Scientific study proves that today’s pop music really does suck
It’s not just our imagination – pop music really has been getting worse and worse. And now we have a scientific study that proves it.
This article from Reuters states:
“Comforting news for anyone over the age of 35, scientists have worked out that modern pop music really is louder and does all sound the same. Researchers in Spain used a huge archive known as the Million Song Dataset, which breaks down audio and lyrical content into data that can be crunched, to study pop songs from 1955 to 2010. A team led by artificial intelligence specialist Joan Serra at the Spanish National Research Council ran music from the last 50 years through some complex algorithms and found that pop songs have become intrinsically louder and more bland in terms of the chords, melodies and types of sound used.”
The “loudness” description refers to dynamic range compression. In the past, there was about 18 db between the average sound level and the peak sound level. The bigger this difference is, the more “punch” the music has. In recent years, the average sound level has been boosted, which reduces the difference between the average sound level and the peak sound level. Turning down the volume control on your stereo does not fix this “loudness” problem. Here’s a demonstration:
The Loudness War
As far as today’s music sounding more homogenous than the music of the past, here’s a Donna Summer song from 1979, followed by a different Donna Summer song from 2008. It’s very clear that the first is far more “musical” than the second:
Donna Summer – “Journey to the Center of Your Heart”
Donna Summer – “Mr. Music”
Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog 
Bret replied:
Music died around 1997, and has sucked ever since, but its not alone. TV, movies, and video games have also sucked since about that time. Our whole culture seems to be rotting away.
July 29, 2012 at 5:32 pm. Permalink.
John replied:
I’ll have to disagree with you on that one. Sure, pop music may have started to suck around that time but other genres have continued to put out good music. Don’t limit yourself to what is heard on the radio. There are also some great TV shows, movies and video games out nowadays. Don’t get me wrong, I love the classics, but there’s some great stuff out there right now.
October 19, 2013 at 6:51 pm. Permalink.
Musician replied:
But theyre talking about music, not TV shows. Its a totally different subject idiot
July 23, 2014 at 5:29 pm. Permalink.
neo replied:
in my opinion movies and video games have always been good, but for the radio it seems like around 2010 somehow music on the radio became dead. Don’t get me wrong their is still good music, but a lot of what is played is pop somehow fused with rap it’s like out going music losing it’s IQ level. There is some great Techno out there but no. The so called young generation at least most of them, have to be all about teenage love. Many people in my school can’t handle this music with IQ called rock, i’m not saying all has rock IQ, but can the people in my school be more open to something different. The rock played on the radio is to repetitive. How many times have you heard cage the elephant on rock stations, or muse. Yes I like muse and cage the elephant but come on something that’s new. As for techno I am not even sure if the radio has a station for that, because their variety is so low class, and over rated. They have much better mixes on YouTube. Even YouTube is running out of great music, because a lot of new music is flooding, most songs bad some good.
It’s easy for many people in my school to think they are cool for listening to crap, well much of the music the people listen to has low intelligence. Ironic many of the kids in my class who feed into this so called music made by artist are not much more educated than the crap on the radio, recycled. What is with people and the beat of music, here is an example: “Yeah this music looks like it was made by satin worshipers but the beat was good”. There is an example. Who said the beat of music is an exception for lame singers who get most of the money out of that song. Even pop had a downfall, when prince and Michael Jackson faded, I don’t know what happened. But Adriana grande, and this generations wrecking ball rider mile Cyrus, in addition with Taylor swifts blank space, should not have taken pop in just a couple of years. Pop had a meaning with Michael Jackson and prince. And somehow lilo Wayne, Nikki manaj the faces of the hood join with pop. Well thanks a lot you people in my school for giving them power. Why are many people in modern society going to part of the hood with rap. Not all rap is bad but lately rap has to talk about how they are above the get-to with there ten ho’s and money. How have these artist rised above that, they brought get-to to modern generation with new rap. What happened to that i’m not afraid song that was good rap. Or when rap and rock fused with Lincoln park and Beasty boys. Not all rap is bad but the radio ruined new rap and pop by far. I hope that music well change for the better in 2020 or soon because the radio went into the trash.
August 24, 2015 at 12:03 am. Permalink.
Kaitlyn DeMatteo replied:
Honestly you are right, I’m 13 and music today has been sucking, i mostly listen to songs that were out when I was younger, such as The plain white tee’s, and other non-mainstream music. I will say, however that I have grown to like FOB, though I still prefer colbie caillat, Jack johnson, The beatles, Etta James, Kelly clarkson, Old Taylor swift, and other y2k artists, and country stars, so really it just depends on what you like. I like meaningful songs, while my 12 year old friend likes this loud pop crap on the radio.
November 3, 2015 at 12:34 pm. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
Well honestly, how important is music to the world? It’s only meant for entertainment, to pass time away. Music can only suck if it doesn’t entertain you. People spend more time discussing how much music sucks and less about helping medical research or reforming the education system, things that MATTER.
MUSIC never mattered, not in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. And in fact, that synth-pop shit of the 1980s was horrible. So i don’t see the difference.
There are only a handful of artists that used their music to change the world: Bob Dylan, Fela Kuti, Billie Holiday, MJ. The others were doing something I can do in my damn basement without a care what anyone thinks.
