What Happened to Music?

[Kathryn]

Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, The Who Neil Young, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and others use to be known all around and we loved them! But know, since just before the 00's, music has gone berserk and literally sucks.

Now the new generations (apart from a few like me) are listening to crap and some strange adults are following. If you mention one of the above bands, they are like, "What are you talking about?". Most don't even want to listen to new bands because they want to stick to their "generation".

What is your opinion on this outrage?

[Aquamarine]

Those bands are still known around the world, to all generations. And, surprise! there's a lot of excellent new music coming out too. In fact, I can't keep up with all the great new bands.

I think you're hanging out with the wrong people. It doesn't make sense to say they've never heard of those bands AND they don't want to listen to new bands. Perhaps they just don't like music?

[Electrophile]

Nothing happened to music. Just like in all decades, there's great music and there's shit music. I mean, while the 70s had Floyd, Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones......it also had Starland Vocal Band, Debby Boone, The Osmonds, and Disco Duck.

I'm beginning to get sick and tired of his hackneyed argument that all music today sucks. It doesn't. If you're judging music today by what gets beat to death on the radio, you're doing it wrong. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and everyone else like them is not the entirety of the music being produced and played today. I like "classic rock" and oldies music too, as it's what I grew up listening to, but I can also appreciate and enjoy stuff a lot more current than that. I can listen to Pink Floyd and then Sigur Ros and not bat an eyelash. It also helps that I take the initiative to seek new music out.

[Strider]

Those bands are still known around the world, to all generations. And, surprise! there's a lot of excellent new music coming out too. In fact, I can't keep up with all the great new bands.

I think you're hanging out with the wrong people. It doesn't make sense to say they've never heard of those bands AND they don't want to listen to new bands. Perhaps they just don't like music?

Amen, sister.

[Strider]

Nothing happened to music. Just like in all decades, there's great music and there's shit music. I mean, while the 70s had Floyd, Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones......it also had Starland Vocal Band, Debby Boone, The Osmonds, and Disco Duck.

I'm beginning to get sick and tired of his hackneyed argument that all music today sucks. It doesn't. If you're judging music today by what gets beat to death on the radio, you're doing it wrong. Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and everyone else like them is not the entirety of the music being produced and played today. I like "classic rock" and oldies music too, as it's what I grew up listening to, but I can also appreciate and enjoy stuff a lot more current than that. I can listen to Pink Floyd and then Sigur Ros and not bat an eyelash. It also helps that I take the initiative to seek new music out.

Double amen. I'm gonna go out and hug a tree in your honour.

[danelectro59]

It's the same old argument. Actually, I agree that there is some really, really good music out there today, but the method of finding it has changed. While we older folks had underground FM radio to discover newer music, places like MySpace or You Tube are available now. Better than anything we imagined in the 70's. The one thing I can sort of agree on is the creative level of the artists today against those of yesterday. Social issues don't seem to be as important, but then some people don't care about them anyway. Another thing is that a lot of the rock bands seem determined to write anthems instead of telling a story. I watch these programs on Palladia, like the Glastonbury Festival, and see groups like the Kaiser Chiefs. The crowd seems content with singing along with the chorus line and not much else. What can you say, things change. One thing hasn't changed. Music is still a great way to make money without having to get a real job.

[spidersandsnakes]

As I always like to say, YOU HAVE GOTTA HAVE THE GUTS TO SORT OUT THE CHOCOLATE FROM THE SH*t OUT THERE TODAY........to do so, stop following UTTER CRAP like American Idol and MTV and start to surf thru Myspace and Last.fm.......you'll be pleasantly surprised if not POSITIVELY shocked at how many new bands are trying to emerge with WIMPLESS new music:):)

[sixpense]

Its a factor of age (generational thing) and the whole IPOD/mp3 craze.

To me the music started to go south back in the 80s. Using Queen as one example, I thought their 70s work was great but they went disco in the 80s. They did redeem themselves with the masterful INNUENO in 1991. I did like The Clash for a bit but they burned out too soon. Marketing took over the 80s music scene and beyond and the creativity faded away.

The Apple IPOD and (lower quality) mp3s are spelling the death of record companies. You would think the with the advent of portable recording tech that there were would be more music. (Even I own a 64 track portable recording/mixing desk)

Where did the music go? God if I know.

[Jahfin]

What is your opinion on this outrage?

Since there has been no good rock n' roll music made since 1979 I have decided to burn all of my albums.

[spidersandsnakes]

Its a factor of age (generational thing) and the whole IPOD/mp3 craze.

To me the music started to go south back in the 80s. Using Queen as one example, I thought their 70s work was great but they went disco in the 80s. They did redeem themselves with the masterful INNUENO in 1991. I did like The Clash for a bit but they burned out too soon. Marketing took over the 80s music scene and beyond and the creativity faded away.

The Apple IPOD and (lower quality) mp3s are spelling the death of record companies. You would think the with the advent of portable recording tech that there were would be more music. (Even I own a 64 track portable recording/mixing desk)

Where did the music go? God if I know.

