Has music on American radio become "retarded" and "rubbish"?

[smark21]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/killers-drummer-ronnie-vanucci-america-retarded-musically-article-1.1503940

[marv2]

Has music on American radio become "retarded" and "rubbish"?

TOTALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[edafan]

It's not even music

edafan

[thomas96]

There is no music on american radio.

[blueskies]

What music??

[marv2]

It's mostly just a bunch of yaking in between garbage that is suppose to resemble music. There are so many "talk" shows on Urban radio now, there is no time for music.

[jillfoster]

There are a few good radio stations around, but they are all independently owned stations in small markets in rural areas. such as this one:

www.krlicountry.com

[Nothing But Soul]

Conglomerates like Clear Channel ruined terrestrial radio for me a long time ago. Fortunately I have satellite radio in my car. Some people complain about the sound quality of satellite radio, but for me the variety of music genres from which to choose and the huge playlists compensate for that. The large playlists have allowed me to discover some good stuff that I totally missed the first time around [["I Guess That Don't Make Me a Loser" by the Brothers of Soul and "Oh Honey" by Delegation are just a couple of examples).

[splanky]

I hear tons of good [[IMO) music on the radio every single day because I don't limit myself
to any one format,era,genre or even station for that matter. When you limit yourself to
"Top 40,this week's hotness,brought to you by Wendy's,Ooo,did you hear? Trending Now,
OMG!We'll be right back" radio you're going to hear a lot of stuff you don't like and you know what? That's too damn bad because if so many people didn't like it they wouldn't be
playing it. Nothing But Soul circumvents the problem pretty well for his [[?..) taste and found
two real gems I've enjoyed. I thank God for my radio station WBGO and will support it as
long as I'm able...

[timmyfunk]

I really wish that people would stop using the word retarded, but that's a personal matter.

That being said, NY radio is downright abysmal. You may have some local indepenndent radio that shines occasionally. But overall, it's a virtual graveyard. Internet radio is slowly becoming the way to go.

[soulster]

Weather it's rubbish is all in one's mind.

[skooldem1]

Radio [[FM) is going the way of AM Radio. There is no point in complaining about how bad it is, or wonder where real music is. No point in complaining about diversity. Satellite radio is where it is at now. Times have changed.

[soulster]

Problem is, ever since Sirius bought out XM Radio, it hasn't been the same. The diversity went downhill along with the sound quality. The only thing satellite radio can do for me now is the news, Joe Madison, and xL vivid. :)

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Let's not forget internet radio. There's a multitude of stations playing old school music and doing it well. Some of these stations have a huge reach and good stats. I set up interviews for my boss on many oldies stations. Some have chat rooms where listeners can interact.

~~~Mary~~

[marv2]

I really wish that people would stop using the word retarded, but that's a personal matter.

That being said, NY radio is downright abysmal. You may have some local indepenndent radio that shines occasionally. But overall, it's a virtual graveyard. Internet radio is slowly becoming the way to go.

I totally agree. NYC radio has been going down hill since the late 90's and it is completely abysmal now.......

[marv2]

Let's not forget internet radio. There's a multitude of stations playing old school music and doing it well. Some of these stations have a huge reach and good stats. I set up interviews for my boss on many oldies stations. Some have chat rooms where listeners can interact.

~~~Mary~~

Our own Classic Master Rick has a great program on internet radio called SoMuchSoul that I listen to regularly. He plays the good stuff!

[tsull1]

It's horrifically bad, and I'm referring to popular/Top 40 music, the stuff on mainstream radio. And this is important because this is what people grow up with. Yes, I listen to other genres on and off line, am willing to buy newer artists, all of them not hitting the top 40. But the top 40 is the soundtrack of one's youth. I feel bad for the youth today growing up on such crap, it's simply awful. The artists are all auto-tuned and there's just no talent. The production is horrific and the songwriting is worse.

Indie music including indie soul? Some of it is good, but a lot of it [[I listen off Soultracks.com) is not very imaginative. Same old "Girl broke my heart/I'm so down" stuff with Alicia Keys-style piano/bad production. Rap is even worse. It's amazing how many bad so-called musicians are in the top 40 now. It's really, really bad.

The soundtrack of today's youth? It's dead. There will be no oldies stations of the 2000's ... it's just plan awful.

* I'm sure the resident posters who say I'm close-minded will chime in. I'm not buying it.

[edafan]

It's horrifically bad, and I'm referring to popular/Top 40 music, the stuff on mainstream radio. And this is important because this is what people grow up with. Yes, I listen to other genres on and off line, am willing to buy newer artists, all of them not hitting the top 40. But the top 40 is the soundtrack of one's youth. I feel bad for the youth today growing up on such crap, it's simply awful. The artists are all auto-tuned and there's just no talent. The production is horrific and the songwriting is worse.

