Is Old Music Killing New Music?

[jobeterob]

https://apple.news/AQvhEsuNKTSGPznwYkvk5_g

[Motown Eddie]

Very interesting piece. And it seems there's a lot of reasons why 'old music' is killing 'new music'. Thanks Jobeterob for posting this article.

[thanxal]

I saw that too. It's because old music is just better. New music is the same formula over and over and over and over. Somebody once showed there are only five variations of country music and the same dude wrote most pop hits since 2000. New music is McDonalds-like assembly-line tasteless, bland "product".

[daviddesper]

I could not agree more with thanxal's comments. It seems to me that today's artists pick their image first, whether it is based on fashion, a distinct stage persona, or maybe the strangest name they can come up with; and by the time they make it into a studio, the issue of whether or not they actually have any talent is wayyyyyyyy down the list. I think that is why so many burn out quickly......they have nothing to support their initial appearance on the scene and as soon as something newer comes along, they are toast.

[copley]

Is Old Music Killing New Music? A very interesting and thought provoking article. IMHO about 90% of new music is not driven by the music as there isn't any! It's all about showing as much of your body as you can if you are female. If male it's all about women and what the men want to do with them. Songs, and I use the word loosely, by the likes of rapper Cardi B contain a blizzard of profanities and just appear to want to shock. No I'm not a prude, far from it. Her world wide #1 hit 'Wap' contains these lyrics! Can you ever imagine it being played in a shopping mall, restaurant etc. I've heard kids as young as 9 singing this on their way home from school! I'm old now and not 'with it' and you know what I'm glad! Rant over.

https://www.spotlyrics.com/lyrics/cardi-b-wet-ass-p-word-wap-remix

[jobeterob]

I have to agree that there seems little to attract people to new music - it seems bland and repetitive. Other than Happy there seems a general absence of a catchy hook and lots of emphasis on a look. Certainly no Motown imagination.

[thanxal]

So I hate to make statements as I did below without backing them up:

https://youtu.be/FY8SwIvxj8o
This video shows six country songs easily mashed together with no discernible differences in any key technical aspect.

And the "same dude" goes by the name Dr. Luke.
https://www.mic.com/articles/81511/one-man-has-written-virtually-every-pop-song-of-the-last-10-years

Put these two factoids together and I'll bet its a large contributor to why the public is turned off from new music and is seeking out creativity. The other is what has been mentioned below: pop stars have no real talent other than selling themselves. No musical talent whatsoever. We could go on and on about old music people who were more talented, but I always tell my kids: listen to them live. If they can't sing live, they can't sing. But alas, auto-tune and lip-syncing make that hard to tell. People look for authenticity in music. It ain't there today, with maybe a scarce few exceptions.

Edit: I also have a theory on why we all go so goobers crazy for alternate versions of the same songs we've heard for sixty years [[see the Mary Wilson Anthology spoilers thread [[https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?28980-Mary-Wilson-Anthology-SPOILERS!) in the DRATS ghetto). Listening to alternate versions shows us the creative process and at the same times shows that the song is real and not some auto-tuned, spliced and edited, pitch corrected computer monstrosity.

[nativeNY63]

As Smokey would say: I second that emotion!! Add that equally uber-filthy Lick. Uggghhh. And these so-called rappers - Jaquees, I see you- wanna call their music R&B/Soul??!! Please. Just cause you have a fake me out track...no. Just no. The old folks used to say: Just go sit down somewhere. Exceptions to the rule: Calvin Ruchardson, Rachel Fox, Urban Mystic, and Eric Roberson all make up what used to be called neo-Soul, i.e. D'Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, Maxwell, and Music Soulchild. Maxwell got a BET or Soul Train Lifetime Achievement award last year. And is on tap to drop his latest in his trilogy albums. That is all. Rant over.

[nativeNY63]

Kept under raps - some millinials actually like old music! Check out some of the rappers recent sampling; which never really dropped off since the James Brown love pretty much gave rap its legs in the 80s.

[bob_olhsson]

New title sales went in the toilet during the '90s and never came back.

I blame it on the end of independent labels, radio stations and local venues. Where artists got great was on stage. They used to be able to achieve regional success before taking on national and worldwide success.

Another difference is that in the '60s, the time between when a song was written, and it hit the stores and airwaves could be as little as 48 hours. Very often it was just a few weeks. Today, a year or more is typical. This timeliness made pop music far more engaging. At this point, generations haven't had nearly the experience of music listening we had.

[sansradio]

Another difference is that in the '60s, the time between when a song was written, and it hit the stores and airwaves could be as little as 48 hours. Very often it was just a few weeks. Today, a year or more is typical.

Respectfully, I beg to differ; with the advent of ProTools and streaming platforms, artists are releasing their product almost instantaneously, especially the independent ones. Major label artists may be subject to a year's lag, but the interwebs have completely changed the game for indies.

[bob_olhsson]

Radio still constitutes the majority of music listening.

[thanxal]

Radio still constitutes the majority of music listening.
Really? I thought it would be streaming now.

[bob_olhsson]

It's still mostly people in cars. I was surprised too.

[sansradio]

I found this article from Variety, which cites a report saying that, as of December 2020, streaming has pulled ahead, at least accounting for music-listening alone. Very thought-provoking:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/variety.com/2021/music/news/radio-signal-fading-streaming-1234904387/amp/

[bob_olhsson]

My understanding from what I've read is that has reversed since then.

[MichaelSherry59]

I know I'm a few months late but I do remember reading this article on Reddit actually and is anyone here surprised? I think Prince was spot on when he said the 60s-80s were the golden era back in 2011.

I think music fell apart around the 90s

[jobeterob]

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/streaming-tops-radio-as-the-top-way-to-listen-to-music/#app

[nativeNY63]

I saw that too. It's because old music is just better. New music is the same formula over and over and over and over. Somebody once showed there are only five variations of country music and the same dude wrote most pop hits since 2000. New music is McDonalds-like assembly-line tasteless, bland "product".

Pop songwriter/producer - Dr. Luke

[nativeNY63]

Respectfully, I beg to differ; with the advent of ProTools and streaming platforms, artists are releasing their product almost instantaneously, especially the independent ones. Major label artists may be subject to a year's lag, but the interwebs have completely changed the game for indies.

Soulja Boy Tell Em [[CKA Soulja Boy) popularized that. Unfortunately, he does get his due for it. He's been up in arms about it since "Bird Walk." His first smash hit.

[paul_nixon]

Soulja Boy Tell Em [[CKA Soulja Boy) popularized that. Unfortunately, he does get his due for it. He's been up in arms about it since "Bird Walk." His first smash hit.

I think in this case it's the new massacring the old - whoever did this? I'm all for bringing classic Motown to the ears of a new generation but this is like drawing a moustache on the Mona Lisa. At a time when it becomes more and more difficult to get decent catalogue material this seems senseless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta3y5qFvhak&list=PLDNtAuXIhbEOQ9ZIH77yBU7CgVYXHzm9r