Guest Blog: The Sad State of Today’s Music
[Every once in a while, people ask if they can submit a guest blog so they can sound off on a particular music topic that’s near and dear to them. This feature was written by Phil Capobianco. Feel free to make any comments below.- AC]
What has happened to the state of today’s music?
What ever happened to artists who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments? They are becoming a dying breed.
Today there is a crop of manufactured pop stars that sell out like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Britney Spears.
Back in the day when you went to see a live show, there was no lip syncing or backing tracks. Bands toured and sold albums not single songs. The artists that played on the album were usually the artists you saw on stage.
Songs were timeless and well crafted, it was about the music, not the image which is what it is today. Will they be playing today’s music in 10 years time, I don’t think so.
Where are the next iconic front men like Mick Jagger’s, Robert Plant’s, Bruce Springsteen’s, and Bono’s of the world?
Nowadays record companies want a band or artist to conform to a specific sound or style of music or the current trend or fad, or else they won’t be signed. Bands have lost their creative control!
Ever since the advent of MTV or more recently YouTube music has become a mostly visual medium.
What happened to great classic songs and albums? Not too many because most albums theses days are processed and manufactured by computers (Pro Tools, Auto-Tune).There are fewer real musicians playing real instruments.
Remember concept albums, 10 minute songs by Yes, Rush, Genesis? Now everything has to be 4 minutes or less to suit radio formats
No more bands with longevity like The Rolling Stones, Rush, U2, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. Today it’s a chew them up spit them out mentality.
In the past a fan of music had their own mental image when listening to a song, now it’s mostly a visual one that they get from a music video, commercial, or movie soundtrack.
Songs from the past still hold up today because they were well written and actual musicians performed on them.
In my opinion most of the best music out there was released pre-1990 with a few exceptions.
Technology has ruined music!
