I hate Pop Music. But I love Gaga. Go Figure.

[Lord Temptation 11,209]

13 hours ago, wahkeenasitka said:

I agree with you to a certain extent. 

I would say that the 70s were THE peak decade for REAL, authentic music that was being supported by the music industry. I love prog rock too. Prog Rock like Yes, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Pink Floyd & King Crimson is some of my favorite stuff from the 70s... aside from R&B / Soul, like Marvin Gaye. 

Anyway, I also agree to an extent that the 80s was the beginning of the end for pop music - although, I would say the REAL beginning of the end for pop music didn't happen until Britney Spears came along in the late 90s. (I'm probably about to get blasted on this website for saying that!) But the 80s was a very dynamic decade music wise - and frankly so was the 90s, especially with the birth of "alternative rock"... and then everything went wild and free during that decade. Some of the best music ever made was made during the 90s. 

BUT, in terms of the dynamic plethora of pop music in the 80s, I was actually thinking of it last night - there was a LOT of amazing music and artists during that time frame, and there was a huge DIVERSITY of styles, genres, voices and flavors..... And that is very much what is missing in the current pop music industry. 

When I think of 80s pop music, I think of Madonna & Michael Jackson (of course) - but I also think of U2, Genesis / Phil Collins, Duran Duran, George Michael, Prince & Lionel Ritchie (thanks @Lord Temptation), Cyndi Lauper, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, The Police, Yes, Devo, Boy George... there was just so much, and so many dynamic styles and voices. (Not to mention all the heavy metal / hard rock that I frankly can't stand, but that was so popular at that time.)

I feel like what happened is that ever since the internet became mainstream, I'd say by the late 90s / early 2000s, there was a sharp redirection of focus for the music industry to focus on big celebrity performers, like Britney Spears and Beyonce, rather than spreading the focus on supporting a dynamic buffet of many artists, the music industry people want big blockbuster performers and the rest of the underground artists, who are really talented, just got shafted. I find it really sad. 

The pleasure was all mine 

I'm an 80s baby (born in 88) so I have to defend my era.

[Raikov 183]

On 8/27/2016 at 1:09 AM, wahkeenasitka said:

I feel like what happened is that ever since the internet became mainstream, I'd say by the late 90s / early 2000s, there was a sharp redirection of focus for the music industry to focus on big celebrity performers, like Britney Spears and Beyonce, rather than spreading the focus on supporting a dynamic buffet of many artists, the music industry people want big blockbuster performers and the rest of the underground artists, who are really talented, just got shafted. I find it really sad. 

I can tell a lot of people feel really strongly about the 80s and enjoy that style, so I think my dislike of the actual sound of the 80s plays a huge role in viewing it as the beginning of the decline. There was certainly a lot of variety, a lot of experimentation going on, it was really the beginning of electronic music in the mainstream, for example, and that's just the most obvious one. I just find so much of it almost unlistenable because of the production. There are songs from the 50s that are more bearable for me, and that was made using equipment and techniques that were undoubtedly more primitive and less sophisticated! I can accept that the 80s can be considered the "closing decade" to the "golden age" of the 60s and 70s, and I agree the 90s mark the beginning of the age we're still in now.

In America, at least, radio is a huge deal for deciding which songs get heard. The monopolization of radio stations means that it's harder for niche radio stations to exist; huge radio conglomerates aren't interested in supporting them and they can't compete against those same huge stations. This results in a homogenization of the music that gets played - it's why every town will have like 4 top 40 stations and 2 easy listening stations with music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and assorted modern tunes. Depending on your region, you may have access to country radio. If you're really lucky, you'll have classical and jazz music stations, but small towns are out of luck. I agree that this isn't good for anyone but perhaps radio owners.

But there is a silver lining! The internet has allowed extremely niche artists to survive. There are indie acts out there that make very weird music that wouldn't have survived in the 70s. It would have been impossible for them to record their own music, produce vinyl, distribute it to stores, get played on radio. Nowadays, if you want to make bizarro music, you're not limited to marketing to only the weirdos in your town - you have access to every weirdo that has internet. It's much cheaper and easier to make acceptable music nowadays and the internet allows you to distribute your music at no cost! So while radio has gotten more static (pun intended) and record labels concentrate on one style, the internet has allowed a flourishing of artists that you never would've been able to hear in the golden age.

I lament the loss of variety in huge record labels, but I also have the pick of the litter when it comes to independent acts, so it's not entirely a loss. It's also become fashionable as of late to listen to artists nobody's heard of and have your pet indie group, so I think that's a sign that there's dissatisfaction with the product major labels are providing. Music sales decrease every year. There's a change coming in the music industry... let's just hope it leads to re-increased variety instead of an even narrower band of music.

[giskardsb 12,565]

The 90's were really good for R&B and Rock and Roll.