Right on man :)

[spidersandsnakes]

Since there has been no good rock n' roll music made since 1979 I have decided to burn all of my albums.

Show 'em to me before you light the fire :):)

[GeorgeC]

Some answers to your question may be found in (ahem) this book, especially the last chapter...Discussions are welcome:

[TypeO]

Since there has been no good rock n' roll music made since 1979 I have decided to burn all of my albums.

lulz.

[greenman]

I'd say a large part of the problem for people who grew up in the late 60's/early 70's is that you didnt have to search for the alot of the best music. Obviously there was alot of good music that didnt have a great deal of sucess but the likes of Zep, Floyd etc managed to combine producing quality material with massive sucess.

The change is I'd say the level of record company control, I think that was the era when they had the least control and so sucess and quality were most closely linked. Its been up and down since then with era's like the late 70's and the early 90's also representing periods when the record companies "lost control" but by en large its been a move towards greater and greater control.

Another part is simpley that many people either have a very limated horizon musically or there ability to appreciate good new music diminishes with age.

So basically you all got lazy and old.

[spidersandsnakes]

I'd say a large part of the problem for people who grew up in the late 60's/early 70's is that you didnt have to search for the alot of the best music. Obviously there was alot of good music that didnt have a great deal of sucess but the likes of Zep, Floyd etc managed to combine producing quality material with massive sucess.

The change is I'd say the level of record company control, I think that was the era when they had the least control and so sucess and quality were most closely linked. Its been up and down since then with era's like the late 70's and the early 90's also representing periods when the record companies "lost control" but by en large its been a move towards greater and greater control.

Another part is simpley that many people either have a very limated horizon musically or there ability to appreciate good new music diminishes with age.

So basically you all got lazy and old.

In fact I have never been stuck in the past with a firm grip on GODS like Led Zeppelin though. I think the REAL prob is the laziness in both young and old to find and dig something wimplessly NEW,,,,get off yer rockin' chairs and do like I do.....go out there and find the GOOD VIBES:)!!!!

[Jahfin]

The demise of the music industry is a good thing. Creative control should be in the hands of the artists anyway. After all, it is their work. There used to be A & R departments at the labels but over the years the idea of "artist development" has fallen by the wayside. Now, if a new artist doesn't have a hit right away they're dropped from the label. It didn't use to be that way, artists were given time to develop their talent and to cultivate a following. That climate simply doesn't exist in the record industry today.

As for seeking out new music, I don't think it boils down to whether one is young or old. It comes down to how truly passionate one is about music. Some seem content with what the mass media feeds them on a daily basis and don't really look beyond that for anything new. The 70s wasn't some kind of golden age where everything coming out was good. Even then, you were rewarded by looking beyond the surface for new music. The same is true today but looking beyond what's popular in the mainstream is even easier thanks to the advent of the innerwebs. In fact, the output is so great that it can be a little daunting at times. That's where boards like this and threads like the Current Music Recommendations one can be very handy.

[austrian_zeppelin]

nothing much happened to music itself. like in every decade there is great music that will be heard in decades to come, there is good music that will last the decade, there is average music that will last the month, and there is shit music that shouldn't even last the song.

i think what has happened is the demise of radio as a medium to the masses. of course there are now 100s more radio stations than back in the day but there is a lot more niches now that each station focus on. while back then propably at least a few main stations played the now so called classic rock contingent, this has now been shafted into the corner to smaller stations like Planet Rock in the UK. The big stations BBC 1-7 etc stay well away from that sort of music and cater to the wider populus. Cheap and nasty pop music is the order of the day, spiced up with the odd classic. Also the name radio DJ doesn't really apply this much anymore these days. A friend of mine is a dj on a popular austrian radio station and he has no input into the playlist whatsoever. he presses play and then tries to avoid to throw up for the next few minutes.

I was only born in 74 so not sure if my assumptions of the old days are 100 % correct, but while I don't buy into that crap that the music these days is all bad while back then it was all good, i definitely believe that a shift in radio culture and things like MTVs move from a proper music channel (with 120 minutes, headbangers ball, the unplugged series etc) to a pile of shit had a much more defining effect on the notion.

for most of the time i am musically stuck in the 60-70ies, simply because i love the music, but there are so many new artists out there that deserve our attention, so press pause on that zeppelin bootleg and give your ears a bit of a refresher....you'll be surprised

[Aquamarine]

The 70s wasn't some kind of golden age where everything coming out was good.

Oh God, is that true, and the same applies even more to the 60s, when people seem to be under the illusion that every song ever released was a classic. No, there was hardly any rock/pop music played on the radio at all in the UK, so we had to turn to Radio Luxembourg and then pirate radio (if you lived in the right part of the country), and even THEY played a bunch of crap as well as the good stuff. So then you had to find out what was being played in clubs, and etc. It's not like every album came out complete with a sticker saying "This is going to be a classic for the next 40 years."

