Are You Down On Today's Music?

[napho]

There's the usual negativity by people who like older music, but now the hatred of the RIAA by the file sharing community is making people even more cynical.

[Linkin' Park]

Hi napho,

Well I see things differently. The usual criticism old school people make on today's music has more to do with nostalgia. The RIAA today is paying the rip off it imposed on us for many years before the advent of P2P. How many times did you purchase a CD only to find yourself listening to 1 or 2 songs among the 12 you paid for? What justifies the actual price of a CD? If it's not the bad and dishonest business model the RIAA tries to push on us. Without a despotic organization such as the RIAA, today we would be able to purchase a blank CD for less than $1, burn songs we would purchase directly from artists for $1 and we would have a $12 CD (If I burn 11 songs) but we would also enjoy and listen to all 12 songs. All we are asking is that we get what we pay for.

Unfortunately, the lack of initiative from the artists themselves pushed us to create our own revolution against corporate greed. Truthfully, I do not think there would be single free P2P software out there if the RIAA allowed the networks and the artists to deal. In my opinion the RIAA should disappear. Nothing justifies its existence with today’s technology. The organization may have been useful 10 years ago but now it's time for it to face the consequences of years of dishonest practices.

Regards,

Linkin' Park.

[RACKnRAIL]

I like to stay open minded, but I really can't stand rap! Other new music...I'll let you know in ten years after it grows on me.

[Arch Stanton]

i am always trying to pickup on new bands and music. but on the whole i find myself listening to the older more established groups (soul/blues/rock). if you consider what types of radio stations there are, and what their formats are, you'd have to agree that the older music must still be in huge demand. and i notice that the groups like the stones/doors/zeppelin etc.. are still some of the most downloaded groups at web sites offering an entire range of music.

[Afn]

Before the internet and new media, the only media you had that you could own was albums. Older music has higher quality, I think because it is mostly analog and there was larger demand. Most new music sounds dated after 10 years.

Before commerical sausage radio, there was real competition and interest (you could argue a larger market) for cd's and tapes. After a few years most music has little value.

The greed and consolidation in the music industry has hurt cd sales. Every new release is also competing with the established art. (Try to recreate what has allready been done, for example, and you are seen as a rip off.)

Great art holds up over time, and still has value. Add all of the cheap high quality synths and electronic sound enviroments, music does not have the position in the society that it once had when you had to learn to play.

I could lament more about this, but you get the general idea.

[mrdingaling]

I'm not that old, only 27. But I cant stand 95% of the noise they release that is supposed to be music.

In the UK the charts are more often than not dominated by manufactured boy and girl bands, or pop idol winners (and losers).

Whether it's rap, rock, or dance, very little of it is of a listenable standard, and what is good enough to listen to is produced by more estbalished older artists.


Where has all the talent gone?

[crackerjacker]

I listen to all kinds of music even some mainstream music. I listen to whatever sounds good. I wouldnt say that the riaa has curved what I listen to. I just believe that for myself the music I listen to has to be according to my mood swings.

I do listen to pop music if its good.
right now I am sort of experimenting with music, i am really looking into instrumentals. I like all mix music, which consist of instrumental and techno.

There are somethings that the riaa has done to change the way music is listened to. One thing they have done is control what is played on the radio. They charge to much for the music.
As far as what I listen to once again I have to say it depends on the artist that I am exposed to.

I listen to what I like, even if it may be a artist or song others hate.
I like music that is hmm rocking.

thats all folks :O)
when all else fails by me a cooKie!

[jon138]

I don't like 90% of new music, but then again, I didn't like 90% of new music 25 years ago either.

Popular music has always sucked for the most part. Every once in awhile, something good will pop up in the pop-culture radar, for example, Blondie in the late 70s or The Hives in 2002, but as long as there's three chords and a garage, you can bet that somebody, somewhere, will be making good music, even if nobody ever hears it.

[shawners]

i like it all, and get tired of alternative radio and listen to ROCK KDGE =) I always love trance and techno, we got one station for it.. but its edited.. maybe i like to listen to the full 10 minutes of a song.. new bands now days can be great as well as suck.. Look at Seether, Chevelle. awesome.. LInkin park, not so awesome =(

[Gregory_JJ]

I use to listen to the older tunes ( Led Zep, AC/DC, blues, jazz etc. etc) but there are so many times you can listen to Stairway to Heaven,, if it was not for P2P tech, I never would of listen to Hip hop, techno, trance etc, etc. If anything, being exposed to the "new"music that I normally would not listen to before p2p has improved my view of "new" music

[kiwibank]

i have an open mind as far as music is concerned, and people have the right to listen to what they want without being slagged off...i prefer guitar based rock, but also listen to swing, jazz, opera..etc. i do feel that sexually explicit lyrics in songs such as my milkshake by kelis or work it by missy elliot are a bit hard to take when your 14 year old teenage daughter is blasting her cds through the house....not good role modelling...

