Has modern music gotten lazier? When the radio plays the year’s top hits, do you get bored? If so, you’re not alone.  

Currently, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is the top artist on Spotify. Starting her career in 2005, and releasing her first song in 2006, Taylor Swift has since released 243 songs. Many people might consider Swift’s music lazy or unoriginal, while other die-hard fans would say she deserves to be “top artist.” 

So, why do lots of songs sound the same? Producers will not release a song if they think it wouldn’t sell, so their best option is to produce songs that sound similar to top songs from the past. This causes many songs to sound too similar to earlier songs, making them seem “lazy.” Pop music artists are also likely to be self-taught, with no musical training, so they are heavily inspired by other artists. And now, with the resources to create music without needing to pick up an instrument or have a singing talent, anybody could create music. 

Most new songs seem “generic” because there are thousands of new artists and most have gotten inspired by other popular artists, making it harder to be original. Most new music is becoming electronic or made online with the help of editing apps. 

So, are artists becoming lazier? “Yes, they lack imagination and creativity,” says Sophomore Damien Sanchez. “Some artists lack some originality, but most are really creative,” says sophomore Connie Omar.  Lots of artists might not sound original and may also sound repetitive to many people. Freshman Kay Roden says, “Yes, I feel like it has been more repetitive in some ways, like Miley Cyrus blatantly ripping off Bruno Mar’s song, When I was Your Man, by taking his song and making it her own” Overall, people think that music is becoming more unoriginal, but there is still some creativity in it.