You aren't wrong. Modern music sucks, and it's getting worse
It's not that you are an old fart.
Well, maybe you're an old fart, but that doesn't mean you are wrong - modern music sucks.
What's cool about this video is that the reasons why modern music is bad and getting worse isn't just a matter of taste. It's measurable.
The only thing that video misses is what has happened to the music industry - monopoly concentration.
Most all of the record labels you know are owned by three major parent corporations: SONY, Universal Music Group (UMG), and Warner Music Group (WMG). Even Sub Pop, the once-famous Seattle independent label, is now owned by WMG. The only pseudo-famous label not on here is K Records, which became famous around the same time as Sub Pop for releasing off-beat alternative music in the ’90s. But for most everyone else, it’s just a question of which corporation you have pulling the strings.
The decline of American music is truly tragic.
No nation in history has created such a rich and diverse tapestry of music as the United States, and that can be attributed almost entirely to the African-American community.
It's one of the undeniable things that made America special. Along with movies, it's our most successful cultural export.
Most nations have only one or two types of music that they can call their own.
The United States invented and perfected Blues, Jazz, and Rock and Roll. Plus sub-groups such as R&B, Soul, Motown, Hip Hop, Rap, Punk, Country, etc.
But like everything else capitalism touches, it's being turned into cheap commodity crap.
Comments
Somewhere around 12 years ago, I decided
that I would not listen to anything "owned" by the RIAA. (Soon thereafter I made exceptions for Neil Young and Bob Dylan...I couldn't help it.) I started listening to an online radio station in Talkeetna, Alaska, that only played independent music. I quickly found that the music was much better than anything put out by the RIAA. I quickly stocked up on some new favorite musician's albums, and in the process even made friendships with a few of them...PLAYED with a few of them
Not turning back.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
Good job there's so much old music to enjoy
...
Having watched the video, the author/narrator doesn't delve any further into the fact that harmonically, modern 'pop' has taken a nosedive. A compelling/lovely harmonic move/juxtaposition can really make a song.
(Edited)
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
I listen to a lot of Prog myself.
Spock's Beard, Yes, Haken, Floyd, Enchant (Lead singer now fronts Spock's Beard)...Needless to say I've never really been into 'mainstream' music.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.
Modern performing arts suck
It's not just that modern music sucks. Look at what's happened in the art, dancing, and theater worlds. I am so thankful that I can listen to my "oldies" music, visit traditional art museums, and attend college plays that perform the classics, like Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. A good blast from the past is mentally healthy in today's world.
Yes, to a great extent ...
But there are thankfully others that creatively carry on the tradition, and continue to inform it from different places.
Just a few ...
[video:https://youtu.be/MWWap-WJAHg]
[video:https://youtu.be/mok4filTILs]
[video:https://youtu.be/JOZ6K4yLrzM]
Thanks janis
As I posted below, I love something new and the Yarra Benders just satisfied that requirement. For tonight.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
I'm pleased you enjoyed.
Here's some background.
Marlon Williams is incandescent
First time I've heard of and heard him. Speechless here.
With thanks
"Incandescent"
What a perfect description of his performance.
Here he is in a different mood ...
[video:https://youtu.be/ct3tAiwHyBs]
I guess I'm wrong.
I tire of the songs I've heard before.
Give me something new as often as it comes out. I tend to lean towards the alternative of the new music and more often than not it comes from musicians that I've never heard before.
They say variety is the spice. I tend to agree.
I can still listen to some old grooves like The Mills Brothers and Tommy Dorsey but they are old school.
Give me something I've never heard before and doesn't suck of poor poor pitiful me like the video you posted.
Capitalism is grand at sucking the life out of everything.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Hopefully our musical appreciation continues to evolve
with the times, and I expect musicians will continue to create works of value. It's something I trust in, and continue to find pleasure in.
@Pricknick Try the Verve Folkways
Try the Verve Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music Series(a lot available on you tube) when American music was regionally diverse, and before the record companies became monolithic.
what drove the Grateful Dead
I think that this "product shallowing" in popular music inspired the Grateful Dead to forge in the exact opposite direction, hard. One of the concert recordings in my collection has Bob Weir explaining to the crowd: "We don't use machines" to tune themselves up. And the Dead drove the "world music" scene, too, often including ethnic music and musicians in their concerts. Here the Grateful Dead are sharing the stage with Hamza el-Din playing "Ollin Arrageed":
[video:https://youtu.be/lI4g1OrQCCk]
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
now ya' gone and made me melancholy ...
(melancholy: a pleasing sadness)
Managed to see the Dead three times:
Living in London with my cousin, she took me to see the London Symphony Does the Pops, and as a 'cultural exchange' I bought tickets to see the Dead at Wembley. Shortly before the concert, the keyboardist died and my cousin asked if they would cancel - and I said no way. And sure enough, Bruce Hornsby sat in as the keyboardist.
Then, living in Boston, just before they tore down the Boston Garden, I saw the Dead there.
