Was music better 10 years ago than today?

[Arach Knight]

Clearly you failed to read everything after that sentence, as I already explained why it is an assembly line. Sure there were bands produced by record labels, but at least it was very genre specific. These days, all of the popular genres (rock, pop, rap) use the same europop style dance beats. It all started with that "Live your life" song by T.I.. Then you have Timbaland doing that cover of Apologize. While One Republic is usually a pop rock band, Timbaland took their hit song and basically turned it into another europop style song. It just seems contagious these days. Everyone is doing some dance pop beat, no matter what genre they are in. Ten years ago, if you listened to rap, it was very distinct (usually soul, funk, RnB break samples). If you listened to rock, it was very distinct.

Of course, I am speaking in terms of commercial music. If one avoids the radio. the same kind of diversity exists in non top 40 music. There are all kinds of obscure acts like The Number 12 Looks Like You, that have a very distinct sound. But when it comes to commercial music (which this thread seems to be addressing) it is all recycled across genres.

 

[Catman]

These days, all of the popular genres (rock, pop, rap) use the same europop style dance beats.

[YT]3FZtN7T5PXM[/YT]

[YT]tQmEd_UeeIk[/YT]

[YT]QUwxKWT6m7U[/YT]

[YT]qY--Yu4kzz0[/YT]

[YT]kn6-c223DUU[/YT]

 

[Arach Knight]

Hmmmm

[YT]8uvAcWWlrkk&feature=related[/YT]

[YT]koVHN6eO4Xg[/YT]

Obviously this isn't universal...which is why I said top 40. You know...commercial/mainstream. There are plenty of artists out there that don't use this auto tune/dance beat pop formula. But generally speaking, modern music sounds heavily recycled and formulaic. I am glad that modern pop/top 40 does it for you, but to me, it is not creative or distinct. All I hear is electronic dance pop beats. Miley Cyrus is pop rock/country. Kesha and Katy Perry are pop, and T.I. is rap. Sure you have some great examples, but clearly you have a selective source bias (as do I). So while you skewed your selections to contradict my claim, I can clearly do the same to contradict you. But like I said, if you like this new stuff, cool beans. I'll stick to Don Alder, Eric Roche, The Stills, Copeland, Darius Rucker etc...

 

[Arach Knight]

Also Catman, I apologize if it seemed rather out of line to say "clearly you failed to read everything after that sentence..." I was not trying to be antagonistic. I just felt that I already addressed the exact matter that you were attempting to call me on (I hate ending a sentence with a preposition). With that said, I am fairly certain that you and I will have to agree to disagree.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

[YT]3FZtN7T5PXM[/YT]

[YT]tQmEd_UeeIk[/YT]

[YT]QUwxKWT6m7U[/YT]

[YT]qY--Yu4kzz0[/YT]

[YT]kn6-c223DUU[/YT]

These are exceptions. When it comes to Top 40/radio music, it's mostly dance beat with some songs being autotube (I wouldn't say all).

 

[Catman]

Obviously this isn't universal...which is why I said top 40.

Everything I showed you is currently in the TOP 40. Here at the TOP 10 songs at the moment:

1. Born This Way by Lady Gaga
2. Forget You by Cee Lo Green
3. S&M by Rihanna
4. F--kin Perfect by Pink
5. On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
6. Grenade by Bruno Mars
7. Blow by Ke$ha
8. E.T. by Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
9. Tonight (I'm Loving You) by Enrique Iglesias featuring Ludacris & DJ Frank E
10. Firework by Katy Perry

5 of those are Euro Dance Pop inspired. Or 6 if you want to count Firework, but that's debatable. So, let's just say it's about half & half.

 

[Arach Knight]

I haven't heard most of those songs. The only one on that list that I have heard, is On the Floor by J-Lo. And it certainly is a europop dance beat type of song, rife with auto tune and generic production values. I am glad to see though, that there are some stand out artists that have broken that trend.