[Kiwi_Zep_Fan87]

I'm really puzzled here. The quality of music produced today has certainly not deteriorated. Rather, the radio is misleading people by pretty much shoving certain types of mainstream artists down their throats. But, I do not think that it is a case of brain-washing. If a person is smart, then they will stay away from the radio. They instead will take a pro-active approach to discover new music. What can you do you ask? Well, personally, I joined this wonderful website called last.fm which detects your music tastes through programs like itunes and recommends bands, both old and new according to your tastes. I can tell you that there are so many indie bands out there who would do anything to make their music heard. These bands are frightfully good but are sadly underrated. I have also met a couple of nice people on this very forum who are more than happy to recommend new music. To me, it is all about a willingness to exchange new ideas and it's all about getting exposed to the right kind of music.

But, it is all up to the individual. I personally do not care if people say that they would rather stick to bands from the 60's and 70's alone. That's fine by me. Like I said before, "each to his own". But the statement regarding the "deterioration in the quality of music produced today" is pretty absurd, if you ask me. Also, in my 9 months here, this complaint about the deterioration in the quality of music produced today, has pretty much been beaten to death and quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of it!

[DewieCox]

The quality of music overall is as good as it's ever been. We're never gonna see another golden age of rock where new ideas and sounds were invented every day. That doesn't mean it's better. Even some pretty boring stuff by todays standards was cutting edge b/c of the recording techniques used.

If I had to choose between the 60s/70s or the 90s/00s it would be a hard choice. Don't think I could dump out 3 of my top 5 bands, but then again I wouldn't wanna dump the other 15 or so bands in my top 20 that are newer.

[Jahfin]

Also the name radio DJ doesn't really apply this much anymore these days. A friend of mine is a dj on a popular austrian radio station and he has no input into the playlist whatsoever. he presses play and then tries to avoid to throw up for the next few minutes.

Having worked in radio myself I can tell you that announcers have no input. Depending on the station, the playlists are usually compiled by some suits (known as consultants) that decide what music is best for whatever market/demographic your station is trying to target. Speaking from my own personal experience, in the 80s there was a group of records in rotation. You followed the rotation or risked losing your job. At another station I worked at, the playlist was generated by computer. Again, you were expected to follow that playlist or else you could be fired. These days more and more stations are completely automated so even if you wanted to break the format, you can't because it's all preprogrammed.

[spidersandsnakes]

The demise of the music industry is a good thing. Creative control should be in the hands of the artists anyway. After all, it is their work. There used to be A & R departments at the labels but over the years the idea of "artist development" has fallen by the wayside. Now, if a new artist doesn't have a hit right away they're dropped from the label. It didn't use to be that way, artists were given time to develop their talent and to cultivate a following. That climate simply doesn't exist in the record industry today.

As for seeking out new music, I don't think it boils down to whether one is young or old. It comes down to how truly passionate one is about music. Some seem content with what the mass media feeds them on a daily basis and don't really look beyond that for anything new. The 70s wasn't some kind of golden age where everything coming out was good. Even then, you were rewarded by looking beyond the surface for new music. The same is true today but looking beyond what's popular in the mainstream is even easier thanks to the advent of the innerwebs. In fact, the output is so great that it can be a little daunting at times. That's where boards like this and threads like the Current Music Recommendations one can be very handy.

I agree

[Gospel Zone]

Thanks, partly to rap and hip hop, music has succumbed to the lowest common denominator . Example: much of the current country music is someone singing more of a rhythm than melody, and pop artists (which covers a lot of other types of music) are singing to that same rhythm as opposed to coming up with a new melody. A while back, I saw a program on PBS about a young guitarist who was discovered by a photographer. This young guitarist could play in a style akin to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. The photographer introduced the young guitarist to many important people in the music business. At the end of the program the young guitarist finally landed a contract. Then they show the young, so called wizard, playing and singing that same dork ass rhythm that I previously mentioned. Very anticlimactic!

[spidersandsnakes]

The quality of music overall is as good as it's ever been. We're never gonna see another golden age of rock where new ideas and sounds were invented every day. That doesn't mean it's better. Even some pretty boring stuff by todays standards was cutting edge b/c of the recording techniques used.

If I had to choose between the 60s/70s or the 90s/00s it would be a hard choice. Don't think I could dump out 3 of my top 5 bands, but then again I wouldn't wanna dump the other 15 or so bands in my top 20 that are newer.

I'd know what to dump 100%.....THE CRAPPY 80s:):)

[Xorq]

Ever since opening up to new music more and more (this happened some 6-9 months ago) I have stopped paying much attention to release years and even genres. I can find great music from all eras but I must admit that these days most of my finds tend to concentrate more on the 90s/00s and 10s. In terms of genres I've started straying away from strictly "rock" music and into many other territories. Some genres to mention: "Indie", "Alternative", Singer / Songwriter, Jazz (mostly the classics but some new stuff too), Electronic (this covers a wide range of things), some Hip-Hop, Afrobeat and starting to explore other African music too, just listened to some Soul music for the first time today and the list goes on.... I've also found myself a lot more open to trying things out. Websites like Last.fm and Rateyourmusic help a lot in finding new and interesting artists to listen to.

So, to answer your question: There's still a lot of good music out there, you just need to look for it a bit harder.