Music of today ?

[Shole]

There are two possibilities:
I am getting old and new music is getting worse because i am old(Not really possible as i am only 20)
Or todays music is really terrible. I dont mean all of it but most of it, with its poorly written lyrics.
What do you guys think is the music industry going downhill?

 

[DrLeftover]

There is no "today's music".

If you look with a critical eye, or, as it were, ea, everything is a badly done commercialized retread of something that we've already heard.

Even "K-pop" is a second cousin to "Swedish pop" such as that abomination, Rednex, from a dozen years ago.

Everything, 'gangsta rap' and all the rest included, is now done with one eye on the bottom line more than at any time previously, and that includes these guys who were solely put together to sell records way back in... well, yeah.

Even THAT has been done before. And better. Than it is now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ded4MZVVAhE

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

There is lots of good music out there if you take the time to search for it. A lot of the mainstream overly famous artists seem to crank out crap after crap, but some underground/undiscovered artists are really good.

 

[Evil Eye]

Well, there's plenty of crappy stuff out there. IMO, anyway.
However, I wouldn't say things are getting worse exactly, there just isn't much of a filter. See, in hind sight, it's easy to see which songs were big hits and only play those, when they're new it's a lot harder to do so...
There's plenty of stuff that is worth listening to. You just have to find it, forums help, people only post the things they like. As such something no one likes won't get posted

 

[DrLeftover]

... forums help, people only post the things they like. As such something no one likes won't get posted

UNLESS somebody is getting paid per click (or 'like) for posting said 'crap'.

 

[Bryd0]

I am getting old and new music is getting worse because i am old(Not really possible as i am only 20)

Hey, I'm 24, and that's not my reason to say that music nowadays is nothing but a laughing stock.

But, I do agree that music of today is progressively getting worse and worse and it makes me want to burst my eardrums. ESPECIALLY pop music which I think should jump in a fire. I really miss of what music was like during the 90s, 80 and heck even the 70s!

Although, Nebulous had made a good point that not all music of this generation is bad, when underground artists/bands are taken into account.

 

[Raven]

Depends what you listen to. Mainstream crap on the radio I see your point. Underground music and especially the metal scene there are some amazing bands, with fantastic lyrics. All depends on what you like and where you look.

 

[Crusader]

A lot of chart music is very samey to me. Overall a lot of newer songs and stuff lack the emotion and staying power of songs from yesteryear.

If we look at the world of metal for an example, there is just no one with the songs that compare to Iron Maiden, Saxon, Black Sabbath, Motörhead's back catalogues. And even their new material is still pretty good. These bands will be remembered forever, but will this current breed? Possibly, but Probably not.

 

[DrLeftover]

There has always been local, independent musicians who weren't worried about "making it to the big time" and made music for its own sake.

I didn't think we were talking about them because the OP mentioned "the music industry", which is, I think we would all agree, is a cesspool where real talent goes to slowly die.

If I missed something, please forgive me.

 

[Shole]

*writing from phone, I am sorry in front for errors its my first smarthphone*
I mostly agree with the replies you guys gave me. Underground is the best solution if you want good music. I mostly blame labels who just take a "doll with singin function" promoting him or her and just put him or her in a video with a lot skin showing and lyrics that are shorter than my post and just repeat....I mean common u know the feeling when a song hits you directly into your soul making all of your worries go away, just brighten your whole day. I didn't get many of those feels frome today's music, maybe some crime foo fighters or most recent I found an instrumental song from the xx its called intro and it made me feel good but still not like songs used to be..

 

[Sinon]

There's plenty of good music coming out of artists today, and they're not all underground. Concepts like this baffle me purely because people tend to assume their opinion is correct.

 

[DrLeftover]

There's plenty of good music coming out of artists today, and they're not all underground. Concepts like this baffle me purely because people tend to assume their opinion is correct.

No argument there, except, if I may point out, that you are also guilty of the assumption as well.

Also, while, yes, there is 'plenty of good music' coming out of The Industry, a lot of it is being made by acts that have been around for a LONG time, and in the case of "their satanic majesties", almost forever.

The "New Acts" including the poster child for the word 'Punk' (Mr. West) and his 'Million Dollar Video', are as described above. And I would dump anything ever touched by Mr. Cowell in there as well.

 

[DrLeftover]

Maybe today's music is "crumblin' down"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cMkyiL-vRQ

or maybe it ain't and should

 

[Fatal Dawn]

How do you define good music? Is it like food, where what is perceived as good and bad is based on personal tastes? If that's the case then I would argue that people's tastes in music are changing and not that the music is getting objectively worse.

 

[Tyler]

I like the music in this generation, some of it is bad, but I like most music, old and new.

 

[DrLeftover]

I can only speak for myself, and I won't even try to define "bad music". As for good, I'll stand with the ones I've posted as examples in lieu of a definition.

I never said that all of the music of the "twenty teens" is bad. And if I implied that, I'm sorry, I didn't mean exactly that.

And there has been plenty of crappy music made every year since the end of World War Two.

But there is a crucial difference, and while it isn't new, there is a difference of scale.

It would seem that today's music stars are more 'celebrity' than 'entertainer' and their off stage antics are intentionally geared to keep their name in the media even when their last 'record' flopped.

 

[Flurry]

That celebrity bit reminds me somewhat of part of a lyric Swizz used in the song Lucifer, 'Their not rappers, their entertainers!'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUH8eZEWCa8 Here's the song.

 

[DrLeftover]

If I were to try to define "musicians AND entertainers", I might start with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r3-VcvkiDI

And if you will so notice, some of the acts are of the "why in the hell are THEY on there" caliber.

But, they were still playing their own instruments and not lip synching to a pre-recorded track.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

I can only speak for myself, and I won't even try to define "bad music". As for good, I'll stand with the ones I've posted as examples in lieu of a definition.

I never said that all of the music of the "twenty teens" is bad. And if I implied that, I'm sorry, I didn't mean exactly that.

And there has been plenty of crappy music made every year since the end of World War Two.

But there is a crucial difference, and while it isn't new, there is a difference of scale.

It would seem that today's music stars are more 'celebrity' than 'entertainer' and their off stage antics are intentionally geared to keep their name in the media even when their last 'record' flopped.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply anything either. Philosophically, I struggle to define good and bad music. I do think though that people's tastes have a way of changing. The music itself (in terms of approach) has not changed too dramatically. Why would it have reason to? Why fix what isn't broken?

The musicians today, while becoming more celebrity-like (although a lot of musicians of the past were celebrities in their time too), are still imitating the styles of earlier musicians. Pop music of the past was hugely successful with people like Michael Jackson and Madonna, today people like Lady Gaga and other pop stars are using the same formulas - the difference is the consumers have changed. MJ and Madonna have endured as classics while I think public perception tends to see pop stars today as sensations. Boy bands are another good example. The formula remains largely the same as each generation seems to have their own version of a boy band. The list goes on and on, but I think consumers have changed more than the art (music) itself. At least that's my take on it.

 

[DrLeftover]

Agreed, to a point.

I would stipulate that "back in the day" talent meant more than marketing. Unlike today where a 'gimmick' is developed before 'the act' is even put together, and I know, I know, the same could be said for The Monkees, The Knack, Milli Vanilli, and perhaps even the Allen Parsons Project. But The Ramones COULD sing and play like nobody's business, and 'the act' was just part of being a 'Ramone'.

But, they were pretty much one offs and are very good (in one case a good-Bad) examples.

And to make the point I submit a very young Frank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpF69oFoLM4