Is it me!!!!

[Iron Man]

Is it me or has todays mainstream music been missing something? Do not get me wrong I'm still a rocker at heart, but when I'm in the mood to watch music videos I find myself turning CMT on. Music videos there are funny and a pleasure to watch.

Regards

I M

Edited December 5, 2010 by Iron Man

[phantom]

I still have VCR tapes with much music videos from the 80s. The hair styles are bizarre but the music videos are still much more watchable then the rap "stars" with the girls with loose morals on TV today.

[HOLMES]

I Simply LOVE this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-7QSMyz5rg

[Iron Man]

I still have VCR tapes with much music videos from the 80s. The hair styles are bizarre but the music videos are still much more watchable then the rap "stars" with the girls with loose morals on TV today.

Couldn't agree more

Happy Holidays

I M

Edited December 5, 2010 by Iron Man

[HOLMES]

I dont care for the music of now and so much prefer the old songs from the days gone by..

you guys had such wonderful music and songs and artistes to listen to...

I am not into the rapper kind of music .

[Sig Saur & Son]

Can't sing along to today's crap. I wish I had purchased more hearing aid manufacturer's stock. Talk about a booming business in the next decade or two.

[Jennings]

Today's music has no melody, and 90% of artists are so computerized you can't tell one from the other. Talking (about the same thing over and over) to a beat is not music. It's talking to a beat, washed over by computer effects. It's just like movies - all the fancy CGI is great, but Casablanca is still a much better film than most of them.

J

[Iron Man]

I dont care for the music of now and so much prefer the old songs from the days gone by..

you guys had such wonderful music and songs and artistes to listen to...

I am not into the rapper kind of music . :D

I like the old 50's style. Love Chuck Berry

I M

[Wayne S]

Is it me or has todays mainstream music been missing something? Do not get me wrong I'm still a rocker at heart, but when I'm in the mood to watch music videos I find myself turning CMT on. Music videos there are funny and a pleasure to watch.

Regards

Nope music is not changing just your taste of music is getting better :D

Edited December 5, 2010 by Wayne S

[11bee]

I'm sure our parents said the same thing about whatever it was that we listened to back in the day. Today's music (like music from every generation) has stuff that is good and stuff that is not so good. Even rap (which I'm not a hard core fan of) has some songs that are poignant and deliver a powerful message.

Saying that everything new is crap is just another way of saying that "I'm aging and getting conservative in my older years".

[Fishwelding]

I'm sure our parents said the same thing about whatever it was that we listened to back in the day. Today's music (like music from every generation) has stuff that is good and stuff that is not so good. Even rap (which I'm not a hard core fan of) has some songs that are poignant and deliver a powerful message.

Saying that everything new is crap is just another way of saying that "I'm aging and getting conservative in my older years".

Helpful historical perspective, right there. I listen to old stuff, very old stuff, new stuff, and a little of everything else. Saying one kind of music over another, I think, is hopelessly subjective, and really just grist for internet complaining. Make-work for moderators.

Edited December 5, 2010 by Fishwelding

[datahiker]

I agree with 11bee. The other thing you have to remember is that mainstream music (a.k.a., the synthesized, overcompressed, overproduced garbage on the radio and in music videos) is now a tiny portion of what's out there now that bands can publish their own music straight to the 'net. Back then you had vinyl, 8-tracks, tape, etc. and that's it. Now you can find sub-sub-sub-genres of MP3s as long as you're willing to look around a little bit.

[madmanrick]

I'm sure our parents said the same thing about whatever it was that we listened to back in the day. Today's music (like music from every generation) has stuff that is good and stuff that is not so good. Even rap (which I'm not a hard core fan of) has some songs that are poignant and deliver a powerful message.

Saying that everything new is crap is just another way of saying that "I'm aging and getting conservative in my older years".

Actually while your statements are technically correct, there is also a disconnect in them as well. Much of the "commercial music" of the past 10 years or more has lacked originality and is more focused on simply selling a product, than say creating something memorable and lasting or even something from the heart so to speak. For example look at how many remakes of hits from the past there have been over the last ten years (although remakes have always been a fact of life in the music biz, just not to this extent imo), not to mention how many songs have utilized samples from another artists more identifiable work. Sadly, you cannot lay this on the doorstep of the "artists" alone or even on the genre, as much of the fault lies within the music business itself.