Then, finally, I was down south and went with a friend to Hollywood Florida. During the show a dude walked around with a huge chunk of cardboard waving the crowd and creating a breeze. My friend pointed and chuckled, "The Dead's biggest fan."
multo grazie!
.... for the tasty link to 1990-07-15 concert goodies!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
I agree that media consolidation [i.e. capitalism] is bad ...
... for news, democracy, experimentation, music, etc.
(I've also heard a theory about waves and wavelengths, that the 60's had numerous different waves, musical, technological, cultural, etc, that synced up and that, due to the different wavelengths of the various cycles, only synch up every 100 years or thereabouts ...)
That being said, my recent favorite new US finds are "Chainsmoking" by Jacob Banks, 2017, ...
[video:https://youtu.be/wjNxTyEZBMc]
... and "Human", by Rag'n'Bone Man, 2016:
[video:https://youtu.be/L3wKzyIN1yk]
My fav import is "No Roots" by Alice Merton, 2017.
[video:https://youtu.be/PUdyuKaGQd4]
And yes, I'm a middle-aged white guy who grew up with the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton.
(I also believe that the decline of the US, and the continued rise of authoritarian capitalism, does not bode well for the future of US music, technology, or culture ... Microsoft just bought GitHub and many on reddit are mourning the coming death of Git as MS subsumes it into the MS world. Somebody pointed out that MS was really out of ideas and just buying the creativity of all the GitHub open-source programmers, who are actually now rapidly fleeing the feared coming liscensing restrictions.)
Wonderful contributions,
lyrically and musically ...
“Chainsmoking your love”
“I’m only human”
“I’ve got no roots, but my home was never on the ground”
Thanks
One of the things I like about c99
is that people post music vids of there favorite groups. I love sampling the bands I never heard of. Listening to "No Roots" right now. Lov it.
And I guess I'm an old fart b/c I can't stand most radio music these days -- rap, hiphop, ugh.
I read an article about M$ buying out GitHub. Lots of angry buzz about how it will destroy it even tho M$ says it will not change things. After what they have done to windows 10, turning it into an ad-ware delivery system, hard to believe they are not scheming to monetize GitHub and crapify it. Some of my software projects use Github code, so I think we'll find out soon enuff.
Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.
Here in the heart of bluegrass country
I get to listen to a lot of music that no one else listens to. Thank goodness bluegrass is not a particularly popular form of music subject to commercialization like most other genres even though our home grown group, the Steep Canyon Rangers is one of the best known bluegrass groups around. Bluegrass is somewhat forgotten as a uniquely American form of music and maybe that is a good thing for keeping it from being corrupted by corporate dollars. In fact, I noticed bluegrass was not even listed as a American form of music in this essay.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
It's funny
This seems to be the business template that gets applied to just about everything. The sort of business model that says " take out all this other stuff and put in sugar and salt instead". I get tired of how politics intrudes on everything, but damn watching the video I kept thinking that this feels like how political candidates seem to get picked and promoted, and Sanders was the non "Hit Factory" candidate.
I’m reading David Byrn’s book
“How Music Works” right now. It’s mostly technical, but he gets in a few jabs at the industry. And thanks for this - I’ll keep your essay in mind while I finish it.
We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg
Modern day artists also have talent...
...it's just they don't have an outlet. I agree with everything gjohnsit said but would like to expand a little.
I spent eighteen years in the music business after college. My career focused on the independent label market...everything from children's music - to cajun andzydeco - to Appalachian hollering records. At that time, the recording industry and its artists were interested in finding new genres of music to explore and meld.
The major labels stepped in. In order to maximize profits, they controlled artists, production time and touring details. At first they were interested in ground breaking sounds. But it became far easier and less expensive to commoditize everything. This was a long process that occurred over 30+ years and got us to where we are today. It included many M&A activities so they could integrate all of the processes involved in music business: Band discovery, promotion, marketing
Nowadays, in the gig economy, musicians are left to pay for their own career. This is often done with a day job and/or benefactors. Working on the art of music full time is financially impossible - it's also not a coincidence that the most talented work very hard and take lots of time at their craft. Having proper studio and rehearsal time is a huge problem.
New artists can't get media time except for some internet websites. The major media conglomerates own TV, Radio, Cable, Print and even many internet sites. Guess which artists they feature and play ?
As recently as the early 90's, bands would play gigs to sell LP's, cassettes & CD's. This was a major and critical revenue stream for musician support. Now, they give away their music to media outlets and promoters in hopes of getting a gig that covers their travel expenses. The bigger gigs are typically owned by the major label conglomerates. Unless you have a huge cash stake, you will never share the stage as a warmup band.
In short, you need a lot more than talent to be a professional musician. The barriers are no longer a hurdle to clear but are under lock and key.
I’m reminded that even Mozart was a starving artist at times.
Those with money have always exploited those whose riches didn’t come in a wallet, sad to say.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Mozart was a spindthrift
He made a lot of money. It's just that he didn't know how to manage it.
