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The Problem:

Before you even think it, let's squash the idea that I'm the old man in a rocking chair, bitching about how "music was so much better when I was a kid." I'm not talking about simple taste in music -- I'm not that fucking shallow. I'm talking about the fact that music is scientifically proven to have gotten progressively more bland and homogenous since the 1970s. Or consider that the list of top-grossing concert tours is almost entirely populated by artists who haven't had a hit in decades. The simple reason is that new music isn't even worth leaving the house for. But people are still hungry for music that actually says things beyond "Here we are in this club -- watch me dance to this beat I didn't create." Let me put it another way …

If 1980s music was the result of coked-out artists taking an angry shit, modern pop is the lingering fart smell that no air freshener can get rid of. Spraying more just makes it smell like someone shot potpourri out of their asshole. Grunge came around in the early/mid-1990s and lit a match, but since someone forgot to flush, the smell just came back again. We are currently in desperate need of someone to walk in with another book of matches and just set the entire fucking bathroom on fire.

And don't give me that bullshit about how Spanky Asstone and the 5 Knuckle Shuffles are redefining music. If they're not out in the limelight, they don't count for dick. A music revolution isn't something that goes on under the radar, three or four bands being innovative in front of a half-seated coffeehouse. If it's going to be the boot that stomps out the complete fucking embarrassment that is in today's top 40, it has to have universal acceptance.

How We Can Make It Happen:

Not pirating the music you love is a good start. Because regardless of whether we justify or condemn theft, the people who are spending actual money on CDs and downloads are the ones with terrible taste. Tweens. Screaming little girls who put more value on the singer's outfit and hairstyle than the songs that come out of his stupid suckhole. And the more they buy, the more airplay that artist gets.

There are two solutions for this. 1) Start buying shit from your favorite bands to offset the crap that's on the radio right now. 2) Stop giving little kids money. If you're a parent, that makes sense. If you're not a parent, I don't want to know why you're giving kids money in the first place, but I'm going to guess that it's not legal and that you need serious help.

There is a third solution, but it takes some effort and a willingness to interact with people much younger than you. And that solution is to introduce them to new music that has some substance. If that doesn't work, just try to sneak some past them. For instance, I seriously played this at my wedding, and kids got up and danced to it, even when … well, you'll see -- all I ask is that you give it one full minute:

Why We Won't:

This is their industry, not ours, so it's not an easy battle. When they get money, they have the luxury of spending it on whatever they want, and many of them choose Justin Bieber or Nicki Minaj or Three Arm Sally. When we get money, we have to spend it on rent or bills or heroin. We feel like we can't compete with that -- not when the rules are so stacked in their favor. Real life is far more important than our music, which means that while we may be able to afford the occasional CD or download a couple of singles here and there, we can no longer justify buying unknown music on a whim and hoping that it doesn't suck. Right, Spin Doctors?

No, adulthood dictates that we choose our battles more wisely than when we were kids, and this one is just too expensive.

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-easy-solutions-to-problems-we-all-complain-about/#ixzz2vVaMliBP

This is an excellent idea.

As great as your ideas are…
…
It's not gonna happen.
Kids these days think any music over ten years old is "for grannies", unless it's Michael Jackson or "Don't Stop Believin", the trashiest rock song ever. Parents don't give two shits what their kids listen to, even if they don't like today's music. The record companies saturate the airwaves and soshul meedya with cheaply-produced beats and glitzy pop stars aimed directly at today's generation. Kids are impressionable, and at this point there's nothing you can do to stop businesses from using that frame of mind to meld this generation into pop culture zombies.
The least that can be done is give them some of your favorite music, and teach them to like that as well as the pop garbage that's shoved down their throats. It's like letting your kids eat at McDonalds once in a while but also teaching them to appreciate a home-cooked meal so they don't become unhealthy.

This cannot happen. The only way you can change this is to change society, and that's not just going to happen.

I do agree with buying music though. I already do buy all the music that I like and is available to be purchased. (Since I mostly just listen to soundtracks, not all of it is easily available to be purchased, so I buy what I can, but I download what I can't.) The fact that people hope that their bands are successful but don't pay them a single penny for their hard work sickens me. If you like them, why aren't you supporting them? It's preposterous! I think if more people bought from quality artists, the problem could be somewhat solved, but unless people change eating up whatever is on the Top 40s without question like sheep, we will not have a revolution.

