A big reason why so much music sucks these days

[FunkyHiFi]

Article: "Quality in the Age of Good Enough"

Just to get you started on this detailed article in case you're one of those "on-the-go" people the deodorant & nutrition bar commercials talk about :

As the major labels have become consolidated as part of larger corporate entities unconcerned about the “art” of music, instead interested only in generating profits for über-companies' stockholders, label rosters have been decimated, recording budgets have been dramatically slashed.........

“The other more insidious thing that's happening is that the music people are slowly disappearing and being replaced by business people,” he continues. “When I was chosen to be president [of Sire], I was chosen because I was thought of as an artist's guy, but then once I was president, my job had nothing to do with that. I was supposed to figure out budgets; I was like an accountant. They would ask me, ‘Okay, how many copies are we going to sell of the next Ministry album?’ ‘How the f*** do I know? The band didn't even write the songs yet!’ But they literally based everything on how many they're going to sell. With Alanis and Jagged Little Pill, we figured she was going to sell 25,000 and she sold 23 million. Doesn't that tell you the system is idiotic? When I felt it reached a point where it was irrevocable, I retired.”

Since this is on a professional recording site, it begins to talk of the audio quality of many newer recordings, but the quality of the music & how it can be negatively effected is the more important aspect I wanted to point out.

[DroppinScience]

That sounds about right. The people in charge are those who know zilch about music.

Obviously, the business side of things is very important (you gotta make decisions that will help keep you in business, duh), but it really shouldn't trump artistic growth, integrity, etc.

It's just too bad all the talented artists gotta put up with the bullshit, y'know.

[EN[i]GMA]

It is a shame.

[Trimm Trabb]

hasn't it always been like this?
As long as people have been making records other people have been trying to make money from it.
There always has been loads of music that sucked for that reason, but we just haven't remembered it.

[Documad]

Originally Posted by Trimm Trabb

hasn't it always been like this?
As long as people have been making records other people have been trying to make money from it.
There always has been loads of music that sucked for that reason, but we just haven't remembered it.

You are singing my song sister. During my whole music-loving life, a huge percentage of music each year has been total crap. I think things have maybe even gotten a little better lately because it seems to me that artists I listen to aren't having to count on MTV and top 40 radio to get the word out. I'm a bit encouraged lately.

[DroppinScience]

Originally Posted by Documad

You are singing my song sister. During my whole music-loving life, a huge percentage of music each year has been total crap. I think things have maybe even gotten a little better lately because it seems to me that artists I listen to aren't having to count on MTV and top 40 radio to get the word out. I'm a bit encouraged lately.

I am definitely going on record to say that the quality of music today is much better than it was just 5 years or so ago.

I'm speaking more in terms of mainstream, of course. In ANY given time period where it was believed that music was horrible, you'll find some gems that were outside the mainstream.

But as of right now, there seems to be a number of bands that are pushed into the limelight and this is a great thing. Whether it's Arcade Fire, Franz Ferdinand or White Stripes or whoever, people are actually paying attention to music that matters again.

All of this comes from a hunger for the good stuff. From around 1997 to 2000, I had to endure all the boy band nonsense and I didn't have the savvy or know-how to know where to find the good music (aside from the likes of Foo Fighters or Red Hot Chili Peppers... bands who will do well no matter what the musical climate is) that was coming out.

Which is why the internet, TV commercials and other alternative methods are being used to push new music. People may knock "The O.C." (I actually can't stand to watch more than 5 minutes of the show myself), but I'm all for the music that they're pushing. Whether it's Seth Cohen pushing Death Cab For Cutie or 5 new Beck songs being played in one episode, this show is representing the hunger people have for finding out about good music.

I know some people hate that their bands are getting popular and that more than 5 people buy their records (I get into many an arguments with a few friends over this), but they're just going to have to deal with the fact that good music doesn't belong to a select group of people... it's for everyone.

[Documad]

Originally Posted by DroppinScience

I know some people hate that their bands are getting popular and that more than 5 people buy their records (I get into many an arguments with a few friends over this), but they're just going to have to deal with the fact that good music doesn't belong to a select group of people... it's for everyone.

As happy as I am for say Beck to sell CDs, I was seriously depressed to see him on Nightline and to have one of my friends buy his CD because it's suddenly going to be a whole lot harder to see him live. The good news is that he seems not to give a fuck what the audience wants so he's unlikely to cater to the new fans.

I want my less well known bands to do well enough to keep going, but not so well that I can no longer see them at a club for under $30.

[DroppinScience]

Originally Posted by Documad

I want my less well known bands to do well enough to keep going, but not so well that I can no longer see them at a club for under $30.

