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Stumbled on this youtube video and found it intriguing...
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I get you but it does seem to be coming around a bit. And from a bass player perspective, its a very good time to be a competent, grooving bass player as grooves are back and often bass is in the forefront. There will always be, and there always has been, a lot of crap (you've just forgotten a lot of it) but some people think good pop music might be coming back as genres mix and things get less homogenized.
It could also be noted, to your point, that more pop music has become "dumber" because there are more, shall we say, people who don't think for themselves any more. Some people may call them less-intelligent, especially where true culturedness is in.question, as opposed to the pretend cultural openness that is sold by the ultra-wealthy who program people for mega-consumerism, and economies of scale for the bottom line, via Facebook and Google and the like.
Edit: Just watched the video. Bingo. Science and behavioral-economics research confirms the reasoning I suspected above. Damn, people get paid for figuring that out!? I went into the wrong line of work.
It could also be noted, to your point, that more pop music has become "dumber" because there are more, shall we say, people who don't think for themselves any more. Some people may call them less-intelligent, especially where true culturedness is in.question, as opposed to the pretend cultural openness that is sold by the ultra-wealthy who program people for mega-consumerism, and economies of scale for the bottom line, via Facebook and Google and the like.
Edit: Just watched the video. Bingo. Science and behavioral-economics research confirms the reasoning I suspected above. Damn, people get paid for figuring that out!? I went into the wrong line of work.
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If you dig a bit, I think you can find quality pop. I saw Bruno Mars a couple weeks ago. Not so much my kind of music, but 1) he's the real deal, actual talent and skill in songcraft, chops, and a stellar performer, and 2) his band is spectacular. Freakin' spectacular. But I agree, pop is mostly pretty awful. Good news is, listeners can be picky. I sure am.
Excellent video! The research presented there confirms a lot of things "I think I hear..." with today's pop music.
Really liked the term "millennial whoop". There's a Ford commercial on TV that contains that technique. I pointed it out to my wife the other day. I said that 90% of the pop hits today have that sound. I described it as a "whoa-oh oh oh" lyric/sound.
Fortunately, there are still some good bands out there doing it.
Thanks for sharing that Big Hoss.
Really liked the term "millennial whoop". There's a Ford commercial on TV that contains that technique. I pointed it out to my wife the other day. I said that 90% of the pop hits today have that sound. I described it as a "whoa-oh oh oh" lyric/sound.
Fortunately, there are still some good bands out there doing it.
Thanks for sharing that Big Hoss.
modern pop isn't so much different from pop of any other era as far as it's composition, production, performance execution, and target audience marketing as compared to other music genres that stem from artists of different levels of expression or awareness.
At the height of the era that gave us The Beatles and all the groups that followed through the musical industry door they opened, writing music that challenged the status quo and politics of the time and inspiring humanity to change the world, there was also The Archies, The Royal Guardsmen, 1910 Fruit Gum Company, Monkees, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and an entire industry of empty headed pop spearheaded by Don Kirshner & Dick Clark. Pop has been there since music was first performed and no matter how far you dig back thru time you'll find a musical yin for every yang.
At the height of the era that gave us The Beatles and all the groups that followed through the musical industry door they opened, writing music that challenged the status quo and politics of the time and inspiring humanity to change the world, there was also The Archies, The Royal Guardsmen, 1910 Fruit Gum Company, Monkees, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and an entire industry of empty headed pop spearheaded by Don Kirshner & Dick Clark. Pop has been there since music was first performed and no matter how far you dig back thru time you'll find a musical yin for every yang.
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I read this a few months ago about this exact subject after seeing this video "The Song Machine; Inside the Hit Factory". Pretty interesting.
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This actually is something I rather find exciting. The last time the music industry was this heavily over produced, the reaction of the underground music scene was punk and garage rock. I would love to see more experimental stuff out there... Less over processing, more organic / real music... And while I don't agree ALL modern pop music blows chunks, there are large numbers of top hits and top acts that just, well... stink.
