Why music is getting worse. It's only 12 minutes, it's worth the time.
- Thread starter Dingman
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The first part of the video, he may have a point.
The second part- about music being "too accessible"- I find harder to accept. I talk to TOO MANY younger people, that not only listen to modern music- but are enamored with older stuff, that would, without streaming services, be either impossible (out of print), horrifically expensive even by historical album purchase prices (a Billy Thorpe CD selling for $150, for example), or too obscure (at least in some cases- regional or foreign artists, that just aren't generally well known in another area), for them to have been able to experience.
I know of VERY FEW younger people- most of whom stream or download music- who don't consider at least SOME sort of music important to them. As to the point, where they'll talk about it for hours, if they find a receptive audience, in many cases. And it seems like they're generally more varied in their interests, that people of my generation were, with rare exception.
Also, I'm seeing people of my generation, and older- those who have embraced streaming or downloading- who have discovered artists and songs that they never knew existed- even from OUR OWN TIME when we were young. I know I certainly have. Just today- I heard a Pat Benatar album that I somehow missed. Knew the top-40 hit from it- but never realized how good the rest of the album was- until now. And because of some younger person who had streamed it, and was playing it near where I was.
How can this be a bad thing?
Regards,
Gordon.
The second part- about music being "too accessible"- I find harder to accept. I talk to TOO MANY younger people, that not only listen to modern music- but are enamored with older stuff, that would, without streaming services, be either impossible (out of print), horrifically expensive even by historical album purchase prices (a Billy Thorpe CD selling for $150, for example), or too obscure (at least in some cases- regional or foreign artists, that just aren't generally well known in another area), for them to have been able to experience.
I know of VERY FEW younger people- most of whom stream or download music- who don't consider at least SOME sort of music important to them. As to the point, where they'll talk about it for hours, if they find a receptive audience, in many cases. And it seems like they're generally more varied in their interests, that people of my generation were, with rare exception.
Also, I'm seeing people of my generation, and older- those who have embraced streaming or downloading- who have discovered artists and songs that they never knew existed- even from OUR OWN TIME when we were young. I know I certainly have. Just today- I heard a Pat Benatar album that I somehow missed. Knew the top-40 hit from it- but never realized how good the rest of the album was- until now. And because of some younger person who had streamed it, and was playing it near where I was.
How can this be a bad thing?
Regards,
Gordon.
Semanon
Super Member
, indeed.There is a difference between music getting worse and music being easier to distribute, regardless of talent. Previously, there were many layers of gatekeepers, for good or bad. The good being that a lot of mediocre music never got air time. The bad being that unique and cutting edge music is quashed and never gets an audience…someone (other than you) becomes the arbiter of taste and popularity.
It’s also much easier to promote your music than ever before via many channels.
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robert_kc
Super Member
IMO, the guys in the video have a ridiculously simplistic and narrow-minded view of music.
Believe it or not, not everyone listens to poor-quality recordings of electronically-produced pop music.
For example, for the last 200 years many people have enjoyed live performances of Beethoven’s music – i.e., performances that involve no electronic technologies. And many people will enjoy traditional live performances of Beethoven’s music for hundreds of years to come - 100% natural – no electronics. The same is true with countless other classical composers. The same is true for traditional opera, chamber music, etc. The same is true for some other genres.
A few weeks ago I heard a world-class live performance of Mahler Symphony 2 that was incredibly beautiful. No use of electronics. With more than 100 orchestra musicians on stage, plus 160 singers, and a pipe organ, it was an incredibly beautiful - and powerful - experience. Here’s a snippet of a quiet passage (fourth movement) from Mahler Symphony 2:
NEWS FLASH: Not all music was created using a DAW (digital audio workstation).
For those who are dissatisfied with poor quality pop music, I respectfully suggest that you start attending concerts that involve no electronics. There are countless examples of “natural performances” from diverse genres. There are many high-quality recordings of such performances.
Rather than wasting your life ranting about crappy electronically-produced pop music, perhaps it would make more sense to discover high-quality natural music – whatever the genre.
Or, if you enjoy electronic music – then, to each their own – but I respectfully suggest that you don’t conclude that all music available today is poor quality.
Believe it or not, not everyone listens to poor-quality recordings of electronically-produced pop music.
For example, for the last 200 years many people have enjoyed live performances of Beethoven’s music – i.e., performances that involve no electronic technologies. And many people will enjoy traditional live performances of Beethoven’s music for hundreds of years to come - 100% natural – no electronics. The same is true with countless other classical composers. The same is true for traditional opera, chamber music, etc. The same is true for some other genres.