There I sympathize. Can't always pay $50-100+ to see them at an arena or wherever.

[ASsman]

BECAUSE YOU KEEP BUYING IT!!!

[FunkyHiFi]

Obviously, the business side of things is very important (you gotta make decisions that will help keep you in business, duh),

True.

hasn't it always been like this?

Nope, it hasn't.

If you want to find out more about this, put the following set of words into Google and a bunch of sites will appear detailing what happened to a few of just the MANY small labels that have been absorbed over the years:

label Warner Atlantic Elektra Asylum conglomerate

BTW: Warner Music (but not the Warner movie division) was bought by a group of investors last year from Time-AOL and is now a private company i.e. no shareholders to please--that should ease the strain on their artists to make gobs of money with their first album and let them develop their craft like in the old days.......I hope.

Up until around the late 70s there were many, many small and very sucessful music labels. Obviously there are still small indie labels that sell good music but there seems to be less of them. And don't think that all small labels are "indies": some huge corporations market their stuff under a name created to make it look like one but actually all it is a name with a cool insginia. That doesn't mean the music will automatically suck but this is just an FYI into the wacky world of music marketing.

Yes, there has always been crappy music and maybe that's actually been the majority of all music ever made but it's WHY so much of it is bad now that pisses off a lot of people. If a song is bad because the artist just didn't have the talent to pull it off, that's one thing. But if it's bad becasue some clueless beancounter in the label's accounting division caused it to be that way, THAT'S a whole other issue.

The following is a graphic of I think has happened to the music biz since all those corporate buy-outs started in the mid 80s and especially in the late 90s:

Pre-80s (the line of asterisks indicates interest level)

Making money:
***************
Producing quality music:
***********************

Post-80s/90s

Making money:
**********************************************
Producing quality music:
*********

[DroppinScience]

Originally Posted by FunkyHiFi

label Warner Atlantic Elektra Asylum conglomerate

BTW: Warner Music (but not the Warner movie division) was bought by a group of investors last year from Time-AOL and is now a private company i.e. no shareholders to please--that should ease the strain on their artists to make gobs of money with their first album and let them develop their craft like in the old days.......I hope.

Some of that may be coming into reality. I read that with My Chemical Romance (who are on Reprise, which is under the Warner umbrella) have been more than pleased with their relationship to Warner. They've let them do what they want and let them do everything their way. It indicated to me that they were willing to let MCR grow organically, rather than pigeon-holing them to do one specific thing under the pretense that it would sell more records or whatever.

[RT400z]

I really don't get it. You would think good music equals good money. It seems to me that a lot of popular music is a rip off, watered down version of underground music. Maybe music becomes this way because most people have bad taste? Also it seems the worse the song the more catchy.

[ASsman]

Originally Posted by RT400z

I really don't get it. You would think good music equals good money. It seems to me that a lot of popular music is a rip off, watered down version of underground music. Maybe music becomes this way because most people have bad taste? Also it seems the worse the song the more catchy.

It's all watered down popy shit, mass appeal, no need to be true to itself.

[Documad]

Originally Posted by RT400z

I really don't get it. You would think good music equals good money. It seems to me that a lot of popular music is a rip off, watered down version of underground music. Maybe music becomes this way because most people have bad taste? Also it seems the worse the song the more catchy.

I don't think anyone has said that the most popular music is the best. Yes, popular music has usually been a watered down, catchy version of something better and truer. Like Pat Boone sold a lot of records covering Little Richard. When something really wonderful breaks out and gets popular, you can almost bet the original thing is doomed, and that there will be a million bad copies of it. Like with grunge.

The music of my youth was corporate rock. There was a lot of other good music available, but it was difficult to find. You had to read alternative press and drive into "the city" to find the "records" and sometimes you would pay more because they were "imported." That made it all the more special to me because I didn't share it with the masses. But, for my money, it's better in some ways now because I can order anything I want on the internet. I miss the independent record stores. We still have one kick ass store, and where, when you get home, everything you bought smells like insense. In fact, I'm headed there now.

[FunkyHiFi]

Stop making such a big fucking deal.

::snif snif:: an informercial said it's good for my inner being to purge negative thoughts like this-you wouldn't want me to get an ulcer would you?

[nobbus]

music is sucking more and more because there are less independent labels. in the 80s there were many labels competing for market share, now there is but a handful.

[Sandinista!]

Talentless hacks that are deemed "musicians" are also to blame, for their inherent shittyness naturally mars the modern music experience.

Listen to some worthwhile material, like the Stray Cats or Kraftwerk.