.