What has happened to the music industry? (1 Viewer)

[Karl_Luph]

After reading various posts pertaining to the music awards shows lately, it sounds like the music industry is in a huge slump for some real talent. When you have people tuning out after only 5 or 10 minutes something must be messed up.

 

[Brian Perry]

In the latest Stereophile magazine, the editor mentioned that he was shocked to hear the answer to the following trivia question:

After Elvis and The Beatles, who is in third place for the most #1 songs?

Mariah Carey, with 15.

Both he and I cannot name one of those songs, and I have a feeling many members here can't either. And it's not like we've been living in a vaccuum. I can think of several songs each by many of her contemporaries (Whitney Houston, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, etc.) but not one by Mariah. How can that be? Are her songs that devoid of melody?

On the other hand, I think there is a lot of good music being produced these days, but as has always been the case, it's not necessarily the most popular. You just have to dig a little.

 

[Greg_Y]

Anyone who says there's no good music out there is either lazy or lying. There's tons of good stuff out there. Just don't expect Clear Channel to deliver it to you.

 

[Paul_Medenwaldt]

What I think has hurt the music industry is the cookie cutter approach it has in new talent.

When Hootie and the Blowfish became popular there were 10 bands right behind them replicating their style and sound.

I'm not sure who was first but there were the Backstreet Boys and N'sync and that followed more of the same boy bands.

When Britney Spears gyrated onto the scene what followed were more of the same, Mandy Moore, Christina Agulara and so on. Even some of the current female country artists are falling into that trap by reinventing their looks very much like a Britney Spears looks.

There is better talent out there then what the Record companies lead you to believe. They just make more money from duplicating someone else's success.

As for award shows, I stopped watching the AMA's and Grammy's years ago. I realized the AMA's were a popularity contest and had nothing to do with actual talent being recognized. Then in the early 90's the people that put the Grammy's together, were worried they were losing viewership because none of the hip talent were getting nominated for anything, which meant in their eyes the younger viewership was declining, so they made an effort to nominate talent that did not deserve it otherwise.

The Grammy's somewhat redeemed themselves a couple years when Steely Dan won record of the year.

Paul

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

The cookie cutter approach has been around as long as the music industry, but the copy cat bands have disappeared from memory.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

The cookie cutter approach has been around as long as the music industry, but the copy cat bands have disappeared from memory.

 

[Jeramy_K]

I surprised myself on this one. I can think of 10 of her songs off the top of my head that went #1. But at the same time I can only think of 2 songs by the Beatles and 3 by Elvis.
I guess it's all about what catches your ear. And I'm sure age factors in there somewhere as well.

 

[Karl_Luph]

I think you're right about the cookie cutter concept but now it seems that looks and image have replaced real God-given talent. In the pop music catagory if you're over 30, no make that make that overweight you're SOL.

 

[Danny Tse]

Despite her recent troubles, Mariah Carey is actually a very good singer. Given the right material, she can be spectacular. Example....her cover of "I'll Be There", from her MTV Unplugged album.

Elvis and The Beatles? I'm a big fan as well.

 

[Marc Colella]

What really bothers me is that most Top 40 acts nowadays are just "figure-heads" for the studios.

Many acts don't play any instruments, create their own arrangements or write their own lyrics. It's "music by commitee". The concerts wind up being huge stage shows with ALOT of dancing and lip-synching.

On Faith Hill's latest CD, she had 24 different people write her songs - meanwhile she states that her songs are personal songs. Don't know how personal it can get when other people are writing the songs.

We've seens acts like this in the past, but it's so much more common today.

It's not art anymore... it's just business. Brittany Spears and the rest are only products, not artists.

The labels should get back to supporting and developing quality young artists and try to get a long-term thing going instead of going for the quick buck. Radio has also gotten worse because of it, due to the studios paying for airplay.

The music industry is going down the tubes, and they have noone to blame but themselves. MP3's aren't to blame, the record labels and recording industry are.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Many acts don't play any instruments, create their own arrangements or write their own lyrics.

You just described the music industry from its inception up until the early 1960s. The idea of singer/songwriter didn't come along until late in the game. Songwriters and arrangers have been around far longer than acts that write their own material.

As for songs being personal, there is no reason someon can't find personal meaning in someone else's work. In fact, chosing from the millions of songs written each year, rather than relying on one person's ability to create, can make for a more interesting album.

Sure, there is a plethora of "junk music" out there, just like there's "junk food." That doesn't mean you can't find a great meal. The one hit wonder syndrome has been around for decades.

 

[JordanS]

I'll just keep listening to Pink Floyd and George Bizet--------and perhaps some Radiohead and Coldplay once in a while---

 

[MatS]

Anyone who says there's no good music out there is either lazy or lying. There's tons of good stuff out there. Just don't expect Clear Channel to deliver it to you.

nuff said...
You guys continue to want stuff spoon fed to you, keep opening your mouths and pocketbooks. NOW Volume 11,503 is not too far off.
www.xmradio.com
www.xmfan.com
www.clubxm.com

 

[Tom McDonald]

I work in the music industry and the reason M. Carey is that highly ranked is because Sony made the point to make sure that everytime she released a single it was guarenteed to climb to #1 because they sold it to the music retailers for a much discounted price allowing the retailers to sell them for very cheap prices such as 50cents, for that price people would grab them. She is however no longer on Sony so maybe the trend will end.
I also agree that there is a great deal of talent out there you just need to try something other then the top 100 cds and ask the people working in retail they know more then lots of people think.

