Very interesting to see these things observed in numbers. Impressive 80ies peak among us gen X!
My music taste brain was initially formatted by that 1990ies idea of MTV mainstream vs independent (which paradoxically, also defined itself through existing on MTV, just in different niches), and from there it had been a slippery slope towards ever nichyer niche. Stuff where the big hits now have accumulated total Spotify plays in four-digit range, if they do exist there. When eventually I realized that winning at niche one-upmanship is a lonely celebration, what followed was mostly silence.
My music taste brain was initially formatted by that 1990ies idea of MTV mainstream vs independent (which paradoxically, also defined itself through existing on MTV, just in different niches), and from there it had been a slippery slope towards ever nichyer niche. Stuff where the big hits now have accumulated total Spotify plays in four-digit range, if they do exist there. When eventually I realized that winning at niche one-upmanship is a lonely celebration, what followed was mostly silence.