_____________________________________________

on zeropaid, it pays to be "flame resistant". it`s a matter of survival.

_____________________________________________

on zeropaid, it pays to be "flame resistant". it`s a matter of survival.

[RACKnRAIL]

I use to listen to the older tunes ( Led Zep, AC/DC, blues, jazz etc. etc) but there are so many times you can listen to Stairway to Heaven
NO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN!

Waynes World

[Burd]

Radio station formats are too damn narrow these days. I can take classic rock for about a half hour before they start re-cycling. How many times can you listen to "Stairway to Heaven"? Nostalgia aside, I have to change the station! "Modern Rock" has turned into what I call "Angry White Boy Music." Not one song by a female artist. And, just about everybody sounds like Soundgarden or Creed. "Adult Comtemporary" puts me to sleep after about fifteen minutes. Nora Jones is good, but we need something with a beat to break it up a bit. "Country" is the same: good for a while, but, come on! How much twanging can you take? Actually, if it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't have half the albums that I listen to. The following groups are never played by radio stations in my area: Stereophonics, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Los Lonely Boys, The Thrills. These are just a few of the bands that I have discovered using file sharing and listening to streams from radio stations around the world. Granted, I would get sick of even those if they were played over and over again on a limited format. I even like the new Cypress Hill CD, eventhough I generally do not like the new rap (the old stuff is great!), but I've yet to hear it on any radio stations. Of course, it all has to do with taste. But, variety is important too. Corporate Crap Radio like that given to us by Clear Channel does not provide this.

[Ken17625]

The usual criticism old school people make on today's music has more to do with nostalgia.

I think the main criticism has to do with a decrease in talent.

"Country" is the same: good for a while, but, come on! How much twanging can you take?

I think it gets old after a all while, when in ever song, the phrases "interstate", "road", "truck", and "I just raped my goat" are present...........

....................................

....................................

Ok, so maybe I made the goat thing up, but come on! Creativity is nice.

[Ken17625]

and people have the right to listen to what they want without being slagged off

Yep. People have the right to listen to whatever they want.

People also have the right to "slag" other people off..............................err....you know, that doesn't sound right.

Well, see ya later. I'm going to go slag off.

[Siskabush]

New music is garbage. If you listen real closely, the majority of the new "rap" songs use drumloops from other "rap" songs.

They have no talent, and we still lack variety on the radio.
However im suprised they played Benny Benassi in the local club this weekend.

[Shadow, Thief of the Sun]

I prefer ambient/dark ambient/darkwave/ambient-noise/noise rock/classical avantgarde.... etc.

If i understand correctly what AFN just said.... i do not agree

Synthesizers are not toys. It depends on what sort of person is using it - if professional is playing, it

might not be that different from guitars, pianos & "real" instruments.

However, i do agree that right now there's a lot of bad music coming out. I don't like rap for the most

part. Can't stand country either, but at least no one on the radio is forcing you to listen to it.

There's some sophisticated pop music out there - but most of it, unfortunately, buried by likes of

Celine Dion, Shania Twain etc.

But i also think that its too early to talk about death of music - there are still some quality

releases out there, even if you'll never find them anywhere, except for p2p networks

[kiwibank]

Yep. People have the right to listen to whatever they want.

People also have the right to "slag" other people off..............................err....you know, that doesn't sound right.

Well, see ya later. I'm going to go slag off.

......and your point is????


_____________________________________________

on zeropaid, it pays to be "flame resistant". it`s a matter of survival.

[cgfiend]

