The State of Music in the Mainstream!

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122907900#Comment_122907900

He's actually missing the point. It's right in what he said, but what he alludes to can only happen, when original music reaches the mainstream/the masses. For others to hear it, evolve and grow it.

People who keep coming back with this "theres good music there of you go looking for it", keep missing the point. You shouldn't have to, it should be in the mainstream. And if it's not, ideas arent being communicated to evolve and push the boundaries of music

Rooks

Popular music is completely fake and manufactured now. Every time I find an "artist" that I like, I look them up and it turns out an army of songwriters were behind the tune.

There's nothing wrong with the song itself, very catchy, but it lacks the authentic feel of being written by a single person instead of a committee.

There was once a time when you could look at the charts and it would be a mix of bands, artists and manufactured pop. Now it's all manufactured.

Rick Beato covers this topic in a video and he makes good points I think, the main one being that manufactured solo artists are far less risky for big labels in an era of lower revenue from music due to streaming.

https://youtu.be/h_DjmtR0Xls?si=_LItLvD1w8_fGpzL

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122874194#Comment_122874194

What?

Deregos.

From reading through this thread, one could be forgiven for thinking that it all started to go wrong for the music industry once TOTP's was cancelled. But there's probably as much chance of TOTP's being brought back as there is of bringing back Jimmy Saville to present it, and Gary Glitter as being this weeks 'straight in at No.1'.

jo187

"We all want real bands to headline festivals, not one modern band big"

Maybe you did and there still plenty of rock only festivals. Stuff comes and goes.

conorhal

I really like this chaps videos, he does vocal analysis by running songs through a program that tracks a performers voice graphically against the musical scale, but he's taken a lot of $h1t lately for his stance on auto-tune, particularly from 'Swifties' for having the temerity to point out that a good bulk of Taylor Swift's performance is sung to a backing track and those parts of her performance that she does sing live is all auto-tuned.

It's a sad indictment of the state of the music industry today that the biggest live performer touring now doesn't sing live or unassisted. Honestly, why would you pay the wild amounts of money that a Swift concert demands to listen to someone miming to a backing track? A comment on the video that made me laugh was somebody saying, 'I wonder how Taylor Swift would react if instead of clapping, the audience just held up their phones and played a track of applause instead?'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9DgsUEMWh4

For comparison, here he looks at some U2 live performances, I may think Bono is a pox, but you can't deny he's a solid showman and at least when he performs he performs live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96gBCZ8uxVI

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122911006#Comment_122911006

Name me one band even, formed after 2010, an original act who write their own music, who could sell out Slane? Bear in mind, Slane was always about bringing in the biggest new act of the day.

Name me just one act since 2010 who could sell it out?

CalamariFritti

I hate to say it cos its not my kind of stuff at all but maybe Ed Sheeran?

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122911688#Comment_122911688

Possibly. I'm more talking about original rock bands though, in the vein of the Killers, Razorlight, Keane, Snow Patrol, Kings of Leon etc, who were ten a penny in the mid 00's

thereiver

At least we got new rock bands in the ooo,s record company's now don't bother to support new bands unless it's a kpop group rock music is not really popular apart from heavy metal and

old Rock bands who can still sell out arenas due to older fans who are happy that buy tickets to hear music from their youth . Most pop singers do not write all their songs this has been true going back to Sinatra and Elvis Presley

Read reviews of the eras tour they are all positive she sings live I don't think it makes much difference if she uses backing tracks she sings for 3 hours there's great special effects and costume changes and a large group of dancers if you can afford a ticket you get a good show

Most pop groups don't even make music videos any more fans will make tik tok videos to promote the music

Youtube and TikTok have replaced MTV as the place to promote new music the good thing is old Rock groups are gaining new fans as gen z is finding old songs and making tik toks about them I think most modern music is simply not as good as music from previous decades it sounds too perfect and bland and overproduced Rick beato explains in his videos how songs are now produced on computers mistakes can be removed using music editing programs

I can't think of any Rock group in the past 10 years that had the range of quality songs that rem or u2 or Fleetwood Mac released

In the old days of Mtv one or two good music videos would be enough to launch a new Rock group in America

jo187

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122911648#Comment_122911648

I don't get your point? Write their own music?

It's not the 90s with pop people being manufactured.

Most Successful artists these days write there own stuff.