Indie music including indie soul? Some of it is good, but a lot of it [[I listen off Soultracks.com) is not very imaginative. Same old "Girl broke my heart/I'm so down" stuff with Alicia Keys-style piano/bad production. Rap is even worse. It's amazing how many bad so-called musicians are in the top 40 now. It's really, really bad.

The soundtrack of today's youth? It's dead. There will be no oldies stations of the 2000's ... it's just plan awful.

* I'm sure the resident posters who say I'm close-minded will chime in. I'm not buying it.

sadly I agree

edafan

[soulster]

* I'm sure the resident posters who say I'm close-minded will chime in. I'm not buying it. Well, that thought didn't cross my mind until you mentioned it. :) But, just suffice it to say that perhaps what you hear on contemporary top 40 radio just isn't for you, or for the majority of SDF members, for that matter.

[antceleb12]

Can't disagree, for the most part, but I HATE that they used 'retarded.' So tactless.

[144man]

Can't disagree, for the most part, but I HATE that they used 'retarded.' So tactless.

I hate it more that you can't use words like "retarded" and "gay" in their original, pure sense because they've been hijacked by later, subsidiary meanings.

[antceleb12]

I hate it more that you can't use words like "retarded" and "gay" in their original, pure sense because they've been hijacked by later, subsidiary meanings.

I agree - only when "retarded" is used to mean slow [[not stupid), or when "gay" is used for happy [[also not stupid) are the uses of those words appropriate.

[splanky]

I agree - only when "retarded" is used to mean slow [[not stupid), or when "gay" is used for happy [[also not stupid) are the uses of those words appropriate.

Ah, you kind of lost me here...I understand the aversion of the use of retarded to imply stupidity
but are you saying the MILLIONS of homosexual men and women who refer to themselves as
"gay" are wrong to do so? And BTW, I've known a few who would not consider themselves "happy" for reasons that have nothing to do with their sexuality...Just saying...

[antceleb12]

Ah, you kind of lost me here...I understand the aversion of the use of retarded to imply stupidity
but are you saying the MILLIONS of homosexual men and women who refer to themselves as
"gay" are wrong to do so? And BTW, I've known a few who would not consider themselves "happy" for reasons that have nothing to do with their sexuality...Just saying...

Splanky,

What I'm referring to is situations when people find something stupid, and they say "Oh that's gay." Or, if someone is making fun of someone, they'll say "You're so gay." I don't mean that referring to yourself as gay is bad, but when it's used as a synonym for something bad, that's wrong. But the original use of the word "gay" is "happy," so I'm not quite sure what you're saying in your last sentence.

[soulster]

... but I HATE that they used 'retarded.' So tactless. It's also very offensive.

[antceleb12]

It's also very offensive.

Exactly right.

[nomis]

we have worse things to worry about than teenagers trying to assimalte "gay" into a shame word..how about the homosexual community being murdered and tortured in russia ? and y'all quit moaning about modern music - its here to stay get used to it if ya dont like wot you hear then change the fucking dial -sorry havent been on sdf for 10 months and you are all still moaning and crying..im a hip hop dj who plays the likes of rihanna and beyonce all night long your insulting my industry in this world of hate and madness we live in you are all hating on the hundreds of people dancing before my eyes all night long of all colours,creeds and genders at least most of these artists are taking home a pay cheque where as 40 yrs ago Gordy kept all the money and most motown artists died in abject poverty..yup they were the good old days..not allowed to wash or eat in a resturant..Beyonce and Jay z living the high life is finally a generation of african americans WINNING..

[ollie]

Nomis you sound bitter and angry. What Berry Gordy was back in the days, is what the rapper and his wife are today. Only 1-2-3 people are winning in the game, and not a generation. The quality of music from early Detroit compared to JZ/Beyo output is without any doubt many classes better.

Back to the topic, to me radio stations today are not good anymore, it's like hearing/watching a soap opera or a product commercial on tv. Boring.

[splanky]

Splanky,

What I'm referring to is situations when people find something stupid, and they say "Oh that's gay." Or, if someone is making fun of someone, they'll say "You're so gay." I don't mean that referring to yourself as gay is bad, but when it's used as a synonym for something bad, that's wrong. But the original use of the word "gay" is "happy," so I'm not quite sure what you're saying in your last sentence.

Okay, yea, I understand what you mean. I hear a lot of young people use the phrase "that's
so gay" these days. As far as my last sentence I was simply saying that my gay friends are no
different than the het ones today in that they have money problems, worry about the future
of this country, fight with their relatives, wonder about the loyalty of their partners, etc, ie
they only human too...

I agree with nomis about folks complaining too much about the current music scene but that
where my siding ends because I also agree that though not all but most of this generation's
music and musical aesthetics suck beaver booty! You have a right to enjoy it and I have a right to critique it...so there:)....