A few weeks ago I heard a world-class live performance of Mahler Symphony 2 that was incredibly beautiful. No use of electronics. With more than 100 orchestra musicians on stage, plus 160 singers, and a pipe organ, it was an incredibly beautiful - and powerful - experience. Here’s a snippet of a quiet passage (fourth movement) from Mahler Symphony 2:
NEWS FLASH: Not all music was created using a DAW (digital audio workstation).
For those who are dissatisfied with poor quality pop music, I respectfully suggest that you start attending concerts that involve no electronics. There are countless examples of “natural performances” from diverse genres. There are many high-quality recordings of such performances.
Rather than wasting your life ranting about crappy electronically-produced pop music, perhaps it would make more sense to discover high-quality natural music – whatever the genre.
Or, if you enjoy electronic music – then, to each their own – but I respectfully suggest that you don’t conclude that all music available today is poor quality.
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petes'picks
Super Member
Using real musicians playing real instruments is for boomers. Thank God I'm a boomer. You can take the top 40 pop songs from any given week these days and you would be lucky if 2 of those 40 songs used more than 2 real instruments and didnt use auto tune or pro tools.
My whole love of music revolves around the musicians playing on the recordings, these days they are even using pro tools to take the sharp and flat parts out of guitar solos. It is maddening when they remove the soul of humanity from the performances and try to replace it with samples or run them through programs.
Its a brutal road for the up and coming talent, its all about a look or image if you want to make it, then you need to sell your soul to record company and dump your band and use their resident geek with the samples.. Looking back many of my favorite artists are homey looking and some were downright ugly and many times they were even pitchy but you could definitely feel them and relate to them. Not all new music sucks, its just that the record companies are not putting any effort into promoting the real talent. If we are being honest they could take a cashier from your local grocery store then run them through their pro tools and make them sound like the majority of the biggest artists today.
Never heard a drum sample move me like Jeff Porcaro, John Bohnham, Art Blakey, Neil Peart..... and never heard a auto tuned voice move me like Stevie Wonder, Ella, Aretha, Freddie Mercury or even pitchy singers like SRV, Joni Mitchell, JJ Cale and Joe Walsh. Best if they leave the humanity in music.
My whole love of music revolves around the musicians playing on the recordings, these days they are even using pro tools to take the sharp and flat parts out of guitar solos. It is maddening when they remove the soul of humanity from the performances and try to replace it with samples or run them through programs.
Its a brutal road for the up and coming talent, its all about a look or image if you want to make it, then you need to sell your soul to record company and dump your band and use their resident geek with the samples.. Looking back many of my favorite artists are homey looking and some were downright ugly and many times they were even pitchy but you could definitely feel them and relate to them. Not all new music sucks, its just that the record companies are not putting any effort into promoting the real talent. If we are being honest they could take a cashier from your local grocery store then run them through their pro tools and make them sound like the majority of the biggest artists today.
Never heard a drum sample move me like Jeff Porcaro, John Bohnham, Art Blakey, Neil Peart..... and never heard a auto tuned voice move me like Stevie Wonder, Ella, Aretha, Freddie Mercury or even pitchy singers like SRV, Joni Mitchell, JJ Cale and Joe Walsh. Best if they leave the humanity in music.
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"Natural music" sounds like a concocted term. Presumably not confined to acoustic, otherwise why not just say acoustic?
Postwar jazz comfortably accommodated electric and electronic instruments. So who decides what's natural and what isn't? The snobs?
Yes, but they don't think they are.
AudioAvarice
Super Member
Technically any recorded music is 'unnatural' 
So are instruments. A piano doesn't just happen. And a full-scale organ is effectively a custom-built machine.
No one you'd need to rearrange your life around.
A You Tube Influencer that is struggling to be relevant, so he has tapped into the normal old people generational thing of "new music sux"Who is Rick Beato?
Also in before the ...
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1000% this
I agree for the most part. As I ponder, I think the streaming isn't really different than when I used to have the radio on all the time.
I guess I'm just a stick in the mud, so to speak.
Gigantic
A big, big love
When he's talking about music theory or his "what makes this song great?" series, Rick Beato is without parallel when it comes to dispensing wisdom. However, his videos where he grouses about the state of today's music are peak boomer, "get off my lawn" cringe. It's as bad as youse old-heads getting triggered by "vinyls."