Four guys with guitars are not in vouge at the moment doesn't mean there no original music.

thereiver

Theres a new book out soon called the Endless refrain it's subject is basically if you are over a certain age theres no need to listen to new music at all you can listen to high quality music from your youth or the best of the 80s onwards .I think it's

possible for a singer to be great and not to have written any of the songs they sing .There's plenty of good quality music being made right now.Billie eilish and Lady Gaga are very talented and write their own songs

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122912717#Comment_122912717

They really don't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwmPPNC61Wk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_DjmtR0Xls

With the tools and automation they copy a lot of stuff these day, so hence it all sound similar.

Flinty997

There is original music, its just not on the mainstream distribution, its on social media, self publishing etc.

So if you're not hearing it, go find it. That's half the fun anyway.

RayCon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122868308#Comment_122868308

God I hate that fcukin ad because of that song

thereiver

I.m talking about music in the top 40 pop music I don't listen to heavy metal rap or other genres of music I think there's plenty of original music being made Theres probably more people making music than ever before A lot of singers start off making YouTube videos if they get alot of views they'll get a record deal.i think it's sad there's not many Rock bands anymore I think Sabrina carpenter is a good singer her lyrics are funny and witty I think in general music before 1990was better in that it was not all recorded using computers and programs that make it seem bland I think top of the pops was cancelled as it did not get high ratings as people can just go to YouTube and watch and song they want and people were also downloading music I'm not a tech expert but I think Taylor swift does sing live when she's in concert

Esel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122918487#Comment_122918487

Your posts would be read by more people if you used some punctuation. They are pretty hard to read as is.

Commas and full stops, with a space after each, not before.

Edit: sorry if I come across as harsh; that's not my intention.

humberklog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122911648#Comment_122911648

Hang on, what?

Thin Lizzy '81?

Rolling Stones' 82

Bob Dylan '84

Spingstien' 85

Queen '86

Bowie' 87

Neil Young '93

REM' 95

I could go on. Are you serious?

CalamariFritti

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122918904#Comment_122918904

Did you read his post?

thereiver

I wonder why do no UK pop singers no longer sing in an UK accent Kate nash is the last pop singer that had a real English accent

dogbert27

When I saw the title of the thread I immediately thought of Rick Beato videos I've been watching on youtube but going through the pages I see a few posters have had the same thought!

A lot of people missing the OP's point in that historically the mainstream gave you new acts to follow instead of the nowadays, "it's there, you just have to look for it".

Growing up in the late 80's / early 90's watching The Den, they would play a music video at the end of the show and it could be anything from Whatever by Oasis, to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, The Long and Winding Road by the Beatles, Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles, Vienna by Ultravox.

There was Top of the Pops which gave you everything.

MTV in the 80's / early 90's showcasing new bands live, Ray Cokes for example with his Most Wanted show.

For example from best bits, around the 30 minute mark talking with Rob Smith right before he's supposed to be playing a gig, you wouldn't see that today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kovCz8J5XlQ

Everyday radio and television gave you the variety.

I remember in 1997 when "Your Woman" came out from White Town and got to number 1.

First song done by a guy sitting in his bedroom with a computer. People were saying that that was the beginning of the end for the music we experienced in the 80's and 90's and it was the start of the music that we have today.

Badly Drunk Boy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122918553#Comment_122918553

I usually do read his posts but sometimes I'm out of breath by the end of them. 😄

thereiver

I don,t think we need top of the pops anymore .Young people watch tik tok or youtube .Artists can use social media and tik tok to promote their music .Mtv can get better ratings by making reality tv shows .Greatest hits radio like q102 or bbc radio 2 are very popular.If a song is used in a film like barbie or a tv ad it,ll probably be a hit.The last rock band i liked was the sterophonics .I think its great that gen z is discovering a lot of old music on tik tok .

https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/16y9ure/what_are_some_examples_of_old_songs_going_viral/

https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/entertainment/popularity/radio-stations/all

I think record companys have limited budgets to promote new music. Its easier to let singers make tik tok videos and use social media to connect with their fans.

when i look at ai art it looks strange to me everything is perfect the humans all have perfect skin no wrinkles or blemishes.

i think a lot of modern music is over produced as its all recorded using computers.If you listen to most music from the 70,s and 90s, it sounds different .it sounds more natural organic with more complex melodys which last longer.Most pop songs in 2024 have short melodys that are repeated over and over with a lot of electronic effects produced on computers . I ,m not saying that there are fewer very talented drummers and guitarists and singers

as there were in the past.

