music of the moment.

It finally happened.

The New York Times asked the proverbial question….who’s bigger, The Beatles or Taylor Swift?

To answer this question with a question, in 100 years from now, what music will still be considered timeless?

It’s not about how many albums you sell (or stream, or download, or whatever floats your boat). It’s about the quality, the impact and the message of the music. As Taylor Swift is smashing Billboard records right now, it’s a very intriguing question.

An example – Beyoncé just released “Cowboy Carter”, and it’s moved its way up the country charts. Just curious – how many people still listen to “Crazy in Love” the way they did when it came out 20 years ago, the way we still listen to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean?” It’s very easy to say an artist is #1 of all time (Kenny G), but how many people remember any of his songs besides “Songbird?”

100 years from now, people will still be listening to John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, and The Beatles catalog, as these albums have incredible substance, and we still listen with wonder as to how they crafted such incredible music. (Hell, we may never figure out the brilliance of Jimi Hendrix.) Will we still be listening to Taylor Swift? I hope so, because she’s taking the time and effort to try and craft good music, instead of just being the “music of the moment.”

I could be wrong, but will people be listening to Cardi B in 100 years? Doubtful. Most pop music today is visual, with the music more as background filler. Think of how many great songs we still listen to from the 60’s and 70’s (already over 50 years old), that did not have music videos made to promote the songs? The music itself is what we remember.

Just like we’ve gone from albums to CD’s to downloads and streaming, at some point videos could become extinct….it makes me wonder how many of today’s acts would be one-hit wonders if not for the videos making the songs popular. From Debbie Gibson vs. Tiffany, Britney vs. Christina, and the ongoing one name pop stars (Ye, Rihanna, Ciara, et al.), music videos are what drove their popularity, and they are all the music of the moment. Besides “Hit Me Baby One More Time”, which songs haven’t become novelty at this point?

The one idiom where it’s still about the music, and the videos are somewhat secondary is country music, where it’s still all about the songwriting, the way it should be. Every time I listen to country music, I wonder which songs will become timeless classics, as it takes a lot of hard work to craft a song to the top of the country music charts. As Taylor Swift started as a country artist, she honed her craft before crossing over to pop. I’m highly doubtful that Bad Bunny has put in the same amount of time and effort.

The Taylor Swift level of popularity is on par with the popularity of Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince in the 80’s. This is definitely rarified air. She seems to be level headed, and that she has the opportunity to break the mold of the current pop star longevity. For her sake, I hope she continues to write and perform…she has the opportunity to reach a musical icon status, and that would be quite a feat.

As for if she’s bigger than the Beatles? Time will decide.