Why Modern Music Sucks

Beat me to it.

Most people forgot that the Beatles started their musical careers as long haired punks who the studio cleaned up in time to tour.

Christina Aguilera has been on record to say she hated the image the label forced up in her to sell her first big hits, which is why her new music is so drastically different from her old stuff.

Studios and labels and the boring suits who run them have always sucked, but as Oldfella said, the Internet allows access to groups/people who never would have gotten exposure otherwise. Off the top of my head, Pentatronix is one such group. Todrick Hall is another who got big online, albeit he began as a runner up on American Idol.

Just a nitpick, but Beiber's whiny wailing was added to the American release only, and mostly because 'Muricans 'R Dum(tm) and won't listen to anything without any English. He doesn't even appear in the music video!

I think Daddy Yankee actually wrote that one.

In general, the folks who came in second on American Idol have done better than the first place winners. Taylor Hicks first album post-Idol, was utter garbage. Instead of having a very "clean and stripped down" sound, like you'd expect for someone with his voice, they just layered on the production to unbelievable levels.

He had an album?
Shit, all I remember was he did a pickup truck commercial, and then he vanished from the cultural zeitgeist.

A couple of them. Now, he's a hotel act in Vegas and owner of a BBQ joint.

Compared to the dreary beats that plagued the Top 40* list that MINI's Sirium XM radio station was stuck on for nearly two months in 2016, I'll take Despacito, Beiber or no Beiber. He doesn't sound so horrible now that his balls have dropped.

*which is a misnomer, as it was the same fifteen ear-raping, morose, craptastic songs that played in a 90 minute loop. Every single one of these songs made Todd in the Shadows' Top Ten worst songs list of 2016 or got an honorable mention.

Hell,even if you place in the Top Six, you've got a chance to get a record deal.

But first is most certainly worst for anyone not named Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. I couldn't tell you who the hell won after Jordan Sparks. Ruben Stoddard in particular got especially screwed, not just by the producers but his greedy ass family.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't paid much attention to contemporary music, with the exception of Metal, since 2000, or so.

my son can relate! He never....I mean never.....listens to the radio, and he's 26 or so years old. But like myself, he knows good music inside & out.

This year the Song of Summer (and the most watched video of all time) was Despacito. First primarily Spanish song to top the Billboard since the Macharena.

Also a fitting tribute to our response to the disaster in Puerto Rico.

This neighborhood doesn't exist anymore. 3.5 MILLION Americans (population of Vermont, The Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana) are expected to be without power for over a month.

But it's cool. They're all brown so not REAL Americans (regardless of citizenship/passport) so who gives a fuck?

Really, there's nothing to worry about, according to Lesbian Shoes.

The song was except for the hot chicks in shorts. As for our response with PR does anyone here on WF have a mechanism for helping our PR citizens any faster than is already in place? If so, please share your ideas with the people who can make a difference. Otherwise shut the fuck up. Looking towards Seattle when I say this BTW.

I will say that if it weren't for the radio, I'd have never discovered this group. Nobody I follow on social media mentioned them, nor did it come up on my streaming services.

I heard "way down we go" at Gold's gym last week or so. I didn't know who performed it because without wearing my glasses I couldn't read the monitor.
Not too shabby, I like it.

I've heard their entire album, if you consider "Way Down We Go" to be an '8,' then the rest of the album is a '6' or a '7.' What blew me away is that they're from Iceland.

That is cool, but it is different to see an older person taking advantage of the new world of the internet where smaller artists have a worldwide venue because the older people do not get it. I deal with a lot of older people being where I am at. Back in the day I used to work for cable and now I have connections into older Florida communities with retired people who have the time and interest to explore the independent artists self publishing. Most of them cannot wrap their heads around it. I end up showing them a few places, but they do not grasp the way media gets to people is changing and you cannot rely on the old networks to bring you Much outside of their approved programming.

Yes there was always a fringe independent scene, but now anyone who knows how to search can get access without having to go certain places or know certain people. It is funny I have known music gurus all of my life. They seem to have taken to finding new music on the internet because it is what they love. I know a few older guys who find good music on the internet. I call them my modern djs. I am more of a video person myself, and I have been involved in a few groups who have done their own broadcast shows on a number of subjects.

Federal fetus is way off in saying there is no talent out there. There is more new ideas and experimental art going on than ever. You just have to look beyond the normal channels.

1) Jones Act lifted immediately not a week later
2) Incident commander named immediately not a week later
3) USNS Comfort sent immediately, not a week later
4) Have a DHS Director
5) This isn't my fucking job so I don't have to have all the answers to criticize the shittiness of our response.

I used to not be such an anti main stream snob, but the last few years have seen a general decline as the main stream channels focus on the LCD fan. In their defense this is the consumer least likely to pirate or at least most likely to purchase merchandise. Main stream music and other media has gone away from selling the music for massive profit and have gone to a merchandising model. Physical media sales have tanked. The last time I was in fye (the only common survivor of tape and CD stores) or places like best buy or Wal-Mart their DVD and CD sections are down to new released pop hits and discount title bins. Everything is merchandise and you get your media from online subscription services or you pirate it. Even conventions that used to have huge DVD and CD sales barely have any physical media left. It is all merchandise sales now.

Now your band or show has to have merchandise options for mainstream success. You are not going mainstreaming you are ugly anymore, unless that is your thing like the biggest loser. Even mainstream comedy is shaking out the ugly ones. However, some internet sensations have found they can give local performances a try in places like theaters that are looking to fill more seats as movie sales decline. I know a couple of internet stars who are giving performances for local shows in movie theaters that sell tickets and have food and alcohol sales for them. So you do not need mainstream success if you can start doing new local performances which you could not build an audience for before you got some decent online viewing.

Its evolved into something different now. Just like it evolved into what we knew from what it was before.

I thought it was because all pop music now was written by one dude.

Two, mostly.

I say this as someone who predominantly listens to older music (1990s and earlier):

There are some gems in modern music, but you have to sift through a lot of turds. And there are some massive turds in older music. The difference is that we mainly remember the gems of older music and forget about the turds. It's arguable what ratio of gems to turds there are in old music vs. modern music, but I suspect modern music has slightly more turds simply because more people are making much more music thanks to (a) population booms and (b) advances in music technology. For example, Justin Bieber (a turd) became popular via YouTube--that wasn't possible 15+ years ago. In contrast, Lady Gaga became popular after writing for a lot of turds, and a lot of her music is arguably a gem of this era (mainly because she was a musician first and a musical artist second).

I'm hoping home media and YouTube changes all of that. But yeah, you're right.

I'd never even heard of it until I read this thread.

There used to be a time when the song of the summer actually reflected the summer, not so much anymore. Also, it often was organic.

you and me both!

Nah, it's because it sucks.

Also probably the most likely to just sop up whatever the commercials tell them.

(Yeah, I have snobbish tendencies too.)