In their rush to ensure ever increasing profits, the music business has pretty much gotten out of the "promotion" game, instead tending to rely upon artists that are able to instantly appeal to a wide audience, either through genre specific music or reliance upon identifiable hooks that sampling another artists music or remaking an instantly recognizable tune would bring. In addition, it is part of the reason why you see so many guest appearances of established artists, as that tends to lend instant name recognition to artists that are not yet "established."

I am of the jaded opinion that in today's music business groups such as the Beatles or Rolling Stones, who were really raw and unpolished when first discovered, would never even get a recording deal in today's business. The music company would have to spend way too much money to promote and polish them, thereby making the effort too expensive in terms of return. Another factor has been the "dumbing" down of the music industry, with the proliferation of "music" shows such as American Idol and Glee, again "entertainment" that relays upon established music of other artists. The music business is far from alone in this phenomenon, just a quick look at movies and television will show you how much they rely upon remakes and similar ideas, in order to churn out product that has instant appeal, so that they need not spend quite as much promoting the product.

Edited December 5, 2010 by madmanrick

[thegoodsgt]

Yep, 11bee has a point. I didn't want to become like my mother (who seemed to stop listening to music in 1958 and has no clue of any band that's existed since), so I try to keep up with new music. Some of I like, some I don't. But there is good music out there if you look for it. As with all things, it depends on what you like. Some of the better bands on the scene right now are Muse, Shiny Toy Guns, The Raconteurs, Automatic Loveletter, Janelle Monae, Breaking Benjamin, Puscifer.

A few of these bands are played on mainstream radio, but you have to explore some of the alternative music sources (Napster, Rhapsody, Pandora, etc.) to discover better music.

[11bee]

Actually while your statements are technically correct, there is also a disconnect in them as well. Much of the "music" of the past 10 years or more has lacked originality and is more focused on simply selling a product, than say creating something memorable and lasting or even something from the heart so to speak. For example look at how many remakes of hits from the past there have been over the last ten years (although remakes have always been a fact of life in the music biz, just not to this extent imo), not to mention how many songs have utilized samples from another artists more identifiable work. Sadly, you cannot lay this on the doorstep of the "artists" alone or even on the genre, as much of the fault lies within the music business itself.

In their rush to ensure ever increasing profits, the music business has pretty much gotten out of the "promotion" game, instead tending to rely upon artists that are able to instantly appeal to a wide audience, either through genre specific music or reliance upon identifiable hooks that sampling another artists music or remaking an instantly recognizable tune would bring. In addition, it is part of the reason why you see so many guest appearances of established artists, as that tends to lend instant name recognition to artists that are not yet "established."

I am of the jaded opinion that in today's music business groups such as the Beatles or Rolling Stones, who were really raw and unpolished when first discovered, would never even get a recording deal in today's business. The music company would have to spend way too much money to promote and polish them, thereby making the effort too expensive in terms of return. Another factor has been the "dumbing" down of the music industry, with the proliferation of "music" shows such as American Idol and Glee, again "entertainment" that relays upon established music of other artists. The music business is far from alone in this phenomenon, just a quick look at movies and television will show you how much they rely upon remakes and similar ideas, in order to churn out product that has instant appeal, so that they need not spend quite as much promoting the product.

Ignore what you hear on conventional radio stations and from the big record labels, a good portion of it is crap. As a few other folks have noted, the one thing that really has changed about music in the last few years is the means of distribution. Great, cutting edge music is out there. You just have look deeper for it. I hardly ever listen to the radio and can't remember the last time I bought a CD (actually I can, I bought a Clash boxed set in 2007). The internet is the biggest thing to hit the music world since the guitar. It truly has changed the game, at least for those that have the time and the skills to navigate through it to find quality offerings.

The times they are a changin' my friend.

[Guest Michael Bay]

It's not all bad, these guys wrote

. Well said fellas, well said. Edited December 5, 2010 by Michael Bay

[Fishwelding]

The times they are a changin' my friend.

Agreed again, and on all forms of media. Even Itunes, which is not exactly an "underground" conduit for music, has opened my ears to a lot of small-time artists and small-time labels that just wouldn't get the light of day in the past, even during the supposed golden era of 1960s and 1970s. I listened to Blue Sky Black Death's instrumental stuff (a blend of electronica, blues, downbeat, and much other stuff) long before I realized that technically, they are hip-hop, and the instrumental release was sort of an afterthought.

Is FM radio still even on? I haven't listened to it in years. TV? Why bother? It's rehashed and overpriced, to buttress a public utility model of sales. At this point I consume more "podcast" video and audio, than I do TV, and even if I see TV shows, it's more often through the internet.

