So I don't repeat what's been said, I'll just quote who I agree with and their points.
mainstream-wise, yes it is that bad. i can think of only two massive successes that have truly deserved it the past couple of years: Amy Winehouse and Coldplay.
when people say "music today" they mean mainstream because most of the public aren't going to go hunting and digging for it - we've been conditioned to have it handed on a plate for us from big labels with massive marketing budgets, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if they'd take risks and introduce more creative artists.
try to make as objective a comparison as you can from previous decades, and you'll see how badly we've had it in this "era".
having said that, there are thousands of awe-inspiring acts from different backgrounds today that haven't got their deserved breaks.
The quote in red ^^ I'll address at the end with someone else's post.
I agree. Music of all genres ain't dead it's just what the mainstream is repping that is so bad that people think that's all there is to it, lol.
I haven't listened to the radio (on purpose) since 1990 or 91, so I don't know what's popular. If I do happen to have the radio on, I turn on the oldies station mostly or sometimes the 80s hits, adult R&B, classic rock, or jazz (not the smooth jazz one, lol) stations. The only time I hear current stuff is if I'm in a car with somebody or someone has it on at work. I listen mostly to old music and very few newer acts.
Same here. I rarely listen to the radio and I alternate between the same stations you mentioned. Everytime I've landed on a Pop station, by accident, I pretty much couldn't wait to switch to another station. The only time I hear Hip Hop is when I watch VHI Soul on cable. Some of it is listenable, and some of it makes me want to turn the station like mainstream Pop.
Yes, yes it is. The mainstream stuff these days is horrendous- noone is an artist anymore, they are all popstars or hitmakers.
I think that's where Robin went wrong though- his latest is really just a throwback album, clearly influenced by Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. I was really disappointed. Don't get me wrong- I love RT, but his latest effort sounds lazy.
You're right though- )it's probably my expectations of what the album was going to be-) I have very high expectations of RT, because he is different to the Ushers and Jt's of the pop world.
I wanna know what happened to it as well-
there was a time when the top 40 was good- actually several times in the last 10 years... and mainstream pop / R&B even rock has taken a few steps back and is being so dumbed down right now. :mello:
But that's where we have to look outside the box and search for the good music that's out there- coz there is plenty of it. :yes:
Thanks Bee
I kinda agree with you about Robin Thicke. Like Bee, I thought the rest of the CD would be like Magic, which was like a modernized throwback to me. I LOVE that song. It has that old school vibe while being very current. However, a lot of the CD sounds like a blast from the past. It's missing the "magic" of the first single. There's some good tunes on the CD but I was expecting more as well. After the 3rd listen, I could groove to it more, but I agree with you and Bee's assessment all the way. The last CD was much better/modern.
Yes, there is still some good music about. But even then it doesn't make me feel the way music used to make me feel, and I think a lot of people feel that way today including people who were not around or old enough to enjoy music from the 80s etc when it first came out.
Couldn't have said it better. SOMETHING is missing from a lot of today's music. It's almost cold and soul-less to me (some of it, at least). I'm not sure if that has to do with relying so much on computerized sounds as opposed to real instruments where you can FEEL the emotion of the peopele playing them...or what? Maybe that's why Alicia Keys' music is so pure, becuz she actually PLAYS her piano. No computer can generate that purity that comes from a person actually blowing a horn or going at those piano keys. There's vocal emotion and instrumental emotion. I dunno...but something, a certain essence is defo lacking. In the past 8 years there's been a few songs that had that vibe for me, but it's like water in the desert. And some of it, IF it makes you feel something, it's only for a short time, and then nothing...whereas a Motown song from the 60's/70's can STILL evoke some kind of feeling decades later. Go figure.
In Michaels 1988 grammy performance, you see Prince, Stevie and Anita Baker in the audience. To think those peopl were considered mainstream at the time? I realy wish I was as old as I am now during that time! The Grammys these days have T-pain and the likes being nominated for Best male vocalist! Its sick times we live in realy..
I think this is the problem. There's a saying about once you've had the good life, it's hard to go back to being poor? Music is like this for me. Becuz things were so varied and top notch for years, it's so hard to accept the mediocrity that's taken over. Remember, during that same year, we had people like George Michael and Terrence Trent D'arby, Bon Jovi, LL Cool J, Phil Collins ALL out at the same time in the top 40 at the top of their game. The Bee Gees even staged a comeback. WHY can't things be that varied AND top notch again, I will never know. :weeping:
There was "party" music in the past. It was made by Huey Lewis and the News, Bar-Kays, KC and the Sunshine Band, Lisa Lisa, Kool and the Gang, Bohannon, Van Halen (Roth era), Funkadelic, etc. It was still actual music.
Spot on. :flowers:
Well, point being, if what's out today didn't sell, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Back to arXter's point earlier, I think the reason the "mainstream" stuff is selling is becuz the non-mainstream stuff is being suppressed and unpromoted by mainstream radio. If the non-mainstream stuff was given more airplay or exposure, MAYBE people would take interest and it would sell just as well. Think about it, even artists like Celine Dion, Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston are relegated to Adult Contemporary stations now. They're lucky if they can get that mainstream Pop hit being as they are mature artists now and can't be singing about grinding in the club and whatnot. Mainstream won't touch them UNLESS there's a T-Pain or some ish attached to them...and even then it can be tough. And that's where the problem lies, imo. It's mainstream radio and record executives with too much control over what mainstream is exposed to in huge doses. It's a shame that if Whitney has a good song, a Pop station might not play her anymore becuz they only have slots for the Britney types. And some R&B stations won't play her becuz they only have slots for the Ciara types. How many hits has Madonna had from Hard Candy on pop radio? And she had to do the first single with Timberlake to get that bit of exposure. It could be a case of what came first? The chicken or the egg? Are ppl buying the music radio exposes them to the most OR is radio playing the music they think people want to buy the most? Maybe if they just played ALL the music that fits their format (instead of the same 10 -15 artists in rotation over and over again) they MIGHT be surprised at by what people are drawn to or enjoy. It's a matter of someone deciding to take the risk.
Finally, I do agree that the internet has been a blessing in not only discovering new underground, unpromoted talent but discovering and/or rediscovering talent from the past as well. I can't count how many times I've seen comments on youtube where someone would say on a Yanni song or a Mancini song or a Parliament jam, "I'm a metalhead but I dig this type of music."....or "I'm only 14 and I love these older songs."...or something similar. It's all about being exposed and mainsteam offers very little exposure these days. When a Norah Jones or a Jill Scott can find their way thru a lot of that disposable crap it's like a breath of fresh air and confirmation that good music is still alive out there. Unfortunately, you DO have to go digging for a lot of it nowadays and that's too bad. A lot of good and talented artists aren't getting their due cuz they aren't prancing around half-naked, falling down drunk or high out of clubs at 3 in the morning, or singing about making money and wooing women in clubs. Let's face it, the degradation of society may have found its way into music as well. The bar has been lowered for practically everything.