December 8, 2015 at 1:06 pm. Permalink.
danfromsquirrelhill replied:
Music is important for the intellect as well as for the emotions. Schools that eliminate music programs are doing a terrible disservice to their students. Students who play a musical instrument do better in math class than students who don’t. Music is a form of human expression and is essential to the species.
December 8, 2015 at 3:11 pm. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
Yes, but we don’t need OTHER people’s music (i.e. an album) to make us feel better or to appeal to our emotions. A music industry isn’t important AT ALL. Long before the music industry took off, many people enjoyed music just in the company of themselves and friends.
There are many different things that are good for the intellect as well.
I’m also against schools getting rid of music. I believe it’s a great outlet for children. But the entertainment industry we know of today isn’t required to feed the intellect or the emotions.
If music is a form of human expression, why criticize any form of it? Each human is expressing themselves in their own way, whether using electronics or not. It’s still a waste of time to place barriers around something that is supposed to be “expressive”. Even in Kindergarten classes, we don’t give children an F just because they color outside of the lines, even though standard method is to color within the line.
And STILL, music is the least most important thing in the world.
December 11, 2015 at 10:12 pm. Permalink.
Peter replied:
The fact that you believe music is for entertainment only goes to the heart of the problem, and illustrates an entirely superficial approach. Many rock and folk musicians of the 60s and 70s believed they could change the world, and this comes through in the passion of their music. Beethoven believed he was composing for generations to come — for him, a man who was losing his hearing and becoming increasingly isolated, music was the only real way he could communicate. Bach was devoutly religious, and in nearly all of his music, even his secular music, there is a majestic, reverential quality. When could you ever find this sort of depth, passion, humanity, and intelligence in the garbage that’s being churned out today?
December 19, 2015 at 8:02 pm. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
The fact that you make a bigger deal out of music than it really is shows the problem with the world. Priorities are screwed when people think that music shouldn’t be for pleasure and just scorn.
“Pleasure” should be enjoyed, not criticized like a textbook. It shows how the music industry has distorted the origins of music and why it ever existed in the first place.
I understand that people in the 1960s and 1970s wanted to change the world. They wanted to USE music to do that, and they made it more USEFUL and more IMPORTANT.
But in the 18th and 19th century, music was for enjoyment.
Rock and Roll is not the multitude of what music is. The 1960s and 1970s aren’t either. It’s what THEY decided to do with their music, but it isn’t what SHOULD be done with music. It’s not a rule.
Beethovan believed he was composing for generations to come–but he hoped the future would ENJOY it and be ENTERTAINED by it, not scorn it, analyze it. That’s not art. Art is purely expressive.
Music was for Beethovan to communicate. But for many artists today, it serves that SAME purpose, even if the sound isn’t to our liking.
Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Kesha, all artists most people say “suck”, use music to express themselves and communicate thoughts they wouldn’t normally. They ALL write their own music. What is communicated isn’t always understood by the listener. In the 18th century, Beethovan was always compared to Mozart because Beethovan kept his MISTAKES in his work, and people used to criticize him for it. He wasn’t as appreciated as Mozart was in his time, who perfected his art. How many people do you think felt his compositions were shit then? Look at what people think now.
You can add all the fancy meanings to music, which simply REFINES the art, but the original purpose of music was simply to ENTERTAIN. Quality entertainment. But it is still a form of ENTERTAINMENT.
December 21, 2015 at 3:37 pm. Permalink.
Jon Mallek replied:
Generation Next is the problem, these are the people that grew up with the Internet and cell phones. This technology has in many ways devalued music, making it overly accessible and removing the artistry and mystique that surrounded those making the music. No longer does the “album” matter, the story has been surgically removed from the music creating a single sound that is mass produced and marketed as something different. To make matters worse, once a radio station gets a hold of the “hit” song from an artist that is all they play, any other songs from the album are discarded. Being a musician, music has inspired me and so many others in ways that nothing else could. Someone that thinks music is purely for entertainment is truly missing out on what others have known for a lifetime. It is the heart and soul of a human being, it can get us through the worst of times as well as help us celebrate the good things life has to offer.
February 12, 2016 at 3:12 pm. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
I should say technology has changed the artistry rather than removed it.
While music is more accessible, it’s great that people get to enjoy something that should have been free all along. Music is for fun and entertainment. People from all backgrounds and incomes should be able to enjoy it. How someone designs their own “art” will never be understood by all, but that doesn’t take away their artistry. If someone appreciates it, it has found a home somewhere.
I wouldn’t say all of these artists lack story-telling. In fact, artists today have more stpory-telling than the Disco kings and queens of the 1970s, where they mostly talked about dancing and love, with no depth. Adele and Taylor Swift tell their true life stories, whether others want to hear it or not.
As time goes on, it will get harder and hard to produce something that sounds different. The music industry is so conditioned in our culture, we’ve gotten accustomed to sounds and stories, therefore, nothing holds any value to us anymore. Just like we are so used to televisions in our homes, it doesn’t hold the same novelty it did when it first entered homes in the 1950s and 1960s. That can’t be helped.
A person who sees music as purely entertainment can appreciate any artist and ENJOY music, as it was meant to do. People for a “lifetime”, and by lifetime I’m assuming you mean since the 15th century, people have always seen music as entertainment until record labels exploited artists for profit. Music was something for families and friends to enjoy together while also making works of art. A person who sees music as an industry can never appreciate what art is.
