Standard Length of a Pop Song?

[Nystul]

https://soundcloud.com/synchanter/the-q ... e-lazy-dog

OK, my latest turd I stretched to 2:15.. Is it too short or long?
Now I need to work on better songs so they can reach 3:30..

So you have something resembling a verse followed by a chorus, and then that combo repeats 2 more times. In terms of laying out a pop song, that would be OK. In terms of EDM, a lot of stuff has even less content and even more repeats. The composition works reasonably well for what it is.

Problem is, within that structure you still need to keep things fresh. If you listen critically to some hit pop song, you will hear a few things that accomplish this. Obviously the verses will have different lyrics, but there are other things people don't always notice. New instruments sneak in. New vocal layers or busier drum parts. Things might drop out of the mix for a moment to put the focus more on the singer. A singer or player might change styles up on a verse or something. Clever tricks of arrangement and production. I can hear it, but darned if I can make it work in my own music.

[Synchanter]

Ah thanks for the advice. Looks like I need to learn my DAW and plug-ins better to add some new things on repeated sections.

[thecontrolcentre]

Three minutes for pop music.

[xoxos]

surprised no one's mentioned "the manual" by the klf, which, for all it's campiness, is probably still quite pertinent.

[arkmabat]

3:29

[Chris-S]

What's the convention for standard length of a song on radio or itunes nowadays?

3:00 and then the next advertisement pops in.

[ZiggDubstep]

I try to make my songs at least 3:00. Not too long for people's attention spans, not too short for the people who want to jam out to it as long as possible.

[ivansc]

https://soundcloud.com/wasplollies

Just a tad over 3 minutes and I got told it was "too long" on GS.

I grew up thinking 3 minutes was ideal for a pop song....

But the Box Top's " the letter" was well under 2 minutes!