Music is dying

The Lounge General Discussion
#148

it’s the circle of life!

music has to keep moving, pop feeds off the underground, the underground keeps moving.
I think everyone is robbing everyone at the end of the day, inspiration is only stealing badly.

ymmv.

But Max Martin is not trying to push the envelope, he is trying to make songs millions of people sing along to. Is that morally bad in some way? Or is it just a different facet of music?
The existence and ubiquity of pop music doesn’t stop you being able to enjoy whatever esoteric music you want to enjoy.

If you want cutting edge music to sell millions you’ll be waiting a long time - by it’s nature it will take time for people to understand and by the time they do, it will be pop music!

2 Likes
#151

The Beatles were ripping off American R&B and then music concrete and ragas no? :wink:

Kraftwerk maybe, but they were an exception - if you look at what was in the charts around them (which I have to for work) it’s mostly formulaic pop records. I actually think pop now is better!

#153

A little of each really - I don’t think the Beatles were the only people making original music in the mid to late 60s. But as you say, that is maybe more to do with the maturity of the business itself than anything else.

But I guess It comes down to what you personally like - I like (and dislike) a lot of recent pop records and think there is plenty of invention in some of them.

1 Like
#154

Just dropping this here if anyone is still interested in the subject :

2 Likes
#155

As Seth Godin says be a purple cow

#156

Ha I don’t think you have to worry about that, there’s been new waves of people saying music is dying since the first caveman banged a tree trunk with a rock

2 Likes
#157

I mean, his earlier stuff was less derivative.

:nerd_face:

1 Like
#158

“Music is dying”
I don’t agree, just look at Bandcamp numbers: “Fans have paid artists $321 million using Bandcamp, and $7.1 million in the last 30 days alone.”

If you’re saying modern music is dying because is awful, in that perspective you’re more close to reality.
Anyway, there’s lot of good music out there. People just have to dig deeper!

2 Likes
#160

it would be fun to go to a high school and interview all the kids doing music and ask them what they were listening to.

still, there’s music for people of all ages.

im in a phase of life where i don’t pay much attention to individual artists so much, moreso labels and mixes, and every now and then i’ll catch a tune that makes me go dang.

i think that comes with age. when you’re young you’re very impressionable and stars are like gods to you. i think as you get older your less looking for a culture or personality or skillz to identify with as you may just be into the sound or beats or vibe.

also lately, i much prefer listening to music rather than making my own.

you’re lucky if you can identify with multiple music generations - most people cant - only the one they grew up in. but i know some people who are as with it in terms of whats hot today as they were when they were 15.

1 Like
#161

“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
~Music, 2018.

6 Likes
#162

Wouldn’t say it’s dead. Just that the movers and shakers in the popular culture machine have no interest in me whatsoever.

Majority of marketed popular culture these days is directed at youth and has probably been that way since the postwar boom when people realised that kids all of a sudden had a disposable income. And who better to influence and manipulate than impressionable young minds? Reaching into the pockets of children for change might seem laughable until you realise that all it takes to become a millionaire is to convince 1 million kids to each give you a dollar (if you ignore taxes, expenses and whatnot).

So how do they do it? Easy. Market to the lowest common denominator with content that is already proven to sell and would have them all believing that “Hey, I could do this too!”. While there’s undoubtably still true artistry and musicianship out there, the machine doesn’t really need it anymore (assuming it ever did). All it needs to keep going is hopes, dreams and pocket change. Kinda like switching out the DeLorean’s plutonium reactor to a Mr Fusion branded reactor that can be powered by trash.

So long story short. I can either be that old man who yells at clouds, or I can choose to be content with the fact that the marketeers have recognised that I’m not some halfwit they can keep harassing for loose change; and that they have as a result decided to pretend that I’m invisible. There’s still good stuff out there, just gotta look past the dross usually being served up on a golden platter.

3 Likes
#163

Ive been in the music industry 40 years. When synthesizers became big in late 70’s early 80’s NME Rolling Stone and The like were saying EXACTLY the same thing. In fact i remember one article that said Gary Numan should be banned as he is destroying the music industry.

Forget the media just create your own stuff and you dont have to listen to the junk out there,just be more selective.

3 Likes
#165

Are you for real? This was a bigger hit than Tribe:

1 Like
#166

To you, sure.

Expression is the prerogative of the creator, whose tastes may or may not be in line with yours. A message sent does not mean it is received by any/all, intended or not

#167

I know, that was the whole point of that Adam Neely video. He makes a good job at saying something relevant about the subject (and it’s kind of a direct response to the video from the first post of this thread).

#168

Music education is dying :frowning:

3 Likes
#169

This is a sad truth, I work in schools. Music programs are being cut al the time. Even high performing music programs

2 Likes
#170

deadyet

2 Likes
#171

Adam Neely is way better spoken than I am, so over to him to explain why this is absurd!

1 Like
#172

THIS is the real lament these days.