“It is the heart and soul of a human being, it can get us through the worst of times as well as help us celebrate the good things life has to offer.”
If music is the heart and soul of a human being, why are we criticizing it? Many artists put their hearts and soul into the music they create today, just not in the same manner that is your taste. Of course, some artists just want profit and fame, but all artists started by putting their heart into some artistic avenue, whether it was an instrument, song-writing, dancing, anything. Artists today sacrifice a lot to perform and produce.
If music is to help us get through the worst of times and celebrate the good things in life, it should all be looked at as a positive thing, not criticized and destroyed just because the mode of playing is now run by technology. “Celebrating the good things life has to offer” is saying, in technical terms, “a form of entertainment”.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/entertainment
February 19, 2016 at 6:48 pm. Permalink.
Andrew replied:
Music was perhaps the most important thing in the 60s twat.
March 19, 2016 at 2:50 am. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
How? What did it do? Did it end wars? Did it feed the hungry? Did it save people’s lives? Did it cure diseases? Did it cure polio?
No. All it did was entertain a few folks for awhile and help people forget their troubles. Get your head out of the 1960’s cloud so you can see entertainment for what it really is. Key word-ENTERTAIN.
And I’m a twat? LOL You take music entirely too seriously. Your idea of what is “important” is distorted.
March 19, 2016 at 1:30 pm. Permalink.
John replied:
Without things like music, what inspires it, what it inspires, etc. there is no point to survival. Scientific advancement is literally secondary to this. The irony of you mentioning something like “reforming the education system” in the context of belittling art/music is that proper art development should be the hub of a proper education system. It teaches personal nature, scientific method, and inherent cosmic truths. You’ve inadvertently made it clear you don’t understand shit about education.
Furthermore, art/science/inspiration are all just a matter of connections. As in, they are ultimately one thing. Art is meant to connect you closer to reality- not “entertain” or distract you from it. If that’s all it is to you then you’re missing everything.
I can’t tell if you’re lacking in empathy or just flat out stupid. Or if what you call “entertainment” is actually something more personally meaningful to you, and that’s why you’re getting all righteously bitter at people discriminating periods and qualities of music.
Also: Art has done at least as much good as practical science. The difference is that practical science -unlike art- has also been profoundly destructive.
My advice is you shouldn’t act like a fucking brat about stuff you know nothing about.
May 25, 2016 at 4:25 am. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
“Without things like music, what inspires it, what it inspires, etc. there is no point to survival.”
If this is the case, then shouldn’t ALL music be appreciated? Art is changing and evolving.
Again, you’re trying to put a philosophical spin on music, which is great and all, but in the thick of survival and basic needs, music isn’t necessary. The education system’s basic subjects are math and reading. Those basics branch into other fields. Many of the other fields help survival, others just ease living, i.e. entertain us.
My advice to you is to stop whining about modern music, sit back and appreciate the fact that someone has given what they could to the world or contributed in what little way they could, see it for what it is, and stop living on Cloud 9.
Art can have several meanings. “Bringing someone closer to reality” could very much be entertaining you. Our reality is filled with entertainment, something to pass our days away. “Bringing us closer to reality” can be seen through anything because reality is what we live. There are things in it that may be destructive, but still more useful than music. Music can ease the pains of living, but it isn’t the strongest when increasing survival, not matter how philosophical you try to spin it, no matter how many insults you throw.
May 25, 2016 at 7:47 pm. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
Interestingly enough, I’m being told I might “lack empathy”. Definition of empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. dictionary.com
Of the two of us, you and all the other people who criticise the artists of today “lack empathy”. You can’t understand them, so they’re shit.
Please use words in context, YOU should stop saying things you know nothing about.
And before you come out with the “this person grew up in era of cell phones” junk, keep in mind technology has been influencing music since the 1980s. Take a guess when I grew up.
May 26, 2016 at 9:04 am. Permalink.
Andrww replied:
Hmm, music is not important to the world? Let’s imagine a world without any music. How would you feel?
September 26, 2017 at 2:21 am. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
Just because music makes a person happy, doesn’t mean it is a necessity. And if music was important towards one’s happiness, why would it matter in what style it is presented?
You’re asking how I would feel. But do feelings matter logically in the great scheme of things? Yes, music can enhance the quality of life, but music isn’t necessary for overall survival. There are many things that can enhance the quality of life. Everyone doesn’t include music listening in their daily lives, and they get along just fine. A world without music? Not devastating. A world without food and shelter, devastating.
Music can only enhance the quality of life if we let art enter freely, according to each person’s own happiness. As soon as we create rules for art, it is no longer enhancing the quality of living, and is simply living to limit what should be an enjoyable experience. There’s no reason to do that.
September 26, 2017 at 10:00 pm. Permalink.
Peter replied:
That’s where you’re utterly wrong. MANY musicians in the 60s and 70s sang songs with a powerful social message: Not just Dylan, but Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Jefferson Airplane, Richie Havens, Elvis, and so on. And these songs were played on mainstream radio.
And are you also arguing that music never mattered during the time of Beethoven and Mahler, or is your scope so limited that it only includes popcorn music? Ask a Russian if music matters. Emil Gilels, the great pianist, gave open air concerts for the troops in WWII. They would set up his grand piano on the back of a truck.
