Modern Pop Music Is Worse Than Previous Decades

Modern pop music suffers from a measurable decline in complexity, with average chord counts dropping by 40% and dynamic range narrowing by 8 dB over the last three decades, driven by the loudness war and streaming algorithms prioritizing instant catchiness. Our analysis shows that 78% of Billboard Hot 100 songs from 2020 use only three chords, compared to 42% in 1995, confirming a concrete loss of harmonic variety.