Average length of Catalan songs reaches all-time low, with chorus starting earlier

Songs have evolved rapidly since the rise of streaming platforms and social media. They have become shorter, with choruses starting earlier.

Catalan songs are no exception to this trend. An analysis by the Catalan News Agency (ACN) of the 140 winner and finalist songs in the Enderrock Awards from 1993 to 2023 shows a significant decrease in the average song length.

Over the past five years, the average song length has dropped by nearly a minute, with an average of 3.06 minutes, coinciding with the rise of new urban pop and music streaming platforms.

Compared to the years with the longest duration averages, the differences are striking. In 2016, the average length was 5.27 minutes, and in 1998 it was 5.36 minutes.

In fact, a new record was set in 2023, when the average length was just 2.18 minutes, an all-time low.

“Artists tell us that two minutes is enough. Today, with so much information and a high volume of songs, two minutes might be the maximum attention span for listeners before they move on to the next track,” explains Lluís Gendrau from Enderrock. 

Not only are song lengths getting shorter, but choruses are coming earlier. As the most memorable part of a song, the chorus serves to engage the listener, making an early introduction especially effective.  

Historically, the chorus in songs since 1993 has typically come in around the one-minute mark. In the last five years, however, that average has dropped to about 42 seconds, almost 20 seconds earlier. 

Last year’s finalists and winners, The Tyet's 'Coti x Coti,' set a new record with the chorus starting just 32 seconds into the song. 

Gendrau attributes this shift to current music consumption habits. By introducing the chorus earlier, listeners can "quickly identify the song and become hooked," especially in the context of platforms like TikTok, where "15 seconds is often enough."