I found this on Wikipedia:
As his circumstances improved he did increase his spending, but the music business being what it is even now, his circumstances were never certain. He eventually worked to pay his debts and might have managed it had death not intervened.
I’m no expert on Mozart, but considering his genius and his prolific output it seems a shame that he had such financial distress. He certainly didn’t “budget” his gifts.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
@Blueslide I remember a saying,
I remember a saying, from somewhere, about talent and ability being distributed evenly in society, but not opportunity.
The music business is poison
per Joni Mitchell, years ago
I killed my TV years ago...
and I've accepted that most music I like will never be played on it.
Fuck the MSM. They haven't got a shred of taste, and I like weird random things that nobody listens to. I posted one of this yesterday, but hell with it, I like it enough to do it again.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK-wHSqus9g]
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
American culture has passsed its high point
. . . . and is now in the decline phase.
American popular music is shit.
Hollywood movies suck, with so many based upon tired, worn out formulas and comic books.
For awhile there, television was doing some daring things, but I'm not sure where that situation is now.
Public education sucks. Higher education is technical/job oriented, to the exclusion of the humanities. The population has become dumbed down and now has higher illiteracy levels. People are ignorant of so many things.
People's attention spans are shorter.
All this is the end result of a society that puts prime importance upon material profit, to the exclusion of all other virtues.
Meanwhile, the war machine grabs more and more resources.
(Also, your analysis left out the effect of radio consolidation, where one program director programs two hundred or so radio stations of a certain format, in order to squeeze out maximum profit to cover the debt incurred by the corporation in acquiring all those stations. The death of popular radio goes hand in hand with the death of popular music, because there are fewer and fewer spaces for real artists to get their music into and out to the public. It's still the same thing: Corporate media consolidation and monopoly or semi-monopoly capitalism.)
Also, the middle class has disappeared, and the oligarchic political system has become even less representational than it was in the 60s and 70s.
All the things that I've just mentioned are related.
It's definitely corporate culture
I hate to think it's American culture, but like everything some corporate MBA touches, it may very well be.
everything some corporate MBA touches
.... turns to shit.
We c99ers know that.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Obligatory video
"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama
Very funny and fitting. n/t
That might explain why, a while back,
Youtube was running frequent ads for what sounded to me like utterly pointless pap, not even pretty wallpaper.
But, then, I like dynamics, a lot of feel, stuff having more energy than I do, as I suspect a lot of other people do. And I'm not sure how repeated forced listening can talk people into changing their musical taste. Never worked with Christmas music, which gets old very quickly.
Personally, (being spoiled by Youtube) I've become very fussy about what I listen to, (sometimes depending also on mood, though,) finding much of what I hear on the radio (on the monthly occasions I'm in my roommate's car) often anywhere from boring to kind of irritating, being also sick of much of the older stuff I used to like, before going more to 'alternative' synth-pop and various degrees of punk.
Listening to Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown at the moment; seems I love everything they do involving slide while more 'poppy' stuff I've heard out of them sounds kind of flat.
But after looking down this thread, I see I'm not the only fussy old fart here, lol. If possibly one of the worst, lol, but this is an area that may elicit strong responses - and tastes may be very individual, as I see demonstrated on the thread. Music can be a soul-binder, something that matters, something that may help people hold themselves together in bad times or release stress, that being a reason why it's universal among all peoples as a natural human expression.
So, (if you'll pardon the continuation of a broad generalization) why are Millennials - with, of course, Youtube and other access to a wide variety of music they may really like - presumed as being easier to manipulate into liking music they may not really like? Because it's being PR-ingrained as a cultural-generational identification thing? Because it's handy? Because it's undemanding background noise that doesn't command any attention while they chat or do other things? Perhaps because they're chronically stressed to the point where it's virtually impossible to maintain concentration for any length of time, especially on what's likely to often be a low-nutrient diet in a generally toxified environment? (And if the latter case, why wouldn't that sort of unwanted musical force-feeding work on the rest of us?)
Or is it simply assumed that most, rather than some, will voluntarily listen to more of the boring music apparently being shoved down their ears everywhere they go? (How many among us ever, after or during department-store/mall shopping back in the days when that was generally affordable, went to try to find more elevator music to listen to?)
Or perhaps we're being adjusted to the elimination of humans in all of the arts of human expression, such as music, for all of these arts to be produced, as has been suggested will eventually happen, entirely by AI, incapable of human feeling but frantically being programed to learn to fake it better? It seems to be part of a trend...
An interesting and explanatory video, at any rate, although it did raise questions as well, for me anyway. Although I never listen myself to any of the artists listed in the video and the pap Youtube was pushing was even more pointless than any example of their work or anything else that I may have heard. And that advertising series stopped a while back, so I may not have been the only one to think so.
Edit to fix a word, having cleverly used the wrong one.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
"Science?" HARHARHAR!!!
The dim little square-head in this video thinks "science" proves that George Martin (who?) is the greatest composer in the history of the world!
HARHARHAR!!!
Schmuck never even HEARD of Cat Power, or about a million other musicians who made much better music than Sergeant Fucking Pepper!