I grew up in the 70's and 80's, so I was raised on real music, real instruments and I went through the electronic revolution in music where keyboards and turn-tables gave music a new direction. Back then it was said that keyboards and electronics were going to do away with bands altogether. I have many fond memories of the 70's and 80's music and I hold onto it with an iron grip because today's music simply blows. I liked early rap (Run DMC, UTFO, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five... just to name a few) and breakdancing, but it turned south in the late 80's when gangsta rap became popular. Now I can't stand anything with rap influences, which pretty much leaves out 99% of the popular music today. It doesn't end with rap either. How many copycat bands can a person stand? In the 70's and 80's each song was discernable from the other. Today all you hear is a rap beat loop and someone either rapping or trying to sing. What's called R&B nowadays is a joke. Singing up and down octaves rapidly isn't R&B to me and it's a clear indicator that the person doesn't know how to sing. Marvin Gaye should be rolling over in his grave. The nu-metal bands all sound the same and the guitar riffs are generic and uninspiring. Then they introduce rap-like crap into the music which makes it even worse. Rap needs to die an agonizing and painful death. I'm sick of getting black culture crammed down my throat with all of this dribble. Nothing against black people at all, but every song doesn't have to contain some rap component or some wannabe. I'm sick of it. I long for the days when you could hear real songs on American Top 40, not one rap/"R&B" song after another. There are artists like Seal (I love his music) that make *real* quality music and can sing without having to fake it.

Country music has come a long way. I remember in the 80's especially country music was still stuck in the corny old style. When the new artists started to come along in the late 80's (Randy Travis, for instance) country took a turn for the better and the music became more acceptable to a wider audience because it wasn't so hillbilly. I like all kinds of country including a lot of the old stuff and bluegrass. It's a welcome change from my favorite genre, which is metal.

The new music definitely sucks. The saving grace is that there are many artists out there that are making music worth listening to. You just have to hop on a search engine and do some research on bands similar to the ones you like. Then get on your favorite p2p program(s) and sample the music. If you like it support the artist and buy their music. Eventually maybe the record companies will learn that real talent, diversity and creativity is what we crave. I've had enough rap influenced music crammed down my throat to last a lifetime.

[kiwibank]

I grew up in the 70's and 80's, so I was raised on real music, real instruments and I went through the electronic revolution in music where keyboards and turn-tables gave music a new direction. Back then it was said that keyboards and electronics were going to do away with bands altogether. I have many fond memories of the 70's and 80's music and I hold onto it with an iron grip because today's music simply blows. I liked early rap (Run DMC, UTFO, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five... just to name a few) and breakdancing, but it turned south in the late 80's when gangsta rap became popular. Now I can't stand anything with rap influences, which pretty much leaves out 99% of the popular music today. It doesn't end with rap either. How many copycat bands can a person stand? In the 70's and 80's each song was discernable from the other. Today all you hear is a rap beat loop and someone either rapping or trying to sing. What's called R&B nowadays is a joke. Singing up and down octaves rapidly isn't R&B to me and it's a clear indicator that the person doesn't know how to sing. Marvin Gaye should be rolling over in his grave. The nu-metal bands all sound the same and the guitar riffs are generic and uninspiring. Then they introduce rap-like crap into the music which makes it even worse. Rap needs to die an agonizing and painful death. I'm sick of getting black culture crammed down my throat with all of this dribble. Nothing against black people at all, but every song doesn't have to contain some rap component or some wannabe. I'm sick of it. I long for the days when you could hear real songs on American Top 40, not one rap/"R&B" song after another. There are artists like Seal (I love his music) that make *real* quality music and can sing without having to fake it.

Country music has come a long way. I remember in the 80's especially country music was still stuck in the corny old style. When the new artists started to come along in the late 80's (Randy Travis, for instance) country took a turn for the better and the music became more acceptable to a wider audience because it wasn't so hillbilly. I like all kinds of country including a lot of the old stuff and bluegrass. It's a welcome change from my favorite genre, which is metal.

The new music definitely sucks. The saving grace is that there are many artists out there that are making music worth listening to. You just have to hop on a search engine and do some research on bands similar to the ones you like. Then get on your favorite p2p program(s) and sample the music. If you like it support the artist and buy their music. Eventually maybe the record companies will learn that real talent, diversity and creativity is what we crave. I've had enough rap influenced music crammed down my throat to last a lifetime.


well said... i agree with you 100% especially your view of the corporate street garbage that today masquerades as rap music...rap bands with a political or social message like steel pulse, for instance, i can handle, but some of the trash hitting the streets now is bad news...especially for impressionable teenagers...it is not the music of revolution or serious desire for social change....it is the music of rampant consumerism and sexual stereotyping and corporate bottom lines. having said all that, many people enjoy that style of music and i don`t denigrate them for that for a a minute...


_____________________________________________

on zeropaid, it pays to be "flame resistant". it`s a matter of survival.

[d3ft0n3s]

cgfiend: youd like a band called Kyuss.i heartaly dislike rap as well and im glad that fuse came along and gave me an alternative to mtv and vhuno. if your looking for really good rock that doenst have all the rap influance look up a genre called stoner rock. it snot all about geting stoned and whatnot, its just prefered byt hem i guess. i dunno. but anyway, no rap inspiration here and very talented guitarists like Josh Homme, which, im my opinion, is beter than Jimi.

