The Best One Yet - 🧑‍🎤 “Why has music gotten shorter?” — Spotify’s algo-music. Renting homes beats buying. Dollar General’s worst job ever.

Episode Date: September 21, 2023

No, you’re not crazy. Songs are getting shorter — Because artists aren’t writing music for fans, they’re writing for Spotify’s algorithm.The Fed thinks interest rates will stay high through the end of 2024 — Which is why renting is the clear winner right now.Dollar General is the biggest retail chain in America with more stores than Walmart and McDonald’s combined — But Dollar General also has the worst job in America.$SPOT $DGSubscribe to our newsletter: tboypod.com/newsletterWant merch, a shoutout, or got TheBestFactYet? Go to: www.tboypod.comFollow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypodAnd now watch us on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Thursday, the new Friday, September 21st. And today's pod is the best one yet. Do you want to issue a correction to yesterday's pod Jack? Yesterday, Yetis. I told you we were going to the Dodgers game. Yes, and what did you say, Jack?

I promised I was going to get fried food. What do I always get at baseball game? You only get fried food at baseball games. The baseball games are your cheat zone, Jack. But then someone recommended I get the Dodger dog. Yeah, I got the Frank foot fiesta. I got the Los Angeles Dodgers doggard dog, which was was pretty much just a hot dog.

That thing was a flex, Jack. You owe us some fried food tonight, Yetis. You look fantastic. First story, what have we got for the show? You're not crazy, Yetis. It's not just you. Music, all music is getting shorter. Artists are changing how they sing music

because the audience has become the algorithm. For our second story, it's the existential question of our time. Should you rent or should you buy? Well, Jack and I got the answer. Renting is the answer. Renting. You should rent. It's renting.

And our third and final story, we just found out about the worst job in America. Besties, the biggest retail chain in the country has the worst job in America. But Yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix. I mean, what a fantastic mix for the new Friday, Jack. This is a great mix. But Nick, the biggest thing stopping you from your Starbucks coffee this morning. Yeties, it's not the 1,200 calories or the double digit price. It's the time.

It's the weight. It's, I have to get out of here. Can you please just give me that coffee? Yet he's Bloomberg reporting just confirmed what we've all been feeling. Starbucks is taking forever to make that macchiato. That's right. The average time to make a Starbucks coffee has reached an all-time high. Get this.

For more than a third of Starbucks orders, it's taking them five minutes to prepare. Because the orders are just too complex. That is an all-time high. For just a latte at Starbucks, there are 383 billion. billion possible ways you can order it. I'm sorry, sit down, stand up, and sit back down on the table again. Jack, what was that number? Well, since there are 19 different variables to each latte order, yes?

According to math, there's 338 billion different possible Starbucks lattes. And now, yeties, we should clarify a couple things here. If you are ordering a tall coffee black with room, you're not the problem. But if you are ordering a venty mocha half-calf with unsweetened oatmeal, coconut splendor, a chai pump, and the mocha drizzle. Then yeah, you're the problem. That's a real potential order, no joke. So, Yetis, if you're waiting in line right now.

Besties, if you are waiting for your misspelled name to be announced. Don't blame the barista for your weight. Blame the guy in front of you who just ordered the blended hybiscousin nitro refresher. Yeah, do less guy in front of me. Do less. To quote Henry Ford, you can have your coffee in any color you want. As long as it's in black. I said half calf with the mocha drizzle.

Jack, let's sit at three. I think you're more likely to be the problem than me by all. I ordered four stories. Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea that caused a cultural T-Precurcent. That's a fat tip. Tea Boy City on your at list. If you know you know, because we're ready to go.

We can't wait no more, so just start the show. For our first story, yes, Yeties, yes. Today's music is shorter than the music from the past. Yep. Spotify and music streaming have literally. literally changed the sound of music. Call Captain Von Trapp. The Hills are alive.

The Hills are alive. With shorter music, Jack. But Jack, to hit this story properly, can we travel back in time? 1972, way before we were born. In 1972, the Temptations won three Grammys and had the Billboard number one with this track. What was it? Popple was a Rolling Stone. We would play it for you, Bessies, but we'd get sued.

Now, here's the interesting thing about that track. It's seven minutes. That's pretty long. But what was also crazy about that song is there wasn't a single word until a minute and 57 seconds into the track. It took them two minutes before they started speaking. It was just like guitars, drums, horns, and a whole lot of funk for two minutes in the song.

