The Future of Music is Memes: “Old Town Road” Continues Record-Breaking Streak
Lil Nas X has broken Drake’s single-week streaming record by similar means, proving the potency of viral memes in music is only growing.
Lil Nas X has just broken Drake’s single-week streaming record. The meme behind “Old Town Road”, which started on Tik Tok, was potent enough to spark global audience participation and successfully dethroned Drake’s “In My Feelings”, which came to prominence by similarly viral means. Not even removal from the Billboard Country chart could impede the success of Lil Nas X, a virtually unknown artist, and his surprise hit “Old Town Road.”
For better or for worse, streaming and social media have completely redefined the content life cycle and simultaneously lowered barriers to entry for artists. Today, many of the world’s most prolific artists release albums annually, while feeding their engaged audiences an incremental offering of singles along the way.
While the new model the streaming era has ushered in presents many benefits to both artists and listeners, the rapid decay of public attention with regard to any one song or album is profound. In other words, as soon as a song is out, the struggle becomes keeping the song and the artist in the mainstream conversation. Attention is fleeting, and in the 24/7 world of digital content, listeners are often chasing headlines.
In many ways, this struggle to captivate and maintain attention has made the acute, meteoric rise of an artist from virtual unknown to viral phenomenon a rare event, let alone an artist with only a single song to their name. Yet Lil Nas X and his song “Old Town Road” have beaten all odds. There’s no singular magic bullet behind “Old Town Road”, but its beginnings as a meme were foundational to its success. The 19-year old rapper told Time his goal was to promote the song as a meme on video app Tik Tok. The song, popularized by the “Yeehaw Challenge” on the app, has been reacted to thousands of times. Many will remember Drake’s “In My Feelings” became a meme when fans created a similar viral challenge surrounding the song. Much like “In My Feelings” the origins behind “Old Town Road” as a meme sparked global visibility, and the song has since been viewed more than 70 million times within Tik Tok alone. Lil Nas X’s Tik Tok fame quickly percolated onto every major social media platform, and shot into mainstream consciousness. Soon after, the Atlanta rapper signed to Columbia Records after sparking a bidding war among the major labels.
Major labels know the value of memes in bringing artists to global visibility. In 2017, Danielle Bregoli inked a deal with Atlantic Records following her feverishly-shared appearance on the Dr. Phil show. Initially known by her “Cash Me Outside” catch-phrase, the viral star has parlayed her fame from the event, building her brand within hip hop under her alias Bhad Bhabie. In 2018, Mason Ramsey, who became a viral meme for yodeling in the middle of an Illinois Walmart, signed a deal with Atlantic and Big Loud Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Needless to say, the bidding frenzy for Lil Nas X, based solely on his status as a relevant meme, had precedent.
The global conversation surrounding Lil Nas X has been impossible to ignore. After rocketing onto the Billboard Hot Country Charts, the song was removed, according to Billboard, because it did not fit the genre. This in itself has sparked further conversation about what exactly defines country music, and does the removal of “Old Town Road” have merit. At the same time, Billy Ray Cyrus, who previously had not had a Hot 100 №1 in his career, now does thanks to his appearance on the song’s remix. This week, Keith Urban released his own “Old Town Road” cover, and many more celebrities including Justin Bieber have supported the original release via social media.
While the ability of “Old Town Road” to perpetuate global conversation has played a pivotal role in its success, its not the end of the story. It’s been well documented that songs are getting shorter, and structurally, the short and snappy arrangement of “Old Town Road” lends itself tremendous replay value. The song clocks in at 1:53, and is the shortest Hot 100 №1 since 1965 according to Billboard. With its viral refrain at the forefront, “Old Town Road” doesn’t bury the lead. In fact, the song’s binge-worthy arrangement, which captivates the listener in its first 30 seconds has undoubtedly helped its stream-ability. Spotify, for example, counts streams that last longer than 30 seconds, and its algorithm rewards content with low skip counts among listeners. The combination has led to a furious climb to the top of the global viral streaming charts.
Lil Nas X masterminded a hit, shattering recent streaming records and long withstanding trends on the Hot 100 Charts. With a clear understanding of how to how to play the digital landscape, and a now proven ability to do the unlikely in dominating global conversation as a newcomer, the spotlight is bright on country music’s newest outlaw.