[Ken17625]

......and your point is????

I just said I was going to go slag off, AND YOU'RE ASKING ME WHAT MY "POINT" WAS?!?!

It........it almost seems lik...........................are you insinuating that you would like to slag me off?

ewwww...

[rebirth]

I like all music...xcept country. For a while I was in love with opera...right now I'm going broadway. I keep my ears open...oh...and justin guarini sucks dick. I hate his music....not that I have anything against gays. Well...and I love 70s...Journey Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Doobie Bros., Etc...just love 70s music...just so you see I'm not musically retarded

[groova]

At work we have the chance to have a different radio station on each day, but as each dj takes their seat it seems they only have the box of records left behind by the previous one, playing tracks that are 4 months old. Sometimes you'll hear one that's ok but soon enough it's played to death, happening on both local and national radio, personally I don't know how the DJ's put up with it

[Arch Stanton]

although i'm in the same boat, i'm still suprised to hear so many people have the attititude that most of the new music is lacking in something. a few people can comprise an exception but so many seem to make it a truth or at least a very good probability.

[Afn]

I prefer ambient/dark ambient/darkwave/ambient-noise/noise rock/classical avantgarde.... etc. 1.

If i understand correctly what AFN just said.... i do not agree 2.

Synthesizers are not toys. It depends on what sort of person is using it - if professional is playing, it 3.

might not be that different from guitars, pianos & "real" instruments. 4.

However, i do agree that right now there's a lot of bad music coming out. 5. I don't like rap for the most

part. Can't stand country either, but at least no one on the radio is forcing you to listen to it.

There's some sophisticated pop music out there - but most of it, unfortunately, buried by likes of

Celine Dion, Shania Twain etc.

But i also think that its too early to talk about death of music - there are still some quality

releases out there, even if you'll never find them anywhere, except for p2p networks1. I like space music more and more (new age, ambient, some world music) in the last 3-4 years I have shifted all of my listening to mp3 and cd.
2. What don't you get? My point about synth music is that high quality synth's in homes with midi and software will depress the market for pre-recorded music.

Some of the 80's synth music and electronic drum sequences sound annoying today.

3. Much of the music from the 80's sounds very dated, er bad. Still musically, the 1980's produced some great songs.

4. Suspension of disbelief... I do not like contry, I did like country rock (some of it) Shania Twain was a cross over artist (cross from country to top-40). Her mega-hit "Your the one", I thought was authentic music from lived experience, no according to Shania Twain, in some interview she said the song was formulated to create the experience of the song.

Ok, we know that rock and roll is FORMULATED, and not reality, but what surprised me is how UNAUTHENTIC the music is. It was not from lived experience. It was just formulated to sell records.

Then I saw a documentary on the Grand Old Opry, and the way they dressed was not authentic, but was required to be on the show to create the aura of hillbilly acts, when in reality they were professional acts trying to get airplay. They were told how to act and how to dress if they wanted to play the game.

It was not authentic.

5. Agree 99% music is junk. The big five have narrowed the channel, and broadcasters like clear channel have compressed choice. Since record stations are not independent, and independent labels can not get much airplay, the small label has poor distribution. The act that does get heard, and makes some money either has a terrible contract, or is bought by one of the 5.

You could argue that music is now at the mass market commodity stage, 'ie, walmart'.

Some music I did not like in highschool, I liked in later life.

[Afn]

At work we have the chance to have a different radio station on each day, but as each dj takes their seat it seems they only have the box of records left behind by the previous one, playing tracks that are 4 months old. Sometimes you'll hear one that's ok but soon enough it's played to death, happening on both local and national radio, personally I don't know how the DJ's put up with it
Dj's, do not make much money, and are hired to perform a job. However, station automation packages like DRS-2002 Can replace live talent spinning records and cd's with a single announcer/dj in one location that has the talent and (Pre-recorded dj-talk tailored to individual stations, from a single location.)

I was told that country does not work like top 40 radio stations (hit radio), County needs more older songs in rotation.

Rotation is a term for what gets played how often at a radio station. Heavy rotation, the song is heard once every few hours, Medium rotation, and light rotation (once a day)

Station automation packages select the music based on pyscho-acoustic criteria (sad song, happy song, break, Fast intro song, ... ect)

Since the channel is collapsing, and less acts exist to fill the programming needed to run a radio station, you are seeing more acts repeat that create the value for the station.