February 7, 2018 at 9:07 am. Permalink.
generationnext replied:
Yes, many musicians have USED music to get out powerful social messages, and STILL DO, even if you don’t agree with them (like Kendrick Lemar). But that doesn’t take the place of good old fashioned ACTION. Music still has its place in the entertainment area, but it isn’t the most important thing in the world.
And NO! Music didn’t matter in the time of Beethoven and Mahler. Why do you think most of those composers were starving artists before finding patrons? Because people had more IMPORTANT things to worry about like food, clothing, shelter than to be worrying about whether music was constructed properly and whether it lived up to “x, y, z” standards. They listened to the song, it helped them escape their troubles for awhile when dancing at parties, and then back to reality. It served no greater purpose than that. My scope only includes popcorn music? How? When I’m saying music itself, of all genres , serve no greater purpose than to entertain people and should be looked at as a form of personal art, not being criticized, or rigidly constructed? No form of art is ever going to be the same, and that’s because it’s personal and meant to entertain and move people. But it isn’t the most important thing in the world, no matter what genre it falls in? Have you gotten so accustomed to examining every little tree that you forgot the forest? If we think about it, music all boils down to one purpose: to entertain. It has the ability to persuade and make people happy. But that’s part of entertaining people.
Ask a Russian if music matters? Who cares if they think it matters? At the end of the day, is music going to end their hunger, coldness, and help them survive? No. That’s not even a good argument.
Yes, Emil Gilels gave open air concerts for troops. Good on him. Does that mean the WWII soldiers NEEDED a pianist to accompany them and entertain them in order to win the war and/or survive it? NO. They needed food, shelter, clothing, and ammunition. Music was an ASSET not a necessity. And something that is an asset doesn’t ever have to be WRONG. There doesn’t ever have to be a wrong way to do it.
February 10, 2018 at 5:41 pm. Permalink.
Douglas Harrell replied:
i totally agree i am 15 years old music today is garbage although you do come across great bands that know how to rock like the black keys, strokes, kings of leon and, Red hot chili peppers the music that is auto tuned sucks its isn’t real music the music with guitars, drums, and decent vocals is real music.
August 10, 2016 at 1:01 pm. Permalink.
Mark Lanzarotta replied:
It’s the fault of the new breed of conservative young record executives who starting in the 80s scorned art for profit and reduced almost all music into idiotic worthless formula. Their goal is to make their audience stupider so they can sell increasingly worse garbage. They should be shown the door. Until music returns to the experimentation of the 60s, it will not be worth listening to. If music doesn’t improve soon, this formulaic moron stuff deserves to die.
April 8, 2017 at 10:48 pm. Permalink.
George replied:
I think contemporary movie soundtracks also sound incredibly bland compared to the classic movies of yesteryear. Think of the classic and very distinctive John Barry scores from the Bond flicks or the exoctic use of unusual instruments in such 70’s fare as The French Connection, Enter The Dragon, and Dirty Harry.
July 29, 2012 at 7:32 pm. Permalink.
JERRYUUC replied:
YES..I AM SO HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND THIS BLOG…NOT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE MUSIC HAS DIED …BUT BECAUSE NOW I KNOW SO MANY OTHERS ARE OUT THERE WHO FEEL AS I DO,,,UNLIKE THAT STICKER DOWN THERE SAYS… “I AM AN OLD DUDE ” AND I WILL SOON BE 70… BUT MUSIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY LIFE ….I STARTED OUT IN SCHOOL PLAYING THE SAX… THEN IN HIGH SCHOOL I PICKED UP THE GUITAR AND PLAYED FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN A ROCK BAND … WHERE I PICKED UP THE KEYBOARD AND THE BASS TO GO ALONG WITH MY LEAD GUITAR…. THE ONLY THING I NEVER REALLY PLAYED WAS THE DRUMS… BUT I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE ….AND IT AIN’T WHAT I BEEN A HEARIN FOR MANY YEARS …WHERE DID THE SNARE DRUM GO ..WHERE’S THE DRUM ROLLS …BREAKS.. ROLL OFFS …DRUM RUNS …
THATS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR WHEN I FOUND THIS BLOG…. REMEMBER TWO VERSES …THAN A CHORUS…(BREAK)AND A THIRD VERSE….I SWEAR SOMETHING I HEARD YESTERDAY HAD NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS IN THE WHOLE SONG!…CAN YOU BOOOOOOOORING! I GOT SO SICK OF FAKE ROCK I TURNED TO COUNTRY ….AND THAT ISN’T MUCH BETTER ANYMORE…. SO I GAVE IT ALL UP NOW FOR OLDIES … AND THE BEST PART OF MY LIFE NOW IS FIRING UP MY MP3’S PLAYLIST AND WALKIN TO THE BEAT FROM 50’S 60’S 70’S AND 80’S EVEN A COUPLE FROM THE EARLY 90’S OF ALL TYPES … IF ITS GOT A GOOD DRUM BEAT ALONG WITH ALL THE STUFF I MENTIONED ABOVE….. IT’S ON MY PLAYER ! NOW PLEASE EXCUSE ME ….. DONNA SUMMERS “HOT STUFF” A GREAT ONE TO MOVE OUT TO…. IS A CALLIN ME … AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE YOUR PLAYLIST OR SEE MORE OF MINE LET ME KNOW WITH A REPLY ….. THANKS 🙂
July 14, 2015 at 11:26 am. Permalink.