All this said, it does put traditional media businesses in a bad position, and they're squirming, through lawyers and legislation, not to lose their investment. The big ISPs, themselves often cable suppliers, are trying to stall web distribution so as not to have catastrophic write-offs. Whether they can purchase or scare enough of Congress to stall emerging, threatening entrepreneurials on the web remains to be seen, however.

I'd be interested to hear from people outside North America on media content and consumption. How are you folks buying, watching, and listening to audio and video media?

Edited December 5, 2010 by Fishwelding

[peebeep]

Recording companies only seem to exist to sell 'products', creativity and originality seems to be stifled, everybody has to be seen to be squeaky clean and nobody is allowed to be dangerous any more.

Dull, boring.

I find it interesting that the younger generation is becoming increasingly backward rather than forward looking in their listening habits. Look at concerts where veteran acts are playing, there will as likely be lots of young people there. Stevie Wonder (60 years young) had them eating out of his hand at Glastonbury this year. If you haven't seen that set, try and find a recording, it's outstanding.

peebeep

[ikar]

Call me old fashioned, closed minded to the new music, I don't care. I was born in 1951 and I listen to music from the 40s to the 80s plus classical, not what they are doing these days.

Another Booker T, I think it's better than GreenOnions:

[Oroka]

The classic stuff is still very popular among the teens these days, it is just the rap and hip hop that is blared loudest, and makes the most money right now.

I always find it amusing. Where I live is farm country, and you get the farm boys driving their big jacked up mudding trucks, but now they blare rap instead of country.

[tornado64]

it's unfair to say all todays is bad !!

just less good stuff makes it because of mamufactured music and rap ( with a silent " c" )

although i have to confess whilst earning a crust yesterday welding , turning and doing other engineering type s**t !

i was listening to a radio station that plays nothing but 80's music

the ironic thing is i even found myself singing along to groups i hated back then

god help these kids when they finaly sit down with thier grandkids and they ask them to sing a song from the old days .

and grandmas first line is " smack the motherf***er up !! "

[Old Blind Dog]

I'm sure our parents said the same thing about whatever it was that we listened to back in the day. Today's music (like music from every generation) has stuff that is good and stuff that is not so good. Even rap (which I'm not a hard core fan of) has some songs that are poignant and deliver a powerful message.

Saying that everything new is crap is just another way of saying that "I'm aging and getting conservative in my older years".

EXACTLY!!! Couldn't have said it better myself.

Actually, I said it "differently" in a recently completed "coming of age" novel:

Of course, pop music has always been valued by youth to the extent it effectively shocks, annoys, maddens, alienates, and thoroughly p***es off the older generation, while simultaneously providing a soundtrack for all aspects of teenage life, banal and sublime . . . When contemporary popular music starts sounding like a bunch of disorganized discordant crap, failing to elicit even the slightest twinge of excitement . . . you might as well settle down and have kids, because you’re well on your way to becoming your parents

* * *

As a classically trained composer, I tend to analyze music differently than the average casual listener. I've found lots of interesting ideas in music as diverse as Kanye West and Ricky Scaggs. I like the way some rappers employ the rhythm of language, and sometimes fascinating rhyme schemes; the multi-textured sound-world of hip-hop, the emotional/melodic directness of country (Taylor Swift has some interesting lyrics, but her melodies can be quite stunted and ordinary).

In the end it all boils down to de gustibus non disputantem.

cheers

Old Blind Dog

[Aaronw]

Bit of ignoring the crap too, you can find some really bad stuff from the past going back to Og the caveman, its just that it doesn't last beyond its short media circus life before they start pushing the next hot talentless hack. Real talent has staying power. Pre-TV appearance had less to do with the equation too, since at least the 60s looking good has at least as much to do with "getting found" by the industry as talent does.

Ease of distribution helps the drek get out to a wider audience today too, there are more radio stations with more power than there was in the 70s, more TV stations etc. In the 40s many people had one station period, so it was harder for Jo Jo the Yodelling Hillbillie to make his mark on the music industry (if that is good or bad is up to your musical taste).

Edited December 5, 2010 by Aaronw

[CorsairMan]

I hate to say this to you but... you are no longer in the pop demographic. The music is not designed for your consumption. I am sure you find this with movies and a lot of TV as well.

[Jinxter13]

Well first I want someone to tell me how they can classify todays' recorded tunes as music. I think the last real music was done in the early 80's, though once in a while someone puts out a reminder of what real music was/is.