Can you imagine watching a YouTube live for more than 20 hours? Well, that’s what Lofi music is provoking in millions and millions of users.
Since 2020 we have seen a boom in this music genre, which has had a quickly expansion. For this reason, in today’s blog we will tell you what Lofi music is and what are the best YouTube playlists to listen to it.
What is Lofi music?
Surely, without even knowing it, you have come across the video in which the famous “Lofi Girl” appears on YouTube. This is because its popularity is growing and, therefore, it is becoming more and more common for this music genre to appear in trends.
Being a music with calm rhythms, this genre stands out for being used to relax, concentrate, study, carry out creative activities such as painting or writing and even sleep.
Lofi music stands out for being used to relax or concentrate
Origin of Lofi music
Lofi music comes from a mix of genres, most notably hip-hop and jazz, which is why it is sometimes referred to as Lofi hip-hop.
This music genre comes from the Japanese producer Nujabes and therefore this style is closely related to anime aesthetics.
The “Lofi” meaning comes from the English words “Low Fidelity” and this is one of the most representative characteristics of this music genre.
Lofi music is recorded and produced in a way that causes the effect of low sound quality, in order to convey a feeling of nostalgia to the listener.
Lofi music is a new opportunity
This has caused an increase of emerging artists and producers who are just starting out in the world of music. That’s because it breaks the quality barrier, as these recordings stand out for having a homemade style.
For this reason, if you want to get into Lofi production and don’t know where to start, here we recommend the best music production softwares so you can unleash your creativity.
Lofi music main features
- Relaxing rhythms
As we have mentioned before, this musical genre stands out for having rhythms that manage to relax, clear your mind and help you get away from stress.
Many people classify Lofi within ambient music due to the softness of its beats, the continuous melody and the nostalgic feeling that surrounds these songs.
- Anime style illustrations
Another reason why this style of music stands out is because of the incredible illustrations that appear in Lofi’s videos on YouTube.
With images such as “Lofi Girl” or “Study Girl” that we have shown you before, the videos of this musical genre achieved a complete experience since the Lofi aesthetics accompany the relaxed situation that the music makes you feel.
Anime style illustrations are an essential feature of this musical genre
- Feeling of company
Many Lofi consumers highlight the feeling of company that this type of video spreads to them. The reason for this is that the image is not static, so there is a passage of time.
We can see the protagonists moving, writing, watching their pets and, furthermore: in the windows, we can see how the hours go by and night falls.
Currently, many video game companies, such as the creator of “Stardew Valley”, ConcernedApe, pursue the goal of making the player enjoy and disconnect, so they look for soundtracks inspired by Lofi music.
In this sense, if your dream has always been to create original melodies for your favorite games, you have to take a look at our blog to find out how to sell your music to video games, movies, advertising and other platforms.
Is the Lofi genre changing how we consume music?
This is a question that is haunting the music industry a lot, since it is true that there is a change in the way of consuming music when it comes to Lofi.
We are living in a time when entertainment is consumed massively and most Internet users end up watching and listening to ephemeral content or interrupting the consumption of one of them to move on to the next.
However, Lofi music streams on YouTube are managing to keep users for hours and hours listening to the same kind of music.
And this doesn’t go unnoticed, as many artists have managed to sign contracts with record companies by producing Lofi Hip-Hop on their YouTube channel.
Currently there is no palpable change in the general consumption of users. However it is possible that this type of content is a new way to connect with the audience.
You can take a look at our post about music industry trends in 2022 if you want to know where the industry is currently heading.
Lofi online radios on YouTube, are they legal?
With the rise of the Lofi genre, we could see how many YouTube channels became pirate digital radios that were live at all times to play music of this style.
But the question that arises from this is: Is it legal?
The answer is yes, as long as all the content is completely yours.
It is legal to have a music YouTube channel live 24/7
When the number of channels that livestreamed Lofi music increased in 2016, YouTube put an eye on this type of video.
In this sense, it has been verified that the majority of Lofi channels that have suffered a problem with their content have been due to receiving copyright claims.
Therefore, you must use only your music and illustrations. Ohter way is to ask for the express consent of the artist or music producer.
From there, you will need to agree with them on what type of license they will allow you to use their content with or agree to whitelist the channel on YouTube.
What’s more, some Lofi music producers specify that it can be used in other videos and live shows as long as they are credited for creating it.
It doesn’t matter if you’re streaming for 24 hours or just create a several hours video, it’s important to always be aware of content usage violations. By doing this, you won’t have problems with your Lofi channel on YouTube.
However, traditional radio stations are directing their complaints towards this type of channel. That’s why YouTube will not take long to propose new measures to make the most of this type of content.
The best Lofi playlists on YouTube
To finish, here we leave you the best Lofi music playlists, videos and live streamings on YouTube so you can get a little more familiar with the genre:
- Lofi hip hop radio beats to relax/study to – Lofi Girl
- #RetoLofi Playlist Oficial – Jaime Afterdark (Jaime Altozano)
- Chill Drive – Lofi hip hop mix ~ Deep Focus, Relaxing Music – Chilli Music
- Floating City Chill Lofi Beats – the bootleg boy
- Feel so alone Sad Lofi hip hop mix – Dreamy
If this is not enough and you want to know more about Lofi music, you can always watch this interesting video by Jaime Altozano on the subject.