Meme replied:
I totally agree with Bret above, although I think that the good music ended in 1989. Tv, movies, horrible! I don’t play video games, but have seen some of my son’s and in a work, ICK! I haven’t watched network Tv in YEARS aside from one show and that’s only recently: Shark Tank. It gets worse all the time, dragging society down with it all. One thing that really baffles me: the guys making millions of dollars for (c)Rap music. I mean c’mon, just HOW many words really rhyme with bitch? What a total waste of money! Give me the old ‘crooners’ anyday!
September 25, 2012 at 2:51 pm. Permalink.
Joel Hess replied:
As far as I’m concerned, music died around 1972,
August 27, 2013 at 10:37 am. Permalink.
William Ma replied:
The Bee Gees doesn’t suck that bad. They were a great group throughout the 70’s………..
November 25, 2013 at 8:15 am. Permalink.
Musician replied:
Died in 1983,
July 23, 2014 at 5:29 pm. Permalink.
Rob Honer replied:
I would say the music died in 79 I think one of the reasons not entirely though was when New Wave came around and made heavy use of the synthesizer, then used by pop, rock and other styles. This made industry lazier since the synth could emulate different instruments and no longer required the human touch. During the late 60’s and early 70’s when progressive bands used the synthesizer, like Yes, Gentle Giant as a accompaniment to the other instruments when New Wave began, the synthesizer was “The Band” in fact you did not even need other instruments as accompaniment, just the singer.
October 2, 2014 at 8:58 am. Permalink.
Andrww replied:
No music in it’s absolute entirety died in 2007, although it certainly did start to crumble in the mid 1990s.
September 26, 2017 at 2:23 am. Permalink.
Jim replied:
I doubt the author seriously follows to pop music. Pop music has actually improved over past 7 years thanks to a new crop of producer/songwriters such as Dr. Luke and Max Martin, and others. Pop music really stagnated when rap dominated the industry starting in 1990s and continuing up through around 2007.
August 27, 2013 at 4:56 pm. Permalink.
Alberto Gutierrez replied:
Whaaaaa…..? I am always amazed by this opinion. Fact, today`s pop music is acquired by using sampled phrases from past artist, the same chords are used over and over again, the music lacks dynamics, the music is programmed not written and composed while introducing a catchy idea, the music is not artist driven, there is no musical virtuosity performed by musicians, the music is Repetitive and formulaic. How can you make an unintelligent opinion. The corporations have you punked man. Wake up.
April 5, 2015 at 2:54 pm. Permalink.
improvisatoryminds replied:
Alberto is absolutely correct. I sat in a barber shop yesterday and listened to a series of ‘songs’ (no melody) certainly all programmed in a mechanical way, no live instruments, dead-sounding voices, with all having remarkably the same beat (a heavy artificial snare drum on beats 2 and 4), all almost the same tempo, all with the same washed out, heavily processed vocal sound, so it could have been the same singers on every track singing the same lines and words. No vocal artistry, no phrasing, endless repetition without any rhythmic variety, and occasional melismatic hysteria in the vocal line. (The words were barely discernible from time to time). This may be an extreme example, but it is a radio station without any humans announcing anything, which is typical of corporate shortcomings. And there is a lot of that on the airwaves. Again, Alberto is right-there is too much programming, and not any composing. There is no understanding of harmony except the most basic stuff which any 12-year old who actually plays a saxophone or clarinet has already surpassed. And I would rather hear a 12 year old play a clarinet and hear the AIR in the sound instead of the dead electronic graveyard that pop radio has become.
April 6, 2015 at 2:32 am. Permalink.
Scott Healy replied:
Reblogged this on Professorscosco and commented:
This one deserves reblogging for sure.
August 27, 2013 at 7:17 pm. Permalink.
MacMahler replied:
As a professional musician, I can tell you that pop music has gotten much worse. Tightened corporate control of media and the process of songwriting has gorged on the automata of the “fake”, such as auto-tuning, which makes the voice lose personality, individual timbre, expressiveness, and more. It creates a “dead” flat sound that I can hear a mile away as unconvincing. If a voice needs to be auto-tuned, that singer should not record until they learn how to sing in tune-for their own benefit and preservation of their own sound. Other malpractices include the making of beats (any good human drummer can do better and sound more alive), a toxic focus on hyper-marketing(instead of allowing singers and songwriters to develop their craft gradually so they become individuals-see what John Mellencamp has to say on that), an emphasis on dreary special effects and strobes to the detriment of the actual music (like Vegas on steroids…i.e., fake), the criminal exploitation of fine artists such as Michael Jackson, until the life is sucked out of them, the use of samples (some may be better than others, but there is still no air in the processed sound, thus no soul, resulting mostly in the same dead flatness as auto-tuning), and the sheer astounding inability and lack of education we as a society have in really listening, with all of contemporary life’s mechanical distractions. When you have young kids who literally cannot play their instruments masquerading as bands on national late night TV, something is wrong. Pull the plugs, turn off the computers, tell the engineers to hold off, and see if they can play or sing with any competence just using their own bodies, minds, and hearts. That would allow for connection and that is what people want, if they would get rid of the superficial hoopla surrounding pop culture. Frankly, if someone today wants to get into music and be real, they should take the time to learn an instrument and play jazz or classical music, two genres that still have standards. Although they too have been affected by the media’s foisting of instant gratification needs on society, they still have content. Which is why they last, even if cheated of media exposure.