I love your spirit though. This idea is in good heart.

i don't care becasue

will always be pop music,
there's a whole ocean of shit, …and some decent stuff,
but i give that guy probs for embedding the slipknot-bieber mashup haha

@Snowie_98:
i grew up on my dads music (zeppelin, dylan, the stones, hendrix, pink floyd, clapton, b.b. king…) but until i was like 12 or something years old, i was also listening to what the average kid that age would listen to (oh god, the memories make me cringe), and today i really appreciate all those artists (ok maybe let's say the overwhelming majority of them), but i didn't end up listening mainly to that music.

i don't know if it's some stupid pubertal phase thing, but i think back then, i didn't want to listen to the exact same music like my parents. i wanted to be my own person. and the first band i specifically listened to was in extremo (it like, folk-rock-metal-ish stuff) and my parents were worried that this could be a nazi band (because the whole folk-rock-metal-ish thing is pretty popular amongst nazis, in extremo aren't though) and they didn't like that i was listening to it eventhough i assured them they're not.
i think i liked that fact back then.

after some time, i found common ground with my dad again, i started to get into metallica and dream theater, however my favourites were the older albums before the black album and st. anger while dad liked the black album most. from there on, i moved on to more thrash metal, then to death metal, and this was the point where my parents were really displeased with the loud noise coming from my room. i loved it. to the point where i started to prefer screamed, growled, grunted or squealed vocals more than clean singing, and that was what my parents, especially dad, found most off-putting about the music (well, good thing they didn't understand the lyrics :P).

today i still listen mainly to metal (and hardcore and everything in-between), but i extended my listening habits to a bit of almost everything, but the point is, that if my dad maybe listened to, i dunno, beat-music maybe i'd be the one who listens to the stones or floyd all the time?
musical taste is something that develops in that tricky phase where you want to be your own person but you can only do so to a certain extend, but becasue of those borders, you wil most likely want to experience the freedom given to you to the fullest.
and maybe at that age, the greatest for of freedom lies in the things your parents don't like or even forbid.

…oh and i DO buy most of the music i listen to (that is, when it's available for purchase),
i do however feel the need to listen to the album berfore the purchase (except albums that i'm too HYYYPED for to even consider not buying it) and my wardrobe overflows with bandmerch (tfw you search that ONE black bandshirt in the pile of black shirts) and i go to concerts whenever a band i like comes within a 100km radius (i do really dislike festivals tho, there's always like 100 bands of which i'd like to see 3 really bad and 8 are pretty ok but the amount of filler is too damn high).
but let's face it: album prices are too damn high (at least here, you pay like 17€ for a new album that isn't totally trve cvlt underground) and the artists are seeing way too little of that money, that i think goes to the band when i buy their CD. funny thing though, most band's i was able to have a chat with say they make most profit off merch and sponsoring (if they're lucky), however keep in mind that those weren't artists that fill entire stadiums by themselves.

I write my own classical music. Will that help?

Honestly, the other suggestions in Cheesies article will be easier to accomplish

John already debunks himself at the end of the article. He knows it's all a pipe dream. He knows he's right.

adulthood dictates that we choose our battles more wisely than when we were kids, and this one is just too expensive.

The face of music is driven by the masses and the masses say they like ogling at the singer more than the actual song. That or they just don't give a shit. Either way, that's just the unfortunate reality for those of us who stray from the common.

Many of us across the internet have discovered where the truly great music lies and we abhor the mass produced crap that gets shoveled out of the top 20, but we are the minority. We have no power to upset the majority rule.

But at the very least, it wouldn't hurt to not be even more of counter-culture dicks than we already are and buy the music. Money talks. And when musicians don't get an inkling of reward for their efforts, their inspiration goes nowhere.

I refuse to accept the iTunes EULA, but I try to at least buy the music I can find on Beatport. Most of the NZ artists I like are there and I do my part to support the sound of my people

To be fair to the kids it's not like they're forcing you to like their garbage. People have different tastes and the current popular music is stuff you don't like, so just don't listen to it.

