Being a musician is much more difficult than being a salesperson. Last week I spent a few minutes in a bookstore at lunchtime for no particular reason. I found it bizarre to find so many books that tried to explain the current panorama of Brazilian politics and Youtubers. It was what I had there, but what caught my attention was a cover that contained the words: HOW TO CONVINCE SOMEONE IN 90 SECONDS.

Although I did not take it home, I kept reading some of the book under the eyes of some salesman. The main purpose of the title is to show how you can introduce yourself and improve persuasion skills and develop more empathy for those around you.

90 seconds seems like little, but in these times we live can be an eternity. As we are impacted by everything at the same time, staying 90 seconds focused on something is hard work. A real eternity.

According to a study conducted by Microsoft and published by Time magazine, people lose concentration after only eight seconds, on average – less time than the nine seconds a goldfish needs to get distracted. Instagram, WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, Twitter and, when you went to see, already lost.

This procedure can be translated into several sectors. A shoe salesman, a member of Green Peace, the cashier in the market who always offers a low-interest card or who is handing out leaflets from a new restaurant. But this science can not be applied to music and I explain why.

Imagine you wait ONE MINUTE AND THIRTY SECONDS to change some music that did not beat with your ears. ‘Ah, this band seems to be very promising, let me wait for the chorus or a solo to decide’.

There are a lot of factors involved for you (NO) to continue listening to some music. For example, you can have a good track record with songs that have a guitar or do not support a funk beat. If the author of the book wanted to succeed with music, the book should be called: HOW TO CONVINCE SOMEONE IN LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS. In 2015, the bible Music Machinery released curious data from Spotify users:

24.14% jump in the first 5 seconds
28.97% jump in the first 10 seconds
35.05% jump in the first 30 seconds
48.6% jump before the song is done!
The average listener is jumping 14.65 times per hour
Whoever hears on the cell phone, jumps more. 51.1% against 40.1% who use desktop

This information is awful, so imagine the script. Set up a band, find time to rehearse, compose songs, join Dindim to record, plan the release, make a big rush to close shows and hope that when someone is listening, do not skip your music in the first few seconds.
Text 2

In recent seasons, more and more we have seen the success of a record or a series, the fault is placed in it, the algorithm. Earlier, having accurate information about a launch would be to get what it sold in stores and the average number of radio plays around the world. With this, it was possible to trace if a disc had been a pop or flop.

Any streaming platform has a wealth of data usage from its subscribers. Each play represents a preference and, thanks to the cataloged data, it is possible to design very specific interests of those who are on the phone.

In this way, it becomes a little easier to perceive trends and produce something that is on the line. On the one hand, anyone who is worried about not having their music played in the first few seconds can enjoy it. On the other, the artist would set aside real values to develop relentless music with a rich base of strategic data that would make him smarter decisions. For example, do not start a song with an accordion, the leap average of the track was brutal.

Taking a title of these “How to convince someone in 90 seconds” to the musical side, makes us stop a bit and think: Gee, the algorithm is in charge of everything, the real music can end. Music is a business, always was. I hope the big date part does not stand out and kill the last romantics.