August 28, 2013 at 12:49 am. Permalink.
Terry replied:
Excellent professional comment. Glad to see that someone who really knows what they are talking about is commenting on this subject. Today’s music is all electronic and a mishmash of sound. I will take the Phil Spector “wall of sound” any day over what we now hear. At least you know there were real live musicians involved.
Speaking of professionals, ever notice that when Tony Bennett put together his album with all the guest singers, how much better they sounded? Is there a lesson there or what?!!!!
August 30, 2013 at 9:05 am. Permalink.
Aw replied:
I agree music has sucked since the ’80s, the 1780’s that is.
August 30, 2013 at 8:39 pm. Permalink.
usrsbin replied:
Just a quick note, as another professional musician trained in western classical tradition before moving to other areas … it is not, in and of itself, that “electronic” or “samples” are bad, but rather how they get used in the final production. A sensitive musician (and usually one trained to be competent with an instrument) can take those samples and processed sounds and use them in ways that will be immensely musical.
But the loudness wars are a real problem — my work often utilizes field recordings and may have dynamic ranges even greater than the 18dB they talk about in the article. I spend hours trying to get my levels adjusted in the final mix so that the field recordings are in line with the rest of the sounds, only to have Soundcloud wipe it all out with their “processing” for online streaming … I haven’t prepped anything for iTunes lately, but my friends who have are all screaming about that happening over there, too.
Sigh.
August 31, 2013 at 1:16 pm. Permalink.
Maya replied:
Hey, guess what? I’m 13 and I cannot STAND pop music today! Don’t generalize 😛
November 2, 2013 at 1:13 am. Permalink.
Musician replied:
Were not, its just a mass majority of your generation loves it. Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, 1 Direction, Nicki Minaj etc Which is all garbage. And mind you, I was in the generation when Soulja Boy, DJ UNK, Chris Brown and Rihanna came out. And I havent liked any of them since day 1. Even when everyone was all over Soulja Boy and Yung Joc (who also sucks)
July 23, 2014 at 5:32 pm. Permalink.
Michael from Germany replied:
I can not agree generally at the topic. I think it has become more diffucult to find the special sound that makes us interested in the first place.
Like in the 80s you went either for the new sound of metal or more for the new wave/new romantic sound that, for me, dominated the 80s.
The 90s had the High-NRG (to everyone in the U.S.A. aka Eurodance) that totally shaped the face of a typical 90s soundscape.
But what is it in 2000+? Difficult.
My prefered main style is house. I can use that as a guideline through the decades in music, especially electronic music since the 80s/late 70s.
That way i can normally find my spot of comfort in any time. But since 2000+ it is definitly less comfortable to follow the red line.
But i think i found it now towards the end of 2013 and picked it up.
Collecting some Compilations that gave a new and fresh approache on 80s and 90s music to me, even though i grew up in these decades, i found another Compilation the represents the typical sound of today.
Yet it leans towards my mainly prefered music style too.
I just have to find out what it is called as EDM is a way too open hubword for it.
I believe that if you want to find your favorite music today you have to dig deeper than yesterday, yes. But if you follow your heart and keep your mind open it is not that bad at all. And maybe, faster than a sneeze, it comes right at you.
November 27, 2013 at 12:34 pm. Permalink.
CM Pianist replied:
I don’t mind other genre. Not interested. Still for me, jazz/classical-instrumental is real MUSIC. As a renowned pianist myself, I just love the soothing aura that comes from the sound of piano, acoustic guitar, violin, ukulele, harp, and any instruments without the need of words that comes from the mouth..the heart is enough to send the message of the music you’re playing.
Listen to some of my inspirations when it comes to true music..
Isao Sasaki
Shinjou Hanabi
Yiruma
– a new-age musician myself (pianist)
”real music last a lifetime.”
December 15, 2013 at 5:21 pm. Permalink.
Steph Mayer replied:
Wrecking ball of Miley and other unimpressive artists nowadays like Rihana, lady gaga, Justin Beiber, 1 direction..and the list goes on..are pure BS. come on young generations is this what music for you? I still love the music of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Bryan Adams, Aerosmith..than the singers, performers of today. I love Jason Mraz though. And btw, I’m just 17 yrs old. So yeah I admit, music of our generations..pop, rap, mashups SUCKS..
December 15, 2013 at 5:44 pm. Permalink.
Michael Albanil replied:
I am 14 years old and I absolutely hate the crappy pop music of today. I only listen to things before the year 2000. Not all of us teens listen to the shit music of today. And also the rap of today is garbage. Old school rap, classic metal, and rock is what I live for.
July 2, 2014 at 1:36 am. Permalink.
Andrew replied:
I only listen to Classical, Jazz and Opera. Now, that’s real music.
I’m 16.
September 8, 2014 at 5:40 am. Permalink.