But yeah just buy the music you like if you honestly want to support musicians that much and or bitch and whine about todays music whatever makes you feel better.

the people who are spending actual money on CDs and downloads are the ones with terrible taste.

And who the hell do you think you are prick? Just because is music you like doesn't make it better.

Spider-byte wrote:

People have different tastes and the current popular music is stuff you don’t like, so just don’t listen to it.

@Loli

John didn't word that sentence very well. I know the first time I read that; I thought he was saying that everyone who buys music have bad taste. But if you look again, you'll see that's not what he meant

Actually what he's trying to say; is that all those people we say have shit taste…the ones that buy into the hack and sellouts…are still buying that music and they're buying more of it. While many people with far better music taste continue to pirate the decent music. Meaning that the shit music still tops the charts more than the decent music.

EG: All those little girls that loved JB (to use an example that I'll hate myself for using) might have shitty music taste and don't know any better, but they have parents with wallets and they buy whatever shitty taste they demand.

Meanwhile there are far more talented musicians that raise a following of smarter people with better taste. But those older, smarter fans know how to use Youtube-mp3-converter and aren't afraid to use it. The counter-culture music hipsters buy less than the soccer moms

So that means JB with his loyal buyers market will always scream louder to the top charts than the great bands that keep getting ripped off

weird, i always thought counter culture music hipsters were the ones actually caring about supporting the artists they listen to.
also, youtubt to mp3 converter, are you kidding me, i mean yes it's listensable but when compared to a good mp3 or CD track (or vinyl for all you dirty analogue hipsters, didn't anybody tell you that there days 99% of all vinyls are digitally mastered anyway so it doesn't make a damn difference? i ike the coloured vinyls tho, becaws twey aw pwetty) it's pretty obvious what youtube does to the audio quality.

…i think i kinda lost track what i wrote in my previous WoT, i forgot to conclude that imo musical taste isn't something the parents can have that much of an influcene on, at least in most cases, and in some it may completely backfire. it's also a thing of trying belonging to a certain group or fit in (though i never really faced that problem since i never really had that many friends and the topic of music wasn't really that present amongst my friends. the common denominator was mostly skate- and pop punk xD).

and @ CD prices, i forgot to add that i think it's kinda ridiculous that it's cheaper for me to import most CDs from the USA or UK than actually buying them here (in germany).

@itabtoo

weird, i always thought counter culture music hipsters were the ones actually caring about supporting the artists they listen to.

Either way, they certainly don't compare when you look at the sales figures. When you start talking about commerce and economics, the whole thing becomes a game of numbers and the mainstream has the upper hand here.

also, youtubt to mp3 converter, are you kidding me, i mean yes it’s listenable but when compared to a good mp3 or CD track

I didn't say it was better. But it does get used.

I wish I could help you, but I only listen to old music, and I already buy my music.

But what bothers me the most about modern music is the brickwalled production that is standard now because of the loudness wars. Why not use dynamic range if you can!? Even remasters of old albums often get this treatment, effectively destroying the music in the process.
That makes modern music unlistenable for me, it gives me headaches pretty much.
Once you realize what it is, you'll never want to go back to modern mastering.

I get all my music from iTunes or ripped from my old collection of CDs, which were bought properly. YouTube to mp3 sux, honestly. Most recently, I bought Jimi Hendrix's Live at Winter land. Good album.

BRB buying every Muse album 26 times.

But I honestly enjoy the shitty tween-girl music.

Or consider that the list of top-grossing concert tours is almost entirely populated by artists who haven’t had a hit in decades. The simple reason is that new music isn’t even worth leaving the house for.

I feel like this has less to do with music itself so much as changing times. Concerts and performances aren't really events that bear the same gravity as they did, twenty, ten, or even five years ago, and those performed by older artists are merely bringing in crowds from times when concerts were a big deal, and those people inevitably bring a friend, or a child, or spouse, etc.

It may be worth noting my personal bias here, though. I hate live shows.

Also Spanky Asstone and the 5 Knuckle Shuffles is a great name.

I think one of the biggest issues is that we don't have enough good writers and composers. Kids are taught now-a-days that as long as you have a pretty singing voice and can use a mac then you can be an amazing musician. But I do think that the idea of controlling what your kids listen to more is also a good idea. It pisses me off when I see the older generation of my family encourage my little cousins to listen to Justin Beiber because it's "cute".

