The State of Music in the Mainstream!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122873807#Comment_122873807

Give 'Em Enough Rope is my favourite Clash LP, one of the best records of the 70s. I remember buying Rotting In The Fart Sack by Peter & The Test Tube Babies purely because of the name of the song.

I saw The Three Johns with Frank Sidebottom at Leicester University. My cousin was studying there so I went over during mid-term when I was in sixth year. Death Of The European is savage. Have been to Berlin a couple of times, great scene - would have been good to live there for a while.

thereiver

If an indie group Is great they ,ll. get at least one song into the top 40 does anyone remember 98 per cent of the pop groups who were played on John peel now

.the cure had at least one hit Love cats

John peel also appeared on top of the pops .he was not a snob he just loved a wide range of music .biilie eilish had a great song out years ago ocean eyes

thereiver

Greatest hits radio is very good it plays old hits from the 70s. 80s 90,s

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

The Cure had 23 Top 40 hits.

I used to tape John Peel shows regularly, got a lot of pointers. A lot of memorable tracks (to me). The Fall are my favourite band and did 24 sessions for him.

He was a snob though. I know he presented Top Of The Pops - but he'd frequently be sarcastic and make unnecessarily cutting remarks about acts. If you want an example of somebody with a wide range of tastes that isn't a snob, then look at Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley. His book on modern pop is fantastic, covers so many genres. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yeah-Story-Modern-Pop/dp/0571322409

CalamariFritti

The Cure were/are unbelievable. Often overlooked as a mega band und underestimated in their commercial success for me they're up there with the big ones like Beatles, Stones etc. Song quality, success, longevity everything. They're Rock'n'Roll Hall of Famers too. Saw them again in Malahide couple years ago and they've still got it. New album out too.

John Peel was legendary. His son was on BBC6 some while ago and it sounded like his vocation is minding his dad's record collection. Which is nearly something with historical record status. Thats before the Peel sessions.

thereiver

I think John peel had a great since of humour he had great influence in the 80s as to promoting new music every band would send in tapes to the peel sessions there was no once else like him on UK radio

the Beatles had hits all around the world I think the cure are more of a cult rock band with a limited appeal they have a new album out now

Rothko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122875681#Comment_122875681

Totally disagree about The Cure

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122874287#Comment_122874287

One of Damon Albarns most poignant moments was playing piano on John Peele for some occasion!

The "pop" landscape has changed. The charts isn't a thing. There are still traditional style singers, like Swift, Sheeran, Lipa, Roan, Styles, but because of X Factor type shows and the internet, influencers etc, there's an awful lot of stuff that's more a marketing, image kinda thing. Any auld generic pop concoction with the auto-tune and that awful industry-wide accent is what much is comprised of. It's simply incomparable to the pop of the late '70s, '80s, and to a lesser extent the '90s/'00s. And the '60s was another level all together.

As said though, there's still loads of brilliant new music - but it's not on daytime radio.

Hyperbollix

Just another example of late capitalism, where the snake has nothing left to devour so it starts eating it's own tail.

It's happened in every walk of life. Film, music, sport etc. The thing which was once an art or a sport has now solely become a commodified "good" which has been perfected in a lab like environment to appeal to the largest demographic and to extract as much value as possible for shareholders. Mainstream music is working exactly as intended by those who make it.

felonious_Gru

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122871261#Comment_122871261

Even sh1t music was good forty years ago, nowadays mainstream pop is just some sort of mash up involving a hip hop beat or some Ed Sheeran clone

L Grey

I listen to to alot of music but its mostly rock/metal in all its forms.

AC/DC and the like would be cancelled today.

Rock/Metal has had its balls cut off so all we get there is rehashed repolished turds or safe self-righteous wankstained bland rock.

Its a return on investment business now anyway. Why would a music exec take a punt on a band when they have the formulae as to what will sell.

Ticketmaster, livenation and Spotify own music now too. They pay pennies to everyone but the big established acts.

I still buy cds; but a few sexy people like myself buying albums wont keep a band on the road or pay for the studio.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122878706#Comment_122878706

"You're just getting old" is as much of a tired cliché as "back in my day things were better". Pop music has obviously changed drastically. And that's just how things go - things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. I'm an indie chick but I do love a good pop tune.

zv2

Boom Tssssit, Boom Tssssit, Boom Tssssit…

Boom Boom Boom Whaaaa

Boom Boom Boom Whaaaaa

Boom Boom Boom Whaaaaa

Boom Boom Boom Whaaaaa

Say Your Number

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122879864#Comment_122879864

If Steel Panther are releasing songs like this in the modern era with no objection then I think AC/DC and the like would be alright.

https://youtu.be/2myLjGeYOu0?si=-Bs-i_DuC0k-20V3

thereiver

Record company's choose to no longer support new rock bands for various reasons there's a wide range of pop music being made eg biilie eilish Sabrina carpenter chappel roan Taylor swift Beyonce etc I think every generation feels music was best when they were young Old rock groups still can sell out arena,s with the apps we have now and YouTube you can listen to the music from 20 or 30 years ago .I remember the 80s when we had popular trad groups like Clannad music is constantly changing

Big acts can earn more than ever as ticket prices

are more expensive

I prefer music before 1990 most music now sounds like it's all being made on computers

Bit I think there's still good music being made by

a wide range of singers in 2024. I.m not a rap hip hop music fan so i can't comment if it's as good as it was in the 90s

I think it's causing problems that ticketmaster owes most of the big music venues so artists have no choice but to deal with them

I don't think acdc would be cancelled now if they started out as a new Rock group

Its sad there does not seem to be any more new rock groups on the scene with the popularity of oasis

CalamariFritti

Monopolies are never good only for the monopolist. So one would think Spotify and Ticketmaster etc gotta be poison for the industry and moreso for the customers and the artists . And I have no idea why those market conditions have not yet attracted the attention of EU competition authorities tbh. Maybe all is rosy there? I dont know enough about the music industry tbh. It looks off to me though.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893574#Comment_122893574

Ticketmaster are a scourge

Spotify don't pay artists very well. There is competition from Qobuz (lossless sound quality) and Apple Music.

