In an interesting article on Quartz online (qz.com), the author notes that headphone sales are rising quicker that speaker sales. In other words, it appears that listening to music is becoming more intimate with music fans. So how is this affecting how music is being produced?
Charlie Harding, one of the hosts of the podcast “Switched On Pop,” says that it is having a profound effect on music. Whether it’s by choice or by chance, Harding states that many singers are no longer belting out songs but instead are singing more quietly, almost as a whisper, to create a more intimate environment with the listener. He credits this switch to the increase use of headphones.
He also states that’s music production is becoming more bass-heavy due to headphones. Bass comes through with no problems on speakers, but must be increased in order to be heard on headphones. Finally, producers are mixing music for smaller speakers now as opposed to larger speakers as in the past. So it is quite possible that headphones are changing the way music is produced and listened to! Interesting!