How long is 10,000 songs?

Introducing the Concept

With music streaming services providing access to millions of songs, terms like “playlists of 10,000 songs” get thrown around a lot. But what does a collection of 10,000 songs actually look like in practical terms? How long would it take to listen to that many tracks back-to-back? Let’s break it down and see what 10,000 songs equates to in various contexts. This will provide perspective on the magnitude of music choice we now have at our fingertips.

Average Song Length

Research shows the average length of a song has changed over time. According to Digital Music News, the average pop song length in 2018 was 3 minutes and 30 seconds, down from 4 minutes in the 1960s but up from 3 minutes in recent years [1]. Data from Spotify indicates the average length of songs released in 2020 was 3 minutes and 17 seconds [2].

There are also differences across genres. For example, progressive rock and heavy metal tend to have longer average song lengths, while pop, dance, and hip hop often have shorter track times. But in general, most popular genres target an average length of 3-5 minutes per song [3].

Total Length of 10,000 Average Songs

To figure out how long 10,000 songs is, one first needs to know the average length of songs. According to the Statista chart “mean song duration of currently streamable songs by year of release”
(Statista), the average song released on Spotify in 2020 was 3 minutes and 17 seconds long. So if we multiply 3 minutes 17 seconds by 10,000 songs, we get approximately 527 hours of music. That’s over 3 weeks of continuous listening!

Compare to Common Timeframes

The total length of 10,000 average 3-minute songs is around 30,000 minutes, or 500 hours. That’s equivalent to almost 21 days of continuous music playback. To put it in perspective, here are some other timeframes that match 500 hours:

• It would take over 3 weeks to play 10,000 songs back-to-back, if listening for 8 hours per day.
• Watching movies back-to-back, it would be like viewing 250 2-hour films.
• 500 hours is about the length of viewing a TV series continuously for 21 days straight.
• Listening to 10,000 songs would take the same amount of time as driving from New York to Los Angeles over 5 times.
• 500 hours is longer than many people spend on entertainment in an entire year.

So in summary, 10,000 songs adds up to a massive amount of listening that would be difficult for one person to get through quickly. It represents weeks’ worth of continuous music.

Storage Space Needed

The amount of storage space required for 10,000 songs depends on the file format and compression quality used. For a typical MP3 file encoded at 128 kbps and an average song length of 3.5 minutes, each song would be about 5 MB in size (source). At this quality level, 10,000 songs would require around 50 GB of storage space.

If a higher quality compression format like AAC at 192 kbps was used instead, each song may be around 7-8 MB. In that case, 10,000 songs would take up approximately 70-80 GB.

For uncompressed audio like WAV or AIFF files, songs can be 50 MB or more per track. So for 10,000 uncompressed songs, 500 GB or more storage space would be needed.

In summary, the amount of storage required for 10,000 songs varies greatly based on compression format and audio quality. But for typical portable use, around 50-80 GB would be needed to store a music library of that size.

Streaming Duration

So how long would it actually take to play 10,000 songs continuously? Let’s assume the average song length is 3 minutes and 30 seconds (3.5 minutes). At this average length, 10,000 songs would total 35,000 minutes of music. Converting this to hours, 10,000 songs provides over 583 hours of continuous music. Streaming non-stop 24 hours a day, it would take just over 24 days to get through all 10,000 tracks.

To put that into perspective, listening to 10,000 songs back-to-back is like having your own personal radio station playing for nearly a month straight without any repeats. It’s an incredibly large amount of music that would take a normal listener months or even years to get through at a reasonable pace.

Cost to Purchase

The cost to purchase 10,000 songs on digital music services can vary depending on the service used. On iTunes, songs typically cost $1.29 each for individual purchases (NPR). At this rate, 10,000 songs would cost $12,900. On streaming services with subscription plans like Spotify or Apple Music, you get access to millions of songs for a flat monthly fee of $9.99-14.99, so 10,000 songs could be accessed for the cost of one month’s subscription.

However, most streaming services do not allow users to purchase and download individual songs anymore. The exception is Amazon Music, where songs can be purchased for $0.99-1.29 each (Quora). So on Amazon Music, 10,000 purchased songs could cost around $9,900-$12,900. Overall, the ability to purchase 10,000 individual digital song files can range from about $10,000 on the low end to $13,000 on the high end.

Variability and Context

Song lengths can vary dramatically depending on genre, era, and artistic intent. For example, pop songs tend to be around 3-5 minutes, while classical and jazz compositions might be 10-20 minutes or even longer. The average lengths have also changed over time – songs from the 1950s-60s were often 2-3 minutes, while modern songs are usually a bit longer.

So while we can calculate an “average” song length, most music libraries will contain songs of highly variable durations. A collection of 10,000 classical pieces will require much more listening time than 10,000 punk rock songs.

The significance of having 10,000 songs also depends heavily on context. For an individual listener, 10,000 songs could represent an enormous personal music collection built up over years. But for a commercial music streaming company or digital music store, 10,000 songs is just a tiny fraction of their catalog.

So whether a library of 10,000 tracks seems small, large, or just right depends on who is doing the listening. A passionate music fan may never run out of new discoveries in a collection of that size. But a diverse music service would need millions more to satisfy all tastes and moods.

Curation Process

Curbating a music library of 10,000 songs takes time, effort and careful organization. With such a vast collection, establishing a system to categorize and arrange songs is essential. This allows listeners to easily find artists, albums, genres or playlists tailored to moods or activities.

Several approaches help effectively manage a large music catalog. Categorizing by genre provides an efficient way to group similar-sounding songs and artists. Many listeners also organize music chronologically, arranging songs and albums from oldest to newest releases. This allows tracking the evolution of genres and individual musicians’ careers over time.

Beyond sorting by genre or era, curation requires choosing meaningful categories that fit listening habits and tastes. Some music fans sort songs according to activity, creating playlists for working out, driving, parties, or relaxation. Others take a seasonal approach, collecting summer anthems or holiday music. Individual songs can also be rated, allowing smart playlists to surface top favorites.

With any organizing method, maintaining consistency and specificity is key. For example, avoid vague genres like “rock” in favor of subgenres like “indie rock” or “punk rock.” The more narrowly songs are categorized, the easier it becomes to quickly find an appropriate playlist.

Culling a collection periodically also helps remove unwanted songs that have fallen out of favor. This ongoing maintenance keeps the library focused on current tastes and listening trends. With judicious curation and categorization, 10,000 songs can provide endless personalized musical enjoyment.

Summary

To recap, 10,000 average length songs would total approximately 5,000 minutes, or 83 hours of listening time. That’s equivalent to nearly 3 and a half days of continuous music playback. In terms of storage, 10,000 compressed MP3 songs would take up about 80GB, or a quarter of the space on a standard 320GB hard drive. If purchasing 10,000 tracks on iTunes at $1 each, it would cost around $10,000 to buy the entire collection.

Of course, actual song lengths vary, and collections are rarely compiled completely randomly. Playlists and albums are thoughtfully sequenced and curated. But this exercise provides a helpful approximation and frame of reference when thinking about 10,000 songs in terms of duration, storage space, cost, and more. Whether it takes 2 months or 2 years to amass, a music library of 10,000 songs is an impressive and substantial achievement for any fan or collector.