Genre Is Disappearing. What Comes Next?

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As record stores close and streaming algorithms dominate, the identities that music fandom supplies are in flux.

Since streaming services have mostly supplanted record shops as the simplest way to find or acquire music, the issue of how to organize a musical library has been revisited. Spotify operates from a playlist model, frequently sorting music by vibe—an idea that’s perhaps even more ineffable than genre, but which also seems considerably more in tune with how and why people listen to music.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/15/genre-is-disappearing-what-comes-next