The streaming era is the current period of music consumption, in which platforms rather than purchases dominate listening and algorithms shape discovery. It is not designed to favour catalogue artists releasing new work, which made Lily Allen’s West End Girl performance — No. 2 in the U.K. and a Billboard 200 return in 2025 — a story of word of mouth overpowering the algorithm.
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Mentioned in: Why Lily Allen’s Comeback Matters: The Return of Pop’s Most Honest Voice