 

[Patrick Sun]

There's something to be said about musical artists who can get up on stage, sit in a chair or on a stool, with their musical instrument and entertain the audience simply with that and their voice.

 

[Chuck L]

Well along with the radio station complaints, though most seem to be run by Clear Channel, one of the biggest problems adding to the decline of talent on radio is the radio consultant.

The consultant, for those that don't know, is a person that sits in a office in say LA and tells a radio programmer in either Kentucky or Vermont, what the people there want to hear. The problem in this...different people. Just because a song is hot in LA, doesn't mean that the people in Peoria, Il. want to hear it. The days of a program director or music director having power has to what has been played seems to have gone to the ability of being able to choose personally one or two songs to add.

Though it really isn't a thing of music, another concept that I feel that has really hurt radio is that of syndicated radio. It used to be a huge treat when I was younger to go out of town and eat at different places, shop in different stores, and hear radio that I had never heard before. But now it seems that no matter what town you go, if it a big coporate radio station, not only is it all the same music, but the same air talent as well.

What strikes me funny when it comes to radio for music, is just how much music there is you don't hear. How often is it that you will go to a shopping mall, a grocery store, or when you go out to eat, that you hear a song on their system that you haven't heard in ages? Very often you will hear songs that radio stations say that don't test well or that they are 'burned out' yet you will hear them in a very public forum such as Muzak. Muzak isn't anywhere near the bastard at the family reunion that they once were with thier hard rock turned instrumental crap. They have many a station to offer up to their customers. There music is tested as well, yet it is amazing that you will hear a much more diverse mix there than anywhere other than your own collection. Radio...just the hot current hits, and by no one over twelve years of age it seems.

Also, in keeping the mood of the topic with the Award shows...whatever happened to the days of when people with money dressed like they had money. Just recently on the Billboard Music Award show, Keith Urban looked not only like he had just rolled out of bed, but could only find clean a t-shirt and jeans. Granted, he is a country music artist, but I remember the days of Barbara Mandrell in a wonderful gown and Kenny Rogers in a tux. At this past weeks American Music Awards, Shania Twain was dressed like she was trying out for a role in a forthcoming Hellraiser movie. Let's not even think of two years ago 'Lil Kim's breast exposure (let alone Diana Ross playing with it) at an awards show.

This years nominations so far have kept me away from every award show. I am prepared again to this year to not watch either the Grammy's or the Academy Awards based on out of fear that it always seems that those I think should win usually lose out to those music/films that were either safe and beloved by the general public or fit into the political process of how it seems they all abide these days.

Like others have said...instead of blaming record sale slumps on the internet, look inside. These same people that are accusing us of theft, are the same people that have screwed the artist over for years...the record company itself. Plus...right now and for most of the scene in the past five years...music is simply boring right now.

 

[Clint B]

Overall, I think everyone's right on the money with valid reasons why the music industry is, in general, junk. But as was mentioned before, there are some places where good music still exists--and some of that good music is produced by major artists. Case in point: the latest Dixie Chicks album. While it was recorded relatively free of record company constraints (the Chicks were suing Sony at the time of the recording), it proves that a major artist can put out quality work that has meaning. This album is my favorite of 2002.

 

[Karl_Luph]

I know I'm going to get beat up pretty bad for saying this but here goes. I've listened to all kinds of different genres of music and alot of the popular music nowadays is negative. It's either full of hate, angst,anarchy,destroyed relationships,lack of respect for themselves or others,promiscuity,death,revenge,drugs, and drinkin' etc.etc.etc. What happened to feel good music, did it just become unfashionable? I really hope kids will eventually get tired of all this because I really don't know how much lower we can get before this can no longer be called music. These bands don't even look like they're having fun playing their songs. The last band I saw really having alot of fun playing their music was The Brian Setzer Orchestra. I guess Duke Ellington was right, "It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing". Now that is some positive music. O.K., I'm ready to take my beating.

 

[Matthew Brown]

Karl -
You've acurately described most of the old Country and Western songs my Dad used to listen to! Of course the only drug they mentioned was alcohol. This was before C&W music became more like Rock and Roll with a twang.
I think the problem with a lot (not all) of music is that a lot of artists start out with something special and then the labels change them to appeal to the masses. The major labels have castrated Punk, exagerated Gangsta elements of Rap music, and raided the Mickey Mouse club for talent.
What did they expect? Good for them. What they do now is nothing new but it is more extreme because they have to worry about Mtv and how many products they can endorse. The music is only part of the whole picture.
I totally see regular CD's disappearing in a year or two in favor of one of the newer formats if music sales don't pick up. Why? The major labels' only cash cow is their back catalog. They would love it if everybody had to buy all their music over like when they got rid of vinyl. Of course some people never got rid of their vinyl. :wink:
Matt

 

[Chuck L]

Even with the comments that I have made regarding the music industry of today...keep in mind that in the 50's with the invention of Rock and Roll, these things were said then. The same goes for every other decade thereafter. Afterall, just remember what most of our parents thought about us and our 80's music when they were in the drug loving hey-day's of the 60's.

Even with as rancid as today's stars of today might be, then J-lo's and Britney's of tomorrow will only be more extreme, and more than likely even worse, than what we have today.