Bruno Marz is a perfect example of the real deal... Love his stuff and I don't need it jammed down my throat to like it.
Bruno Marz is a perfect example of the real deal... Love his stuff and I don't need it jammed down my throat to like it.
This is certainly true. The ghastly point though, is that it's getting worse. Quantifiably worse.
Music today you learn a lot about mating and a little about love.
Yes...but where are today's Beatles, Stevie Wonder, the Who, David Bowie, Billy Preston, Earth, Wind & Fire, Simon & Garfunkel, the Eagles, Parliament-Funkadelic, Aerosmith, James Brown, Billy Joel, Isley Brothers, Elton John...well, you get the picture.
And remember - all of the acts I mentioned could easily be heard on the radio - no digging required.
Stunning. Old people don't like music made for young people. Who would ever have guessed that. Does this really need a new thread? Can't you just post it in one of the other myriad threads about how bad pop music is?
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LOL, oddly enough, the person that brought this video to my attention is my 21 year old nephew. I wouldn't say he's exactly old... But I get it.
You kids the get *#$% off my lawn!
Actually my point, and I believe the point of the vlogger is that it's an issue with the music industry, not the youth. Sure musical tastes change with generations, we get that, but we also get certain styles of music programmed into us by the mass media. People tend to like what is familiar, even as they branch out.
Like I mentioned above, this over processed music issue isn't exactly new. We went through this in the disco era of the 1970s. This led to the reaction in music known as Punk Rock which was raw, from the gut, and admittedly quite hackish, but at least it was honest about where it came from.
The issue is that as consumers, we are being sold what the industry wants to sell us, not what we want to buy. As creators of that same entertainment product, we are being told by countless souls that band music is a thing of the past, it's singers and DJs now, electronic music. No need for instruments any more! And thus the live music scene dies off...
I have every bit of faith that another reactionary movement in music, and culture is coming. Another rebellion against what those powers that be are telling us what we like, to where we can, and should be making up our own minds what we like. And with streaming, and social media services, the masses will at least have the illusion that they have an influence on their own cultures.
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Beethoven and Bach used to be pop music. How benign and simple were The Beatles in comparison? Let's be honest, in the grand survey of music, The Beatles are closer to Justin Beiber than they are to Mozart, Ellington, Rachmaninov or Mingus.
It is true. The thing I find strange is what ISN'T necessarily pop, but is big with the 15-25 age range. It's the rap/hip hop type music with a lot of autotune and every song is about a party and hooking up/having a good time. Similar to bro country. It is probably more popular than I realize, seeing as I skimmed over the VMA's, and several acts I didn't know fit the description.
I work with a good guy, he's 20-21ish.
He loves music, and laughs at what I listen to. He listens to the music I described above. I am only 33, so I'm just slightly irrelevant to him, but I quizzed him on more legendary musicians. For example, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin. He had never even HEARD OF any of those artists. He is pretty open minded to anything not "too busy" (like metal or rock). Some 80's pop, he is a fan of. I'm not sure if music is doomed, but this next generation is sure going to take it in a very unique direction. The one thing I always hear, "I like it if it has a good beat". That seems to be the deciding factor.
21 year old male isn't exactly the target market for Bieber, Cyrus or Perry. This is music primarily for 8-14 year olds, a group that is heavily reliant on social acceptance, and with little experience to draw upon. They know whatever music is popular and whatever gross, "old" music their parents listen to. Of course they are largely going to listen to the same music, if only to not be an outsider. Its the last reliably homogeneous group of music consumers. Some of the older ones in this age group will get adventurous and find the music that is on the periphery of popular, but collectively their tastes are pretty narrow. Just like it has been since the invention of radio.
Rock music is kind of dead, well at least good popular rock music. The foo fighters are a weak flag bearer of modern rock.
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I still laugh my tail off at this one...
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