Concerts and performances aren’t really events that bear the same gravity as they did, twenty, ten, or even five years ago, and those performed by older artists are merely bringing in crowds from times when concerts were a big deal, and those people inevitably bring a friend, or a child, or spouse, etc.

It may be worth noting my personal bias here, though. I hate live shows.

whaaat, how can you like music but hate live shows?
nothing better than see a band you like perform live and go home all bruised, sweaty and greasy but satisfied and with a shit-eating grin on your face.
maybe you talk about really big ones, but the smaller the venue, the more crowded it is, the better.
but yes, this is another point that's kinda fucked up imo:
big concerts are way more stressful and if you're not there super early or a big buff douchebag you get to stand miles away from the stage, and if it's a concert with seat reservations the better seats cost over 100€ easy, black sabbath for example wants over 200€ for good seats, like, srsly, is that what you do after getting really big? make even more money off you fans? i mean, if i look at it this way, how do 3 or 4 bands from the usa, australia or southeast asia manage to play here in front of maybe a little over 100 people at best with ticket prices around 20€ and not go bankrupt? mybe someone here knows how big acts, that supposedly already have fame, and money and everything, play in front of way, way more people for comparatively ridiculously high prices, becasue i sure as hell don't.

I think one of the biggest issues is that we don’t have enough good writers and composers. Kids are taught now-a-days that as long as you have a pretty singing voice and can use a mac then you can be an amazing musician.

i think we do have good songrwirters, but most pop artists don't really care about stuff like songwriting, i know it's cliche, but i really think most of their fame comes from image.
who would care about lady gaga if there wasn't that image.
who cares for some rappers technique if all that counts is a boomier bass and more extreme lyrics. here in germany, getting your album indexed is like a seal of quality, the kids will love it (i'm specifically talking about the scene here cause i don't really keep track with more recent rap artists).
i think there are still many great songwriters outside the mainstream charts, the reason why they aren't present in the mainstream may be exactly that most people don't really care about the songwriting but that the song "sounds good" and the singer has a good voice.
and if they have some flashy image, even better.

I don't think people understand that just because you aren't talented at making music or make music in a certain way it isn't music or isn't good. Example Paul McCartney one of the Beatles couldn't read music notes and such, did make him any less of an Artist or his songs lower quality?

People like Justin Beiber/One Direction or whatever and everyone has to deal with it. If it really had no redeemable qualities no one would like or buy it. Believe it or not JB/1D aren't gonna take away your favourite songs nor is going to stop people from liking it.

Plus with the family thing. Yes a child will be influenced by what parents/relative/friends like or encourage until the person becomes independent and chooses their own taste that may or may not be influenced by their parents. Also why do you care what someone else likes musically, just find common ground or a different subject.

Yeah, I download the music I can't find on iTunes from Youtube-mp3. I could order $300 CDs from Japan, but I'd rather not. It's a shame that Nintendo doesn't really release their music outside of Japan and special promotional contests and things. They have a potential fortune to be made if they released their music worldwide knowing how many people love their music.

I have lots of friends with good taste who pirate music, and I keep telling them to support their artists and buy some stuff, but they're too cheap to listen to me. They think they're supporting their bands by doing that, which is pretty silly. I also have a friend who has the shittiest taste I have ever seen in a human being who pirates everything, but I don't talk to her about it. The less money the people she listens to get the better in my opinion! It's still pretty stupid though.

On buying music, I think that the reason piracy is so common is because of the ridiculous price of everything, especially on iTunes. They have such a massive monopoly over everyone that people will buy singles for $2 without question.

This is actually a pretty cool thread! I like the ideas being presented here and the idea behind it is a pretty cool one as well.

@Bionic Kraken

I write my own classical music. Will that help?

Only if it's good classical music and people start buying it more than they buy Justin Bieber, One Direction, Nicki Minaj, Kesha, Drake, etc.

in that case, the future's fucked as it is.

itabtoo wrote:

nothing better than see a band you like perform live

I hate making visual connotation with artists I listen to. As cheese-ball as it sounds, I prefer music to be an entirely auditory experience.

maybe you talk about really big ones, but the smaller the venue, the more crowded it is, the better

Only been to one really large show. Used to go to occasional gig by a local band. I always ended up punching someone and/or being punched.