[soulster]

we have worse things to worry about than teenagers trying to assimalte "gay" into a shame word..how about the homosexual community being murdered and tortured in russia ? and y'all quit moaning about modern music - its here to stay get used to it if ya dont like wot you hear then change the fucking dial -sorry havent been on sdf for 10 months and you are all still moaning and crying..im a hip hop dj who plays the likes of rihanna and beyonce all night long your insulting my industry in this world of hate and madness we live in you are all hating on the hundreds of people dancing before my eyes all night long of all colours,creeds and genders at least most of these artists are taking home a pay cheque where as 40 yrs ago Gordy kept all the money and most motown artists died in abject poverty..yup they were the good old days..not allowed to wash or eat in a resturant..Beyonce and Jay z living the high life is finally a generation of african americans WINNING..
Like they used to say in the 80s: WORD! There are more important things to worry about like voter suppression and Black people getting shot and killed, and people walking away scott free.

[R. Mark Desjardins]

Speaking for myself, when I listen to radio stations, it's usually the local University radio station, or public radio like Midnight Johnny's program. From time to time I get a telephone pollster asking for my radio station listening preferences, and when I state either my age or public radio choices, they get me off the phone pretty quick. I acknowledge I'm not into "top 40" music anymore and it doesn't bother me at all.

[tsull1]

I find it interesting that Berry Gordy is always the easy target here. Got news for Jay-Z, Kayne and others: If no Berry, no YOU. He's supposedly the poster child for being a greedy businessman, as if others at different labels weren't. I suggest people watch a few episodes of "Unsung" and you'll find that they're everywhere.

I also find it amusing that people think the social problems towards blacks is new today, such as voter suppression -- happened on levels 1 million times today, yes a million. I just read a book about the 1963 Loyola University basketball team which won the national title. They started 4 blacks and were given the 'n' treatment every night away from campus, in the north, south, and east. In the late 60's, the star of that team tried to rent an apartment next to campus where he graduated. He, his wife, and baby, were turned away because they were black. This is Chicago, this was 1968.

Friend of mine, half Indian/half black, was greeted with coloreds only drinking fountains in the Carolinas in the SEVENTIES. The herion problem in the ghettos was off the charts.

I'm not saying there aren't social problems today, there are. But one poster here always insinuates that today's problems are worse than yesterday's. Sorry, I'm not buying it.

Berry Gordy a ruthless businessman? Yes, and if you read some books on him a lot of it was to survive. It's not like the white labels were opening up the doors to him. Or you could just make stereotypes and say guys like Jay-Z and his wife are some ground-breakers, which they're not. They can make as much money as they want, but they're not pioneers.

Back to the music: I don't find top 40 well-written, produced, or sung, and it won't be remembered a year after it is heard.

What I don't get is people on this board telling us EWF's new album is garbage and turning around and saying Justin Timberlake's statute dance is similar to Michael Jackson's, just to make a point to pi$$ off people who don't think so and don't think the crap that's played over the airwaves today is good.

[antceleb12]

we have worse things to worry about than teenagers trying to assimalte "gay" into a shame word..how about the homosexual community being murdered and tortured in russia ? and y'all quit moaning about modern music - its here to stay get used to it if ya dont like wot you hear then change the fucking dial -sorry havent been on sdf for 10 months and you are all still moaning and crying..im a hip hop dj who plays the likes of rihanna and beyonce all night long your insulting my industry in this world of hate and madness we live in you are all hating on the hundreds of people dancing before my eyes all night long of all colours,creeds and genders at least most of these artists are taking home a pay cheque where as 40 yrs ago Gordy kept all the money and most motown artists died in abject poverty..yup they were the good old days..not allowed to wash or eat in a resturant..Beyonce and Jay z living the high life is finally a generation of african americans WINNING..

Nomis, no one is comparing one issue against the other. But, to be fair, using "gay" as a slur CAN [[not always, but does) lead to further hatred and discrimination.

Anyways, I think you have to understand that people are free to dislike modern music as they wish. I mean, consider the forum: most of the music discusses here is "older" music - Motown, and what not. It's understandable that people who prefer one generation of music aren't going to like another generation of music. If you don't agree, that's fine, but people don't have to accept modern music. It's just one's musical preference. People here are also not "hating" on the people dancing where you work, and it's nothing to do with race and creeds and what not. It's that they don't like the music, maybe the style, whatever. And musicians accept, or should accept, the fact that not all audiences are going to appreciate their style. That's why you won't see Beyonce at a grunge venue, or Iron Maiden on on MTV, or something like that. Liking one form of music over another really doesn't have to do with Motown artists being more or less successful than Beyonce or Rihanna.