re: The real reason music is getting worse, according to Rick Beato,

Seeing so many people in this thread not be in on the joke made me want to throw in some Gaucho-posting of my own.

To debate the actual topic of the thread, Beato isn’t entirely wrong but he’s also not right either.

I like his point about technology allowing producers to create performances rather than capture them. When my band is making demos, we’re not taking care to be precise. We know we can fix it in post, take extra takes, time align shite, stack tons of extra tracks, etc. At the same time, I took a different band and recorded a live session straight into studio one and just had a friend mix/master it and released it with zero time aligning, zero dubs, no autotune, no comping takes, etc. You absolutely can make something great for cheap without resorting to studio tricks, but you also can elevate a song by making things in a studio that simply cannot be replicated live. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing depends on how it is used.

I also like his point about how barriers to entry in the industry kept quality more consistent. However, I believe he is viewing the past through nostalgia goggles that ignores the mountains of forgettable dreck those generations of producers pumped out which have been forgotten. Yes, there is more forgettable junk now, but what actually gets heard is largely determined by the exact same sorts of gatekeepers who released schlock back in the day. The only difference now is that the music still gets recorded and released, just no one ever hears it.

quote:

---

as more and more music becomes increasingly accessible, paradoxically music seems to be less important to rising generations

---

I’m not sure that this is really true, though. I feel the metrics Rick used were really silly and did not convey what he said they did. People don’t google the word “music” today because they know where to find it unlike 20 years ago. Music is still ubiquitous and has super passionate fan bases.

With that said, the way music is consumed has changed, and thankfully so. Gen Z has les disposable income than ever. If the same business model was in effect for music today that was employed in the 90’s, the industry would collapse overnight because young people lack the disposable income to support buying albums at the levels and prices relative to inflation that were paid then.

In addition, this consumption change makes youth listen to more and more varied music, but it also reduces the social aspect of media in general. When you listen to FM radio, everyone in your town who listens to that station is hearing the same song at the same time. Listening on Spotify means you’re in your own personalized algorithmic bubble. People don’t get together to play albums but have music in the background to other activities. As a result, the most popular music the past few years has been more “vibe” genres like shoegaze and low fi hip hop. They fit comfortably in the background of other activities rather than demand your full and uninterrupted attention. Despite this, super fans do still exist, and online communities help connect them.

I believe the way music is marketed online through social media and influencers also has changed music to be more viral-centric. Once again, this isn’t inherently negative, but it is very different. Musicians struggle to keep a sense of mystery because they’re expected to constantly post multiple times a day every day to keep the content machine moving. If I were to properly manage my socials (which I don’t), I would spend 10x the time and effort on just editing videos than I do on all other music and band management responsibilities combined. It’s a huge amount of work that bands in the past simply weren’t expected to do.

quote:

---

I think the concept of music is dumb

It was invented to dance to and then dancing was made illegal so it received a new life as a way to cover up engine noises

Now with modern soundproofing we don’t hear much engine noise and everyone is too fat and depressed to dance so there’s no reason for music

---

,

quote:

---

The oak ridge boys are better than the beatles

---

I get you’re not a real person, but no, no they’re not.

Yeah, it's easier to put out "content". Well, content isn't music.

quote:

---

Which 4?

---

King of carrot flowers pt 1&2
Teenage kicks
Diggin holes
Doreen

ETA: I don’t see how you can argue that the Beatles are better than the oak ridge boys with a straight face

The oak ridge boys are better in every measurable metric

quote:

---

You absolutely can make something great for cheap without resorting to studio tricks, but you also can elevate a song by making things in a studio that simply cannot be replicated live. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing depends on how it is used.

---

Would you say the machinery making modern music can still be open hearted? Not so coldly charted it's just a question of your honesty?

quote:

---

Listening takes less effort than ever. FINDING takes effort. There’s simply too much content. A small shadowy cabal controls the algorithms that decide what you can easily find. Unless you play the algorithms game better than those who own if do, you’ll never be heard.

---

good local DJs are missed. 90.1 in Houston or WWOZ are still holding on and I am sure there are more but they are dying breed

quote:

---

making music too accessible.

---

Has really messed things up IMO.

Posessing music used to mean something. You owned it, you held it, it was a tangible thing.

Music is now treated as a throw away electronic file and its trickled down to the artist themselves.

quote:

---

Music sounds worse today because young people are more likely to get into garbage than before.

---

Before now, your radio or various variety shows dictated what music you heard. It was very uncommon to get access to lesser known musicians unless you were deep into the scene.

I don't know if that's good or bad, that it's changed. I agree that AI will be tasked with making music soon, because God forbid it be tasked with doing something useful.

There are some really talented musicians that you would probably have never heard of if not for platforms like YouTube.

Pretty sure no one would have had a chance to hear of Oliver Anthony if not for streaming platforms.