The Tragedy of Small Numbers
Sometimes I chance upon music on Spotify that catches my attention. And I'll click into the artist's profile to see how many monthly listeners they have. If it's a big(?) number, I feel happy, and I feel like I've tapped into something special. If it's a small number (< 10,000), I feel a bit of a knockback. I start to question whether the content is really worth listening to or spending more time with.
I don't really like to admit this. It unsettles me a little bit. My appreciation for the material should be based on the material, not based on how many other people are enjoying it.
Why is this happening? I can think of possible reasons:
- I want to listen to music that other people know so I can relate to them. A small-number artist doesn't contribute to that.
- The small numbers make me think maybe something is wrong with this music. If other people don't like it, then maybe there's a reason why I also shouldn't. It isn't good enough to be more popular.
- Small numbers might indicate that this is a really small band or some random inexperienced person who's making this music. I want professional music (???).
I feel grimy saying these things. It doesn't feel like I should be allowing myself to have those thoughts. And yet I feel like I may need some external input to help me see past them.
Well, let me at least try to convince myself.
Reasons to ignore the above instincts and give these small-number artists a chance:
- I can form my own opinion. Can even feel like I'm taking the role of a music critic - it's up to me to judge the merit of the content.
- Even if not many people have consumed this content, it could still speak deeply to me. It's another human (hopefully) who is voicing something, expressing something. A small band could send me a message I need to hear, just as a big band could too (and the big band might not have the right message for me).
- If I were in person at some bar or venue where a small band was performing something, I would probably be excited to hear the small indie voice. Why not feel the same on the digital platform?
So, sure -- perhaps I will consider the above reasons as I move forward.
Ultimately, though, I think this is what it comes down to: I have limited time to consume things like music, so I want to optimize my time and expose myself to as much high quality content as possible.