It was still a fantastic track. Nick and I were listening to it before the show. We love this song. But that top song from 50 years ago would never get produced today. And why is that, Jack? Because today, the average song has shrank down to under four minutes. Can you sprinkle on a little more context, Jack? That's down 30 seconds from the year 2000.

Get this, Yetis. Let's look at Beyonce's cuff it. Three minutes and 50 seconds. Ed Shearin's Afterglow. Three minutes and 19 seconds. Olivia Rodriguez's masterpiece, bad idea. These hit songs are short. That one's just three minutes and ten seconds.

Yeties, nearly two out of three songs that hit number one in 2021 were less than three minutes long. That is really short. That's not a song. That's a paragraph. That's a song that starts with a two at the beginning. Really short song. That's awkward. So we got to ask the question, why are artists shortening their songs?

And what is the answer, Jack? The Spotify algorithm. Yetis, the business model of streaming has literally changed the beat. According to Wall Street Journal reporting, streaming platforms punish and reward songs depending on two key metrics. Okay, okay, here's the first metric. It's called the skip rate. And that's how often people skip to the next song within the first 30 seconds. So, if you're listening to a track for only,

29 seconds before pushing next. Then that counts as a skip and the artist doesn't get paid. If you listen for 29 and a half seconds, they don't round up. That's a skip too. So Spotify will not recommend that song. Only if the song is listened to for 30 seconds, does it count as a play? And does the artist get paid? And here's where things get kind of funky yeties. That phenomenon has caused musicians to move the best part of the song? Yeah, the chorus. The chorus, best part. Up into the first 30 seconds to get you to keep you to keep you to keep To make you listen to the first 30 seconds, so they get paid, they've moved the chorus into the first 30 seconds. So Ed Sheeran is serenating us with an afterglow chorus 20 seconds into the song.

It's like, whoa, that was quick. And our buddy, Olivia Rodriguez, is dropping a vocal climax like in the intro beat. So the 30 second skip rate rule is one reason music is shorter today. Okay, but there's another one, isn't there, Jack? The other reason is non-complete hers. Okay, here's what that is, Yeties. If you don't listen to an entire track, then Spotify actually punishes the artist. artists are just finishing early. They're ending before you had the chance to push

for example, Whitney Houston? Yeah, I will always love you. Ah! Yeah, sorry, I will always love you. Yeah, let's get right to it, Whitney. Jack, take it to the bridge. What is the takeaway for our buddies over at Spotify? And all streaming. Artists don't just play for fans. They have to play for algorithms too. Here's the crazy thing, besties. It's not just musicians who are changing their music, their content to score points with an algorithm. It's all digital content, whose viewers Depends on an algorithm.

For example, have you noticed those long dinner recipes you read online when you're just trying to make a meal? How long does it take to bake a chicken? You have to read 2,000 words before you get the answer. The recipes are long because that's what wins Google's search algorithm. Or, have you checked out YouTube recently? Yeah. The crazy face of the host on the thumbnail?

Well, those faces are crazy by creators because they want to satisfy YouTube's algorithm. Now, tech platforms would argue that their algorithms reflect what consumers want, based on what consumers are clicking, viewing, and their watch time. But Jack and I don't remember filling out any surveys about wanting two-minute and ten-second songs. No, I don't want a two-minute, ten-second song. Yeties, the temptations, they could afford seven minutes of funk back in the day. But artists today can't because they are playing for the algorithm too. For our second story, if you're wondering whether to rent or to buy a new home,

Jack and I have the answer. The winner right now is rented. It is. We did the math and yes, we will show you our work. Oh, Professor, have we got the numbers? But Yeties, yesterday, America's Central Bank announced their interest rate policy at a big meeting. Yeah, it's a big meeting. It is a big meeting, yeah. It is a big meeting, Jack.

Yet is inflation has cooled off significantly, so the Fed decided yesterday not to raise interest rates. The benchmark interest rate, which is the cost of borrowing money, it's going to remain at a lofty 5.25%. And the Fed said it thinks it'll keep rates at this high level. through at least the end of next year. Another year of brutally high interest rates to make sure that inflation is really dead, that the dragon has been slayed. Now you know what that means,

oh, that means something big, Jack. If you're thinking about buying a home right now, you're not happy. If you are scrolling Zilla right now, you are not necessarily having as much fun as you use. Because the interest rate on a 30-year mortgage is nearly 8%. Jack, can you sprinkle on more context?

