In this post I would like to share my observations about the most popular genres of music. I will base my ranking on my experience curating many playlists in various genres. Since the time I started doing it, I have received and reviewed thousands of songs. And I must say the picture is very clear to me.
The most popular global genre by far (nothing is even remotely close to it) is still the good old genre of rock music. Maybe because of the enormous variety of subgenres or due to the universal appeal of electric guitar riffs, energy, and just a generally catchy sound of it, rock remains the absolute and undisputed champion.
The 2nd place is shared rather equally by the genres of Rap music and EDM. Now, if we decide to attach Hip-Hop to Rap, we must also consider other electronic music subgenres alongside EDM, and they would still rank closely.
The 3rd place belongs to pop music, R&B and instrumental music. They are, however, lagging far behind the 1st and 2nd place genres. Here, I find it a bit surprising that instrumental music is on par with pop music, for example. But it can be explained rather easily. There are instrumental compositions in almost every genre of music, and they add up to a significant presence overall.
There is a belief that rock is deader than dead – an idea supported by the lack of attention to it from the industry giants and platforms like Spotify.
I would argue, however, that a sample of thousands of independent and mainstream musicians is good enough statistically to make conclusions about what real people would like to listen to. And I couldn't care less about what botted social proof or unrealistic streaming counts online show. My other observation is that the number of real people active on social media is greatly overestimated. I cannot see how it can be more than 1% of all the numbers out there. And that is my best-case scenario estimate. Finally, listening habits of real people are very different from those of virtually manufactured users. The level of engagement is usually low with human listeners. The best example is musicians who are notoriously the worst music listeners. Hence, you cannot rely on the Spotify or YouTube streaming counts to determine what is popular and what’s not.
By “popular” I do not mean a well-promoted commercially packaged product that may be musically void. Instead, I focus here on what people would be willing to listen to if they had a chance to choose.
I must say that (and I have seen it in sports and sciences as well as when I was watching the cultural decay that followed the fall of the Soviet Union) when you do music, it is easy to believe that all people like music. It is normal to think that way. When you do something, you tend to think it is relevant. Otherwise, why would you choose to do it in the 1st place? However, people in general may have other interests or no interests at all.
I am saying this to support my ranking system. My claim is that when we want to measure genre popularity, we must look only at people who care about music. Like you cannot ask someone who never played a single game of soccer to rank their favorite teams. It just doesn’t work this way. Therefore, I believe that my ranking above is correct and representative of the preferences of true music listeners.
News:
I got a hit from a new free playlisting platform called Pitchplaylists. I haven’t tried it as an artist — nor have I registered my many playlists there yet. I’ve just started trying it out slowly to see what potential it may have for me as a curator. Give it a try and let me know if you get something out of it.
Music Picks:
Today I decided to feature emerging and independent artists only. I will focus on high-quality compositions that will help you understand, among other things, why I, for one, conclude that rock is alive and kicking.
Fenrir by Stalwart:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6xG2E8UWcna8N0Trb8OHSG
This outstanding composition is layered beautifully, and you can literally feel the power of the beast.
Woke Generation by What Matters Most:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2x8P7yimlmQiXFSS0iFYrJ
This is another favorite from the New Rock Talents playlist. Feel the energy of the new generation!
Euterpe by Flumana:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7ysiGppZOZD3Muwk6AkubQ
You’ve gotta love these vocals!
I now continue with a couple of examples from my Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B playlist.
I Just Did It Again by Amaru Love, Sonicikoe:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3pfil9mvQwUaoXtZs01cXU
Rap is an amazing genre. There is no consistent rhyme, but the song still sounds rhythmic and very musical.
Hollywood Nightmare by Prafecy:
https://open.spotify.com/track/02cunVXY6vu7Njgpp8iLsu
All-around great song and production. Give your support to this talented Canadian artist.
Let’s continue with two high-energy electronic compositions:
B-612 by 2She:
https://open.spotify.com/track/5TSqH4K5ZK3EDCPEEUuHPd
This composer/producer has remarkable consistency, and I have many compositions of his on my playlists.
Energy – Drum & Bass Mix by Cassetter, The Death Beats, Color Theory, Charle:
https://open.spotify.com/track/67PIfQ2Uazl6PgKh3z14NI
It doesn't get much better than that! You can tell that I like good energy levels in a composition.
My last three examples will be from the genres of pop, r&b and instrumental music.
Buena Suerte by Dan Alonzo:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1X4eSXvMmTWjjnydssUXSI
Deja Vu by Bissafi:
https://open.spotify.com/track/49UVw9GAGT2aYjgGs2md2I
Once Upon a Time in The West Island by The Adam Brown:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1cIRPFswR47VdFChmkzNL5
Final Thoughts:
Imagine this – you like certain genres of music; your friends have similar taste and many people you know would listen to this music as well. Yet on the TV, Radio and online you are told otherwise. Does this ring a bell?
It’s like you clearly see that something is black, but you are persistently told otherwise. Over time, the pressure to conform, combined with the authority or number of those insisting on it, can lead to doubt, confusion, or even reluctant agreement.
This famous paradox illustrates the fragility of individual perception under social manipulation. This method is often used as propaganda, mass persuasion, or an imposition of ideological conformity. Truth becomes subjective, and consensus replaces reality.
If, however, you trust your senses and can believe that something is wrong with what you are being told, then this post is for you. My extensive observations and the arguments I used to justify my conclusions are there to help you know that you are not alone – that what you see is actually true – and there is no need to believe in lies spread around by those who don’t have the dignity to speak the truth.
Don’t give up! Don’t give in! And stick around for more in-depth discussions.