This guy got it right... (non-politicized PT thread)
- Thread starter Serendipity Records
- Start date
TalismanRich
Well-known member
Goodness, he's 29 and thinks his taste is getting old! And TicTok has pushed us to the attention span of a goldfish! I love that.
Some of what he says is absolutely true. But I think there lots of elements that lead to the state of the music universe.
Years ago, you could make a mix tape and give it to your friends. All you were out was the cost of a cassette. And it didn't go beyond your 2 or 3 close friends. With the creation of internet based streaming and the ability to create playlists, somebody in Buffalo NY can create a playlist and post it so that 1000 people from all over the world can pull it down. Some TV star posts their workout playlist and their 25000 followers download it. It's easy and basically free. It's top 40 radio taken to the next level.
So much of the music today is programmed, and since the tools are common, things will sound similar. A company puts out some beats, and 100 people use the same beats, so now the songs sound basically the same. There's no melody, just some rhythmic talking. Somebody puts out a track, it hits big, and 1000 people make the same thing. The things he says about a 20 minute work pays the same as a 2:30 work, so why spend the time when you know that the person is going to click past the song after a minute anyway. Plus you only needed to create 2 and half minutes of stuff. Much easier than 20 minutes of stuff.
There's little to no experimentation like took place in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The Stones didn't sound like the Beach Boys, Steely Dan didn't sound like Deep Purple or Led Zepplin. Where is today's Tommy, Fragile, Tubular Bells, Aqualung, or Tapestry? It would be a rare thing for someone under 25 to put an album or CD on a player, sit down and listen to it. They don't have a CD player, don't have a stereo system, and don't want to spend the time. Put in the AirPods, fire up the I-phone and go shopping, or do the laundry, or go for a run or do a workout at Planet Fitness. The music is there for a background, not for the experience itself
Some of what he says is absolutely true. But I think there lots of elements that lead to the state of the music universe.
Years ago, you could make a mix tape and give it to your friends. All you were out was the cost of a cassette. And it didn't go beyond your 2 or 3 close friends. With the creation of internet based streaming and the ability to create playlists, somebody in Buffalo NY can create a playlist and post it so that 1000 people from all over the world can pull it down. Some TV star posts their workout playlist and their 25000 followers download it. It's easy and basically free. It's top 40 radio taken to the next level.
So much of the music today is programmed, and since the tools are common, things will sound similar. A company puts out some beats, and 100 people use the same beats, so now the songs sound basically the same. There's no melody, just some rhythmic talking. Somebody puts out a track, it hits big, and 1000 people make the same thing. The things he says about a 20 minute work pays the same as a 2:30 work, so why spend the time when you know that the person is going to click past the song after a minute anyway. Plus you only needed to create 2 and half minutes of stuff. Much easier than 20 minutes of stuff.
There's little to no experimentation like took place in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The Stones didn't sound like the Beach Boys, Steely Dan didn't sound like Deep Purple or Led Zepplin. Where is today's Tommy, Fragile, Tubular Bells, Aqualung, or Tapestry? It would be a rare thing for someone under 25 to put an album or CD on a player, sit down and listen to it. They don't have a CD player, don't have a stereo system, and don't want to spend the time. Put in the AirPods, fire up the I-phone and go shopping, or do the laundry, or go for a run or do a workout at Planet Fitness. The music is there for a background, not for the experience itself
Serendipity Records
Well-known member
For sure. I would disagree with playlists being the root cause.
I never listen to playlists. I have made tons, but somehow I've never listened to most of them an as I prefer to listen to complete albums -- I have a thing for regarding them as a work of art with many sub-oeuvres (aka songs).
Anyway the music he's talking about I can't stand in the first place -- "Uptown Funk" is the only mainstream post-Y2K song I have on my laptop. Oh, and a couple vintage (lol) Taylor Swift songs (ok @dogooder, I'm ready, shoot me!). Apart from those, the latest "Adult Contemporary" big hit act I can remotely stand is Michael Jackson.Simple solution. Don’t listen to modern popular music.