Customers also have a choice of physical formats - almost every new album still gets a vinyl and CD release while the reissue market is very active albeit the pressings are more limited than before and sell out quickly.

L Grey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122890540#Comment_122890540

You're not really comparing like with like there.

Steel Panther are a comedy band that nobody takes seriously.

Say Your Number

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122894569#Comment_122894569

They tried to "cancel" AC/DC in the eighties, you mustn't have heard of the PMRC or their shows being picketed by right wing Christian groups in the American south.

silliussoddius

They have a tour planned for 2025, let the cancellation begin.

thereiver

Spotify are not a monopoly theres apple music I think ticketmaster are getting sued by the ftc for being a monopoly or having too much control over big venues which they sell the tickets for too.

L Grey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122894639#Comment_122894639

They tried but didn't succeed so not much of a point you were trying make there.

Say Your Number

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122894806#Comment_122894806

And they would succeed nowadays???

L Grey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122894814#Comment_122894814

Ah you're a moderator.

I didn't notice at first but I knew something was off.

Yeah good luck with the baiting, nearly but no.

Say Your Number

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122894826#Comment_122894826

Good job at sidestepping the question.

All the best!

L Grey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122894828#Comment_122894828

Good job sticking with the baiting.

Good luck with the working for free though.

Lol.

Big Gerry

The internet killed the music industry by making music free.

Thrashssacre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058352948/the-state-of-music-in-the-mainstream

This reeks of "back in my day" bollox. Theres tones of brilliant music out there, more then ever before you just dont need a select few radio stations or tv stations to find them anymore.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122894866#Comment_122894866

I never said there wasn't good music out there, and I've addressed this already, you shouldn't have to go looking for good music. It should already be in the mainstream, and as it's not, is the issue

BaywatchHQ

I an understand why people prefer streaming given the disgraceful packaging of the new Linkin Park album. For a band with so much merch they couldn't release a CD edition with protective packaging. It isn't even one of those Digipacks, it is a sleeve where the disc actually falls out if you move it. I had to move the disc into an empty CD case.

thereiver

Yes there's good music being made but everyone can also listen to the best music from the 90s 2000,s or any decade you like no ones limited to what a few Irish or UK stations play

thereiver

If you go to podbay fm search newstalk how music was dumbed down it's a short podcast . it explains there is less melodys used in pop music the melody is shorter and repeated more in the average song .this has happened since the 80s

I think the difference is the best bands of the 70s 80s 90s 2000s used the classic guitars drums singer maybe with 2 guitarists to produce high quality songs

Of course every decade has songs that were mediocre and sound awful to listeners today

We forget those songs but we remember the best classic songs like don't stop believing or the great songs from queen Tina Turner etc

Software is used to increase the complexity of production and effects but in general the melodys are very short and repeated many times in most pop songs released in 2024

i cannot think of a pop group now that has the range of melodys and insightful lyrics of the Beatles .

most groups have 2 hit albums and just tour as long as people want to hear them

CalamariFritti

They accused the punk and indy era of only knowing three chords. 😀 For many bands that was probably true enough when they just started out. Anyone who picks up a guitar for a couple of days can do Joy Division. So simplicity itself isnt a new thing and it doesnt mean the music has to be sh1te.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122903467#Comment_122903467

The packaging of (some) new CDs is a disgrace. Cardboard sleeves, crappy digipaks, spines that crush easily.

It's been done for spurious environmental reasons. Thankfully in Japan, they're still using jewel cases and fatboxes.

thereiver

I think most young people gen z stream music or watch youtube, i get the impression fans of a a particular band buy cds or vinyl to show loyalty to a singer or group .theres so many ways to listen to music using apps on a phone or tablet , putting a cd into a player feels out of date to me like a ritual . i dont watch much tv live. its easier to stream tv shows anytime i want to watch a certain series.

tik tok is having a great influence eg people dance to a song and it gets into the charts. Old groups are now getting back to touring because some songs became popular on tik tok. On tik tok an old song can become popular all over again because its a dance trend from someone like charli d,amelio .

Alot of old 90,s , 2000,s songs have great melodys and hooks which are easy to dance to

Like rick astley played glastonbury because his song and rickrollling became an internet meme.

JupiterKid

Thom Yorke of Radiohead - one of the very best bands of the past 30 years - sums up the lamentable current state of the music industry perfectly...

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122868206#Comment_122868206

That is one awful list of bland songs.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122907927#Comment_122907927

I didn't list them cause I particularly liked them, they were examples of original bands writing original music, in the mainstream, that were hits. Contrast that to post 2010, and you've nothing. I never once rated the quality of those songs, I hate Kings of Leon for example

The Golden Miller

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

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