An argument can be made that compression has tainted the overall quality of music. Compression has taken away from the individuality from certain instruments and can affect the quality of a singers voice when heard. This does not mean that compression is necessarily a bad thing for all people, and it has proven to be very popular. Pop music today involves compression and all the chart leading songs involve compression, so to say it’s bad, is a tough claim to make. Another tough thing to do is to differentiate between good and bad music. There is no universal standard for what is good music. The fact that there is not one standard to compare everything to creates a situation in which nearly everyone can favor a certain song over what other people believe. Why there is a preference for certain music seems to be an unanswerable question, but there are possible reasons for why society prefers compression in music. Compression at it’s core allows for a level sound that does not fluctuate. No fluctuation means that you do not have to change the volume, creating for a more simple and easy listening experience. Another possible reason for the preference for compression is the how the listening experience has changed over the years. Music used to be a primary source of entertainment, but as the popularity for television increased music became more of a background noise and  music that didn’t fluctuate helped provide the background music.