Sonny Roquette replied:
It`s not all bad these days, the industry moguls are the ones loosing the plot and choose lame songs to plug instead of the tons of good stuff still being produced by overlooked artists, surely if they plugged the good stuff they would make more money, but they seem blinded by their poor taste.
I make my own music now as learning to play an instrument is so much more satisfying than TV or Computer games, also when the lights eventually go out the people who can really play instruments will be back in vogue.
Sonny Roquette
July 28, 2014 at 11:20 am. Permalink.
Aaron Smith replied:
It isn’t as if modern Pop music sucks, the reality is most people in general suck. So modern music will only reflect what most people are all about today; mostly greedy, stupid, uneducated, selfish, leeches, loveless, arrogant and feeling self important without any humility whatsoever.
When real music was made decades ago, people were human and for the most part down to Terra fir-ma. Now people are not human or sane. They have become synthetic beings enslaved to Corporate products, services and drugs.
People can not go a day without their prescription drugs and gadgets, and their drugs and gadgets have completely transformed their personalities. Society has morphed into a backwards and self mutilating mindless organism. Instead of people being about hope and progression, they have no real future to look forward to.
So what do you expect from modern day musicians and songwriters when society as a whole is falling apart at the seams with no hope in sight…..?
August 17, 2014 at 6:54 pm. Permalink.
Andrew replied:
You’re right for the most part, but not everyone is like that.
I myself only listen to real music (Classical, Opera and Jazz), other “music” sucks and is boring to me but I’m not the only one, there are tons of people like me out there. Just go to Salzburg on summer, you’ll see.
Trust me, society is not that messed up, it’s just that the stupid ones are the popular ones.
September 8, 2014 at 5:48 am. Permalink.
susanbotchie replied:
Guess music is like government – we get what we deserve.
February 11, 2015 at 7:12 pm. Permalink.
paul replied:
MOST music that we listen to today is just dreadful. There is plenty of good music out there unfortunately you need to search for it and it never becomes popular because we are told by the media what is good. I refuse to listen to music where nobody is playing an instrument and the vocals are processed to keep everything in tune. Everything is in your face ,played at 10 the whole song. GRRRRRRRRRR
September 10, 2014 at 7:14 pm. Permalink.
Todd replied:
I think the simple answer is that far less effort goes into making music today while a premium is placed on the presentation. I.e. dancing and sex appeal of todays performers. Back in the late 60’s and most of the 70’s bands could spend a year or more composing music and themes for an album and because of the lack of visual exposure, the music had to be good in order to sell. You also had album oriented radio that didn’t feel compelled to play only what was popular thus yielding further exposure to a wider array of music.
I got into Led Zeppelin when I was about 15 during the late seventies. I had no idea what they looked like I just knew I loved the sound they made….still do.
It was not the music of my generation rather it was the music of my parents generation so I don’t feel I’m being subjective here.
February 7, 2015 at 10:58 am. Permalink.
Clive Blanston replied:
To slightly paraphrase Allan Bloom; “There is a Democratic vice tied to the desire we enjoy all good things that results in packaging anything of distinction so everyone feels included.” Music falls in this category.
It exploded onto the scene from the Beatles onward and for a time seemed to be unstoppable. Unfortunately it was too good to be true. Like pizza, it was everywhere, and the product got bigger, cheaper, and crappier as the years rolled on. (“How many feet of bad pizza can you eat??”)
Today, it is hard to get any consensus on the difference between music and noise. Most acts are traveling light shows of narcissistic prostitutes pretending they can play or sing. Not only has everything already been done — and recorded — it’s been done better. Many bands play nothing but covers of other bands’ material.
Can you still enjoy music. Sure. The classic stuff is still there, you can play to yourself if you know an instrument, but today’s music probably won’t speak to you because it isn’t trying to…and hopes you don’t notice.
It’s not about telling a moving story, or sharing a common experience on a purely human level. It is at best an assembly line sausage factory built to rally a fan base around a caricatured “shared identity”; (drinking and trucks for example if it was a country song.)
In addition, now that greed and treachery have rotted through the industry and digital music has become essentially “free,” the concert circuit has become a bloated joke. Older bands that are well known do fine and often suck all the oxygen (read available concert ticket money) out of the room. There are simply too many piglets for the teats available.
Nope. Pop music is pretty much dead. It may still be pumped out of radio speakers in stores so no one hears customers fart, but no one is home. The radio station, like offshore corporate headquarters, is a closet with a computer playing two albums worth of music on rotations that the Geneva Conventions would probably classify as torture.
March 31, 2015 at 10:18 am. Permalink.
yes replied:
I think we also need to take into account that most pop songs are in minor keys now.
July 23, 2015 at 6:28 pm. Permalink.
Skilax replied:
I completely agree. My preferred genre of music is pretty much anything before the 1950s but mainly big band and rhythmic jazz. I am 15 years old and have always hated popular music from my lifetime. When I listen to the music I like, other kids and teenagers look at me funny like the music that I playing was from a different world! It’s like teenagers nowadays don’t even know anything from before 2005. I also wear clothing that is actually decent, non provocative and I tuck my shirt in, the exact opposite of what people today are interested in. I also read books which is also another reason why I get stared a lot when everyone else was on their iphones. It’s the mainsteam media that is ruining the minds of anyone born after 1985. They would only listen to what’s being repeated everywhere and because it’s all they hear they assume it’s good music, but it’s really just trash. Though of course there are real music artists out there who make good music with real instruments. Young people these days should really really know that there are other genres of music besides pop, rap, and techno, and actually learn and use their heads for once.
