It's one of the first videos YouTube recommends: There's a picture of a girl studying while wearing headphones. The livestream is called "lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to," and I click on it because YouTube seems certain that I'll enjoy it. I'm about to do some writing anyway, so some chill beats would be welcome for the background.
As I write this, 10,000 people are listening to the same hip-hop station I am. It's fascinating to know we're all sharing a new experience, all listening to the same relaxing hip-hop, brought to us by YouTube user Chilled Cow.
Recommended Videos
Sure, in the past, people knew that others were listening when they tuned in to radio stations, but this is the first time in human history we can actually see how many people are listening with us as it's happening.
This is part of a trend happening on YouTube that has been fascinating to watch. Music stations pop up as live streams, keeping the beats coming and selling themselves on the very thing that has traditional radio stations struggling. These stations are playing music at random, and aside from the general feel of the station, you won't know what's going to play until it's on. This weakness becomes a strength when you realize that it's all music you wouldn't know to search for. The benefit of randomness is discovery, and once you've locked into a mood, it's all pleasant surprises.
Unfortunately, I was under the impression that this music was made by the user until I clicked on it and saw that it was not so. Although they credit the musicians, I'm confident they do not pay the artists whose music they are playing. On the other hand, these are relatively unknown artists. Do they appreciate the exposure?
All I have is questions and an algorithm, friends, but I can say that the popularity of these kinds of stations is growing. Accounts like Chilled Cow and Slackerz are playing cool, unexpected beats, and they're being recommended more and more often as they get more and more popular. Hopefully this is a good thing for the musicians who are making it possible.