What Makes a Song Stand Out in 2025?

I am a musician, songwriter, and producer, and I’ve never cared much about track lengths or the “perfect” mix. For me, it has always been about the art itself. This year, I asked myself: Can true artistry fit into a two-minute track? Does cramming a message into such a short time harm the art, or can it work if you simply go with the flow?

I grew up in a cultural environment where art had no boundaries. Classical pieces can last hours, and even mainstream music often featured long tracks — think Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain”. Traditionally, the “perfect” radio edit lasted around 3:30 minutes, following the standard structure: verse – chorus – verse – chorus – bridge – chorus. But times have changed. Change is necessary to grow and develop, yet when songs become shorter, we have to ask: Is this a change we actually want? Do we have to condense art to be heard? And are there advantages to these shorter formats that we might be overlooking?

Mainstream trends show that the average song today is no longer than two minutes. Human attention spans have shortened, likely due to the constant influx of digital distractions. Estimates vary: some studies suggest an online attention span of 2.5 seconds, others around 47 seconds in the workplace, and still others cite 8.25 seconds in the so-called Microsoft study. Measurements differ depending on method and context, but the trend is clear: attention is fragmented.

Spotify, for example, counts a play only after 30 seconds. This protects against bot streams and encourages organic growth — a positive for artists — but is 30 seconds enough to communicate the full depth of a song? Often, even this brief window may already exceed what many listeners can focus on in a scrolling feed.

From a philosophical perspective, this raises questions that go beyond music trends. Thinkers from Aristotle to Adorno reflected on the relationship between form, duration, and meaning. Art is not merely functional; it exists in time as an experience. Aristotle’s concept of catharsis depends on immersion, on the unfolding of narrative or emotion over time. Similarly, Adorno argued that the true musical experience cannot be compressed into mere consumption; it requires reflection and patience.

Short tracks challenge this philosophy. They demand precision, immediacy, and hooks, but they also invite us to rethink the value of brevity. Can intensity replace duration? Can a two-minute song offer a condensed catharsis? Perhaps we are witnessing a new aesthetic: a form of musical minimalism, where depth is encoded in the economy of time.

Short tracks are not inherently detrimental. Some opportunities include:

• Focused storytelling: Artists are forced to distill emotion and message into the strongest, most immediate ideas.

• Increased replayability: Shorter songs invite repeated listening, allowing subtleties to emerge over multiple plays.

• Accessibility: New listeners can explore more music quickly, discovering artists they might have overlooked.

• Viral potential: In a digital age, songs optimized for streaming and social sharing can find audiences faster.

Songs can have atmosphere, narrative, and philosophical depth within 2 minutes. The challenge is to embrace the constraints creatively, rather than seeing them purely as limitations.

The question is not whether short songs are “good” or “bad,” but how artists can navigate attention, technology, and artistry simultaneously. In 2025, standing out is no longer just about sound or production: it’s about shaping experience in an age of brevity. The future belongs to those who can craft meaning within constraints, respecting the philosophical essence of art while engaging the modern listener. For me I don’t care about the length. When my song feels right and it’s six minutes long - I leave it like this!

Music has always been about balance: structure and freedom, length and intensity, patience and immediacy. Today’s artists are learning to redefine that balance, proving that even two minutes can contain a universe - if approached thoughtfully.

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*Picture made with AI