October 4, 2015 at 12:05 pm. Permalink.
RBT replied:
Then you have these ignorant jack-ass kids who only follow this trend because everyone is. Pop isn’t music, it is garbage these days. I may listen to metal, but older pop culture music is still acceptable to me. I’m sick of watching this talent-less and depraved world gut itself from navel to nose and rotting itself inside out. Seriously people, just accept it. Rap has become pop, pop has become techno, and techno has become rap. My point is that it all sounds the same. To quote disturbed, “It’s as if the entire world has fallen in love with their insanity”. Look at my opinion as you will, but that’s just the way I see it. Metal master race, bitches, metal master race.
October 15, 2015 at 12:01 pm. Permalink.
Art replied:
There are two things not mentioned here which helped to killed music in my view. The first was MTV where the emphasis was on the video and the music was secondary. MTV stars like Madonna would never have been very popular before then because the songs and singing were very mediocre. The other thing is Clearchannel. When I was growing up in the sixties radio disc jockeys were able to play whatever they wanted which allowed the listening public to listen to a much wider variety of music. When Clearchannel bought over 800 am radio station the suits at the Clearchannel HQ decided what would be aired and all 800 plus stations were ordered to play the same songs resulting in a much smaller slice of the music pie to be available to the masses.
December 30, 2015 at 11:05 pm. Permalink.
Anthony replied:
I grew up listening to classic rock and 70’s-80’s punk rock. Later, I opened up to more rootsy music, like 50’s rock and roll. Nirvana was of my generation, and they were the last truly great rock band, in my opinion. There have been several outstanding artists since then, but they are becoming increasingly harder to find. There are indie artists out there nowadays who try to emulate the great acts of old, but end up sounding like weak copies. I think part of the problem is oversaturation. Almost anyone can access equipment to create “music” through sequencing/digital editing programs. Would-be artists can easily upload their music to iTunes and other file-sharing services. You don’t have to get “signed” anymore to distribute your music to the world. The premise before was, you formed a group, practiced endlessly, honed your craft and hopefully became “good enough” to get noticed by an A&R rep from a label. Nowadays, anyone who is computer-savvy can cut and paste a song together with little to no knowledge of musical structure or creative processes. The market is saturated with amateurish, boring and LOUD electronic-ky noise, rather than carefully, lovingly-crafted art.
In part, I blame hip-hop on the decline of modern music. 80’s and 90’s hip-hop was exciting, new and fresh, and showed lots of potential for advancement. But those in hip-hop soon made lots of cash, and it became more about the money than the music. Hip-hop became a way for poor urban kids to quickly hit it rich, with little effort. Modern hip-hop music is simple to make; follow the establish tropes in hip-hop and one can cash in easily. Yell (not rap) about bitches, ho’s, money and clubs, while throwing in a healthy dose of auto-tuning, and you can make heaps of money overnight. You don’t even have to be talented to make it big; you just need the right production team. Listen to rappers from 20 or 30 years ago, when they actually rapped; guys like Ice Cube, Ice-T and MC Ren had talent, their rhymes were quick and clever, their flow actually required practice. The rhythm was still in the music, it made you want to get up and dance. The samples were based on funky beats, like James Brown and Curtis Mayfield. Rappers today are clumsy and their lines are garbage. You can repeat the same weak line throughout an entire track and it can become a huge hit. The backing music is loud techno with unrealistically-fast electronic drum rolls. It’s formulaic, cheap and obnoxious crap that is absolutely lowering the standards for popular music.
January 14, 2016 at 11:57 am. Permalink.
Anthony replied:
I distinctly remember when everything really changed for the worst around 1996 – 97, when all of a sudden the backstreet boys exploded. I was confused and dismayed. The situation has deteriorated since then. An entire generation of young people are being raised on this vapid manufactured pop. And its all in the name of maximizing profit. My theory is that the catalyst for this change was the promulgation of this Act:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Act_of_1996
“In the late 1990s and early 2000s, [Clear Channel] became an object of persistent criticism.[110][111] FCC regulations were relaxed following the Telecommunications Act of 1996, allowing companies to own far more radio stations than before. After spending about $30 billion, Clear Channel owned over 1,200 stations nationwide, including as many as eight stations in certain markets.”
Reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHeartMedia
March 7, 2016 at 7:46 am. Permalink.
PrimusFan4Life replied:
The loudness factor is dynamic range, which I am completely in favor of. It makes it sound more “live”. What I counter with is that Pop music has ALWAYS sucked, and it’s getting even worse. Nobody seems to be able to make a song without help anymore. It’s always singer A featuring singer B. That and the complete absence of actual musical instruments being used, everything is synthesized on a laptop. Then there’s the real killers: Autotune and singing contest shows. Autotune makes everyone sound like they are from the movie Enemy Mine, and on the singing shows everyone goes bonkers when a singer holds a note for a long time. Sounds like caterwauling to me. I’ll take instrumental music any day.
August 2, 2016 at 11:13 am. Permalink.