 

[Catman]

Forget You is the one that REALLY stands out. It's a Motown-inspired song. It's crazy to think that a song like that would be a hit in 2011.

 

[SpideyVille]

Forget You is the one that REALLY stands out. It's a Motown-inspired song. It's crazy to think that a song like that would be a hit in 2011.

Yeah, I heard it last night after reading this post and thought that this is very true. To think, we also have stuff like this coming out today.

[YT]CD2LRROpph0[/YT]

 

[a cupcake mess]

I'm so out of touch with music, but Fever Ray and Lady Gaga have gotten me interested again..especially with their videos.

 

[Doomed_hero]

there has not really been much imporovement or major change in the last 10 years. Allw listen o today sounds like back then imo. You can say boy bans are gone but we kust now have a one man boy band in justim beiber. There has been no major musical force to change the landscape of music like there was at the start of the 90s. in fact the only good bands are ones who started in the 90s and may not have te same fame but are consistantly putting out good music. like Pearl Jam, Radiohead, green Day and Foo fightes.

 

[Catman]

we also have stuff like this coming out today.

[YT]CD2LRROpph0[/YT]

That song is only popular on YouTube because Tosh.0 made fun of it. No one actually likes it. They just find it funny.

 

[PyroChamber]

Yeah, I heard it last night after reading this post and thought that this is very true. To think, we also have stuff like this coming out today.

[YT]CD2LRROpph0[/YT]

Oh lord, people are actually listening this?

 

[redhawk23]

there has not really been much imporovement or major change in the last 10 years. Allw listen o today sounds like back then imo. You can say boy bans are gone but we kust now have a one man boy band in justim beiber. There has been no major musical force to change the landscape of music like there was at the start of the 90s. in fact the only good bands are ones who started in the 90s and may not have te same fame but are consistantly putting out good music. like Pearl Jam, Radiohead, green Day and Foo fightes.

untruth, there are tons good bands, those are just the only ones that get radio play.

 

[SpideyVille]

That song is only popular on YouTube because Tosh.0 made fun of it. No one actually likes it. They just find it funny.

That didn't stop it from being made.

 

[johnsmith2011]

I think it was a very different thing. So I really can't compare

 

[Mr.Webs]

There is good to great music in every generation, you just have to look for it. The great thing about the internet is that it's so much easier to track down music and artists you like.

Ever since the late 60's, the machination of the music industry has been rolling along, slowly killing any originality it had left. Now, it's about making money, just like every business, and that's fine. It makes sense. But like I said, there is amazing music out there right now, you just have to take the time and look for those under the radar artists who are still doing their own thing.

 

[moviedoors]

There is good to great music in every generation, you just have to look for it. The great thing about the internet is that it's so much easier to track down music and artists you like.

Ever since the late 60's, the machination of the music industry has been rolling along, slowly killing any originality it had left. Now, it's about making money, just like every business, and that's fine. It makes sense. But like I said, there is amazing music out there right now, you just have to take the time and look for those under the radar artists who are still doing their own thing.

I guarantee you people weren't producing records for altruistic reasons. I'll bet they wanted to make money then too. I also guarantee you that there were a few imitators. People making art into commerce is not a late 20th century phenomenon.

 

[Mr.Webs]

I guarantee you people weren't producing records for altruistic reasons. I'll bet they wanted to make money then too. I also guarantee you that there were a few imitators. People making art into commerce is not a late 20th century phenomenon.

Well, of course. I mean, look at Elvis. Sam Philips saw him and was like, 'Wow, this white boy will make me a lot of money.' But, it's a lot more blatant now.

 

[Incrediblejeff]

I really don't see that much of a difference from 10 years ago.10 years ago J.lo,Destiny's Child,and Britney Spears were huge.I'll say mainstream wise it sucked then and it sucks now.Hell I would say it's slighty less terrible.Hell you had Nelly ruling the charts then.I hated Nelly.