I don't feel this personally, but this statement has been cropping up in all kinds of circles. From radio-people, label-people, hardcore fans, even in album reviews.

Like with everything these days, people's attentions spans continue to shrink, so to be continually amused, people need newer and different stimuli to keep interested.

To describe albums like jill scott or musiq, reviews have equated them with using the "soulquarian production" which has "reached it's saturated point". I can't remember which mag or paper i read that in, it was a few months back. But the jist of the comments expressed was that the sound is becoming played-out.

Sounds can get played out if they are used by too many producers, and/or if radio jumps on the bandwagon of the "hot" style (i.e. darkchild productions, neptunes) and rotate it to the point of overkill.
Sure sales would go up for those title's 'cause it's hot. So, for those producer's who have toiled for years to perfect "their" sound, they would finally see success.
But, once all the biting productions follow suit to cash in on the hot "trend", this becomes a problem for most producer's.
Because when their sound becomes "dated" and the new "rhythms" take the spotlight, most producer's either don't have the musical-base or creativity to be able to enhance "their" sound, or even reinvent themselves.
So i guess that's why certain producer's fall the wayside out of no fault of their own.
Recent casualties would be swizz beats & trackmasters. I haven't really heard a peep from them recently.
When they do come out with new projects, their sound has already been adopted and even enhanced by other producers, it's going to be interesting to see what they come out with and how people will react to it.

So my questions go back to ?uest & the rest of the soulquarian crew;
Being that "your" sound is hot and slowly being adopted by other producer's, What's more viable an option, to enhance the "sound" or maybe reinvent yourselves to keep fresh and one step ahead of the biters?
What's your take on jazzy jeff's recent prod. styles (i.e.jill scott)? is it something you welcome or find frustrating?

So for those who want to be an "artist", the struggle doesn't stop once your recognized, signed and have commercial success. Instead, it continues and intensifies. Your either going to sink or swim.
Man, this gives you a good insight into how hard it is to continually be revered by 'headz and maintain commercial success.
Never mind trying to attain some longevity in your musical career.

peace