Songs in the 50's-early '60's always used to be in that 2-3 minute range to fit standard radio formatting. Then LP's allowed for artists to release longer songs, so eventually radio stations went "well, maybe people do want to hear that new Beatles song that is 5 minutes long, so we should accomodate that", but then LP sales have dropped off the radar in the last 15 years so maybe radio has a bit more sway in how long hit pop songs are going to be again. Or it might just be that artists are getting lazy and it's way easier to write a 3 minute song with no key changes or noticable dynamic shifts, than it is to write a 12 minute opus that explores multiple key changes, rhythms and themes.

Regardless...I'm just saying it's no tthe first time that 2-3 minute songs have been the "norm" in popular music.

Can’t find it now but there was an article or video floating around a couple weeks ago about how supposedly with the rise of titok as a music marketing tool, songs are getting shorter. Or at least the kinds of songs that someone would want to have currency on tiktok. If I recall it had to do with specific song structure changes, like bridges not being used or the number of times the chorus gets repeated throughout a song.

I don't have statistics but a lot of older hit songs were on the 2 to 4 minute range too. Elvis Presley's gretest hits album from 1970 doesn't have songs that reach four minutes for example

Short attention spans + fast & easy marketing.

they are basically incentivized to, make it short and sweet and people will watch it again, giving them more views which equals more money

My fave band just realised 3 albums in October, with the majority of songs ranging from 5-15 mins :D

I am the entertainer

I've come to do my show

You've heard my latest record

It's been on the radio

Oh it took me years to write it

They were the best years of my life

It was a beautiful song, but it ran to long

If you're gonna have it, you gotta make it fit

So they cut it down to 3:05

KG&TLW?