As rick beato explains in his videos the way music is produced and recorded in 2024 is completely different to the 70s or the 80s.

i think singers like billie eilish and lana del ray are making great music and are as good as the average pop star in the 80s or 2000.s

i,d like an article to explain why theres no modern rock groups in the top 40 .Why is rock music not popular any more .

It seems right now pop music rap hip country and dance music are the most popular music genres .

We may never see another new group like oasis or rem .

https://poweredbyrock.com/blogs/pbr-podcast-season-5/the-death-of-rock-music-will-it-ever-make-a-comeback#:~:text=The%20shift%20in%20societal%20music,in%20the%20genre's%20diminished%20popularity.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122924078#Comment_122924078

I'll learn you yet lad!

The Golden Miller

Exactly. People ready to jump the gun without reading what was said, dismissing it as a grumpy person saying "music was better in my day", or that "the charts are rubbish, theres still good music out there".

There is still good music out there, I'm not disputing that, but you do need to get to the mainstream to communicate ideas. Real bands had a path to the mainstream for decades, before free downloading started. As I said, radio's are only aloud to play what technically sells, real bands therefore were squeezed of exposure. Typically, people into "bands or real music", knew how to download for free. Therefore bands couldn't get widespread airplay and grow, they weren't selling music. What we have now is the result.

The last decade, 2010 onwards, was the first decade where real bands, in any great number, failed to make up circa half the charts, well since "contemporary popular music" started with the Beatles. People don't seem to understand the reason and cause for this.

It's hard to know how "real" original music comes back, to the forefront of the nation

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122927343#Comment_122927343

You actually have an interesting point in there, which relates to my question of how can real music come back. In theory, yes anyone can now make it through non traditional streams and go viral. People don't buy music anymore, so when I say radios only play what sells, this should be moot now too. But it's not that simple, by the time the "free downloading" ended, and streaming started, there was such damage done to the industry, in terms of flushing out and disheartening real bands and songwriters who couldn't make a living. This has had a knock on effect, to no influence for the next generation to get involved in bands.

Real musicians and songwriters had the power at one stage to push back against the industry and maintain creative control, and were popular and influential enough to do so. We see how Damon Albarn can pretty much do and say as he pleases, as he's one of the last mainstream songwriters left. But after the next generation of bands failed to appear, the commercial side of the music industry, has "popular music" in a complete stranglehold, and control everything accross the mediums.

Even up and coming songwriters who do make inroads, their power is so little in negotiations. We actually are starting to see a few "real bands" reappear and making inroads, due to the other avenues available you mentioned, so it will be interesting to see where that goes. Established musicians are also poor at helping up and coming original acts, the only mainstream established musician fighting their corner, and giving some pushback to the industry, is Damon Albarn from what I can see

thereiver

I think Taylor swift had a lot of guest singers on her tour like Gracie Adams that may have not been known to alot of swift fans .if you are a really good songwriter you,ll eventually get someone famous to record your song it costs very little to put up a song on YouTube

fatherted1969

Only discovered Ren a few months ago, what an artist he is. Lyrically he's probably the best I've ever heard and will play and sing any genre. Good artists are out there, radio stations just aren't playing them

thereiver

if you get a million views on tik tok or youtube you,ll get into the charts i don,t think gen z listens to radio much anymore Singers can promote their songs on social media .Rick astley played on the stage at glastonbury based on the popularity of the rickrolling meme which brought his music to a new generation.Radio stations will play any singer who has a hit song they don,t seem to have much influence any more on what music young people listens to.Radio stations like bbc radio 2 and greatest hits radio uk are very popular .Radio or mtv are no longer that important in regarding to promoting new music or new bands . i hope one day we,ll see a rock band that are promoted on youtube or tik tok or social media.

As i said before most radio stations in america are owned by 2 or 3 companys they have a very limited playlist they have no interest in promoting rock music or breaking new music in general .They mostly play singers that are in the billboard top 100 to maximise ratings and advertising revenue.

thereiver

i don,t know if young people listen to radio at all since theres so many apps and online streaming sources to listen to music.in the 90s people used to use apps like limewire to download mp3,s.Before streaming was invented and broadband was widely avaidable.