Why do many pop songs have so many different songwriters listed?

Question

I see so many songs with 3-5 or more listed in the credits. I always thought sometimes one person wrote music, and another wrote lyrics. Why can it take around 5 people to write a song?

In: 120

Answer 1

Because they’re not written by the artist any more. They’re written in a corporate board room by statisticians and “industry professionals” who work on bits here and there.