This interview originally aired on "In the Moment" on SDPB Radio.
The latest report says about 120,000 songs are added every day to music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and TikTok. That should be cause for celebration.
But, if David Hersrud is doing his math correctly, that adds up to 43 million, 800 thousand tracks added in one year. Many of the songs are added to more than one platform.
Still, if you only listened to one minute of each song and did absolutely nothing else for a year, you would listen to just over 13% of the year’s output. If you only listened to Spotify, you may listen to around 25%.
Hersrud calls it an impossible task. As a result, he says we need artists and bands we can rely on. Those whose albums we know won’t disappoint.
Here's his list:
Mark Knopfler
Knopfler was the lead singer and songwriter for Dire Straits and is often considered one of the 100 greatest guitarists ever of all time, according to Hersrud.
Knopfler recorded six albums before leaving Dire Straits in 1995. Their 1985 album "Brothers in Arms" is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
He's also a well-known producer and writer of film scores. The music of "The Princess Bride" was written by Knopfler.
His long list of accolades only continues. He's recorded 10 solo albums, won four Grammys, and his band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Knopfler just released an all-star charity single "Going Home," the theme from the movie "Local Hero" to raise money for the fight against teenage cancer. It includes an animated video featuring over 60 performers including Eric Clapton, Sting, Pete Townshend, Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour and the last recording by Jeff Beck.
Richard Thompson
Thompson is another of the top 100 guitarists of all time. He's a singer, songwriter and co-founder of the musical group the Fairpoint Convention.
Thompson left the band left the band in 1971 to pursue a solo career. He went on to become a duo with his wife Linda Thompson for a number of years.
His song "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" has been named by Time magazine as one of the all-time best songs.
Thompson's latest album is "Ship to Shore."
Iron & Wine
If you don’t feel Mark Knopfler and Richard Thompson are contemporary enough, Hersrud recommends Iron & Wine.
Sam Beam released the first album in 2002. He's released six studio albums and a handful of EPs and singles.
His songs have been included in countless television and movie soundtracks. He's also collaborated with Arizona indie-rock band Calexico, who's known for forays into Latin, jazz and country music. They've released an album and EP.
Iron & Wine's new album is "Light Verse," which is his first album since 2017.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé's eighth album has garnered huge sales and ecstatic reviews.
To listen to "Cowboy Carter," he mixed songs from the album in with other female country artists in a playlist. Listening blindly, he says her songs sound just as country as anything by any other artist in the playlist.
Beyoncé is country.