That mortgage rate is nearly triple as high as it was three years ago. That's not pretty. But you know what, Yetis, it's also a double whammy. Because the prices of homes are also up in the last three years. Yeah, they're up 23%. It's a penthouse problem. So the cool condo you're looking at on Zilla right now?

Yes, Jack. It's not 23% more expensive. The one with the backyard. You also have to pay more on interest for the mortgage you have to take out. And that doesn't even include a porch with a view. If you add it all up, which we did, actually, we did it for you. I'm going to show you the math. The result is a doubling of the average mortgage monthly payments.

Yeties, we repeat, if you're trying to buy a home right now, Now, the price to do that has doubled in three years. The average mortgage payment for an average house in America right now is $3,000. I mean, Jack, I'm going to look at my spending. Even if you cut out the lattes, even if you swore off the avocado toast, it's still really hard to afford those numbers. That's really expensive. And of course, it's way more expensive in our most expensive cities.

Well, we're saying, besties, early takeaway, get the latte. It's fine. But Nick, all of what we just said is the price to own a home. I see where you're going with this. What about the price to rent a home? Well, that sounds like our takeaway, Jack. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies who are anyone in the housing market? Anyone who's just going to live somewhere?

Anyone who wants a roof over their head? Let's go with that. There is nothing wrong with renting. Yes. Especially right now. Look, Yeties. It's Jack and Nick here. Everyone feels a pressure to buy real estate.

We've been there. It feels like it's the grown-up thing to do. If you're trying to buy a home right now, renting or buying, that's the huge question. your face. But Jack and I come with a solution, Yetis, and that solution is rent. Renting. It may be more financially responsible right now than ever before. Because the average rent in the United States over the past three years, it's only up 18%. But the average mortgage payment is up over 100%. So, Yeties, it feels backwards, but current homeowners who are looking to move could be better off going back to renting. Because high interest rates haven't affected the rental market. Full disclosure,

this is Nick. And this is exactly what we just did. Like, we, we, We bought a home. We owned a home. You went back to rent. And Molly and I have now moved into a new place. You needed a bigger place because you had a kid. You went back to renting. And honestly, it feels liberating.

It was the best decision you've made. We're so happy we didn't buy any place. Yeties. Eventually, interest rates should come down. And if they don't, home prices will come down. And then you can buy a home again. But in the meantime, renting is beating, buying. And there's nothing wrong with rent.

Nothing wrong with it. For our third and final story, Bloomberg just discovered the worst job in America. Dollar General has become America's biggest store, period, and its worst job, period. Dot, dot, dot, Jack. Yeah. Yeties, we don't typically begin a story by sprinkling on contacts right away. Can you?

These numbers tell the big story. Yeah. America's biggest retail chain? What is it, Jack? It's not Wendy's. It's not Subway. It's not Target. And it's not even dip in dots.

It's Dollar General. Yeah. The $26 billion discount chain. Dollar General, pretty straightforward business. $1.00 for a roll of duct tape. Yeah. $1 for a roll of toilet paper. Yeah.

$1 for a roll of lip glass. Dollar General has 19,000 locations across 47 states in the U.S. Get this, Yeties. Those $19,000 general stores is more than McDonald's and Walmart combined. America continues to become dollar storeified. Get this. Get this. One third of all stores opened in America in 2021 and 2022.

One third of all the stores was dollar stores. So, Yeties, you may not shop at a Dollar General store, but Dollar General is arguably the most important chain in America. And according to Bloomberg reporting, working at Dollar General is the worst job in America. Yeties, Jack and I jumped in T-Bois style to this report, and the scene at Dollar General has got in ugly. In Oklahoma, $1 General store had a family of blackbirds living up on the top shelf in one aisle. Okay, that's not the only problem. Those blackbirds, they kept on pooping on stuff, but then corporate wouldn't do anything about it

because they said the blackbirds weren't stealing stuff. In Mississippi, $1 General had a rat infestation for over a year. Oh, and the ice green just kept on melting because they didn't fix the freezer for months. Every aisle at a Dollar General, according to this article, looks like it was just hit with an earthquake. Is the ice cream not even sacred? Items are falling off the shelves, and there's just boxes everywhere.