Hey, I do too! I use a program that's essentially a midi interpreter for MusicXML. What do you use?

@Cale

I hate making visual connotation with artists I listen to. As cheese-ball as it sounds, I prefer music to be an entirely auditory experience.

Plus being at concerts mean dealing with….ugh…people.

Don't get me wrong; hearing Disturbed, System and Rammstein live was an unforgettable experience. And I couldn't believe my luck when I got to be backstage with Disturbed and get my awkward sperglord photo taken with the lead singers hand on my shoulder.

But I'll also never forget the fights, the vomit, the trash, the shit, the toilet queue, terrifying clusters of bodies being thrown at you from all directions. Having to pull my trapped and terrified friends out of the D (the front row circle, you sick fucks), assholes that climb security fences, assholes that scream in your ear and just plain assholes in general.

I definitely enjoy music more through my headphones in my quiet living room.

1: None of The Beatles could read music but that not the only way to compose, also, they could play instruments and three of them were good writers (Sorry, Ringo). If someone wants to be a musician then they should at least learn an instrument (it helps, trust me).

2: Most girls only like 1D and JB just because they're "dreamy" and because they music is loud and catchy, which is also the main reason that girls liked The Beatles when they first started out. It's just the method of taking a catchy phrase and repeating it over and over for three minutes that seems to catch young people's attention. At least The Beatles grew out of that since they actually cared about music and not just fame (don't get me wrong, they loved fame too). And yes, I know that I can still listen to my favorite artists despite the fact that JB/1D exists, you're not being very mature about this.

3: How are kids supposed to know what they enjoy if everyone just assumes what they like. Kids are just as individual as us. It's just that because of their parents, they have an obstructed view of the verity of music there is. When I was little, my mom only let me listen to country music. As I got older, I realized that there's more music that I like better than country. If I showed a kid The Beatles and they didn't like it than that's fine, but I would at least try to be like,"Oh, you don't like The Beatles? How about Elton John?" I tried this only my little brother and now he loves Elton John. He also enjoys music that I don't enjoy which is also fine, but I didn't just assume that he likes the music all other kids his age listens to and he has a really wide spectrum of musical interest now. He's also learning to play three instruments.

Also, I never said I cared that girls listen to like Justin Beiber, If a girl brought it up in a conversation, I would change the subject. I'm just saying that it shouldn't be encouraged. Not only because he sucks, but he's also a bad influence.

I don't use a program. I just come up with it and write it down.

First your response to the first paragraph proves my point that it doesn't have to be of high musical quality to be enjoyable or good. You see a lot of good singers not playing instruments and plus you'd be surprised at how many of these "bad singers" actually play instruments.

Secondly unfortunately that's how shallow a lot of girls are today and that won't change. Also you ASSUME these artists don't care about the music granted some may not but that doesn't matter though because they have a incentive to create music for people who enjoy it to hear. Also questioning my maturity on making a point in of itself is irrelevant

Thirdly most kids aren't stupid enough not to use Youtube and other music sites to try other music or even watch/play films and video games and listen to the soundtracks and get a variety of music.This is more about the willingness to acquire a taste in music rather than listening to whats on. Plus, i never said that all kids listen to "worse" music (although clearly a large majority do). I know everyone is different and that's why a music 'revolution' wouldn't work.

Lastly that's the parent/guardians fault for not educating their children on role models. A lot of people don't grasp or ignore the concept of a person and what the person creates. A bad person doesn't decrease the quality of music but quality of character. I agree parents need to be more involved with their children's and the music they listen to. If the parents did teach their children the difference between music and person it wouldn't happen.

This is really starting to boil down to "I hate pop music because girls like it and I like The Beatles".

The sweeping generalizations are getting out of hand.

For me, it's "I hate pop music because it's cheaply produced and is fake-sounding, repetitive, and exists only to promote a star's image. I like the Beatles because even if they couldn't read notes, they cared about the music itself and innovated instead of using the same old beat to sell their image."
I'm not saying music can't sound "dreamy" or "fun", it's just that the artists and record companies should put quality in front of marketability.

Yes, I know I'm a snob…