Jack, can you talk about the Christmas situation with the trees? Dollar General Corporate doesn't have room for Christmas decorations in their warehouses, so they pushed him into the stores already, and they're just like blocking the hallway. I-O-6 is just a bunch of Christmas stuff in the hottest month of the year. Now, OSHA, which looks out for workplace violations, has fine Dollar General $25 million over the last few years. Dollar General got fined a whopping $9 million just last year for all this stuff. But worst of all, for people who have to work in those stores, is the pay.

After all of that, everything Jack and I just made. The majority of Dollar General workers are paid just $12 an hour or less. That's lower than just about any company we cover on this show. And that is why it's the worst job in America. But Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Dollar General? Some justice is coming to Dollar General. Justice. Yeties, for years, Dollar General's stock, it boomed as rapidly expanded to low-income

corners across the country. But even Wall Street is saying enough is enough. The stock of Dollar General, it's actually down. 50% in just the past year. That's partially because Dollar General's cash-strapped consumers are struggling with inflation. But it's also because the company is glaringly mismanaged and poorly run, and it's starting to hurt them. Guess what? 70 communities have rejected the opening of new Dollar Generals because their reputation's gotten so bad.

70 places just said no to Dollar General. And in response to all the pressure, Dollar General just promised $150 million to add more workers and give stores the help that they need. In the meantime, Dollar General has neglected its workers, its stores, and its customers. And now some justice is coming to Dollar General. Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for us for the new Friday? Spotify and other music streamers are literally changing how music gets made. Artists, they can't just play for fans anymore. Now they play for the algorithm too.

For our second story, the Fed plans to keep interest rates high through the end of 2024. We're going to buy a house. Renting? It may be the move. And our third and final story is Dollar General. the biggest retailer in America and has the worst job in America. But some justice is finally coming to this awfully run business. But yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, H&M, the fast fashion icon, is the latest company to start charging for your online returns of that cute top. $2 fee for every e-commerce return. Your move, Zara, your move. And second, we just got another IPO on Wall Street. Clavio, a software provider for marketers. It began trading on

the New York Stock Exchange, it jumped 9% and IPOs are back. And finally, according to a morning consult poll, more than half of Gen Z wants to become an influencer, if given the chance. Gen Z has become influenced by the influencers to influence. Yeah. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one's sent in by Jared Kaiser from lovely Clinton, Indiana. 566 new words were just added to the dictionary.

Dictionary.com has added some key words that you've been saying. Because the English language is an evolving body. First, chatbot is now a word in the dictionary. Yeah, chat GPT. Thanks for adding a word. Second, Blurz-Day is now in the dictionary. Because Thursday and Friday have officially blurred. Nepo Baby is now in there. Slebs whose parents are also celebs.

And finally, this is our favorite, sleep debt. When you should have got eight hours of sleep, but you only got six. You owe us two hours of sleep. A synonym of sleep debt is just, taking a nap. And that'll help you hit a sleep surplus. Wouldn't that be nice? Pause that at dictionary.com.

Yetis, you look fantastic today. And remember, if you started this podcast by ordering a Starbucks coffee, your order should be ready in like two minutes. Unless you ordered a simple black with room. Orange mocha fracuccino. We're looking at you. Nick and I, we'll see you tomorrow.

Can't wait. And before we go, Happy birthday to Yeti Aaron Tucker, the CPA who's celebrating down in Houston. Happy birthday to Cadence Richardson in Douglasville, Georgia. And Tracy Emery's turning 60 while rooting for Notre Dame. Happy birthday to Antonio and Diego Ramos. Twin brothers turn in 7 in Golden, Colorado. And Maverick Shields, we see you turning 9 in Caysville, Utah.

Happy birthday to Josiah in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. And Bree Menaker celebrate that birthday down in Austin, Texas. Congratulations to Alyssa and Jackson Hufford, who are getting married in Costa Mesa, California. Guys, that new venue you got, it is the best one yet. And congratulations to Billy Shone from Philadelphia, who just completed his first Iron Man. And Tom Snyder just got a new job promotion at Sam Cart down in Austin. And congratulations to Losey, who's getting her degree at Wharton and just released a new original song. Cheers.

Here's what we love about the song. She made it for her audience, not the algorithm. This is Jack. Nick and I both on stock of Spotify. I said half-calf with the mocha drizzle.