The effects of corporate music

Heh.

Ya know, as much as i hate brittany spears music, every time her video Toxic is on, i have a hard time changing the channel. ;)

that girl is so freakin hot it's annoying. ;)

Nrchy, you hit the nail on the head this time. Blame Clearchannel for destroying radio and Sony for wiping out the recorded music industry. The good news is that with the latest technological advances (eg internet, etc.) many new artists in the US are choosing to forego the established recording industry. Volume of sales is lower, but the profit to the performer is, in many cases, slightly higher since the record companies don't pay squat to anyone but an established mainstream artist. The only down-side to this is it makes great music hard to find if you don't know exactly where to look. The time is right for some enterprising individual to set up a categorized link site for as many of these artists as possible with links to their sites (maybe it already exists?). Anyway, another point I'd like to make is that harder rock-n-roll didn't die, it moved to Finland. And other countries outside the US. Here, listed by country, are a few bands from outside the US that most people in the US have never heard of. Check them out, you may find a new favorite:

Finland -- Nightwish, Thyrane
Italy -- Lacuna Coil
Sweden -- Freak Kitchen, Passenger, In Flames
Croatia -- Ashes You Leave

On a much softer note, check out Holly McNarland from Canada or if you find yourself in a Sisters of Mercy mood, try out The Cruxshadows from that other foreign country---Florida!!! You get my point. Good music is out there, it's just harder to find. That's why we have to rely on each other to find it. I realize this is predominantly a gear site, but maybe Audiogon should/would consider a way for members to list what types of music they prefer. That would make it alot easier to know who to ask for new music recommendations. Just a thought.

Being in education I observe and supervise young people as part of my job. Where before there was some concensus among young people about "good music" and "good bands," this does not exist today. When I mentioned the Doors to a group of students last year, several said they were big fans and had several albums. Others had never heard the band. When I was in school, if someone mentioned the Doors, we would have said they were old and not as good as our current favorites. The students just do not have a common favorite band or type of music. Many no longer listen to popular music. This is not just about getting old, there is something more to it than that.

When chaperoning a dance, the DJ used 80's and early 90's hard rock tunes to get the students going, then switched to more modern tunes. When the modern tunes were played the dance floor was markedly less crowded and less energetic. It did get crowded again later, but I suspect only because the participants wanted the bump-and-grind of bodies that is modern MTV-style dancing and not because of the music. The students did not seem to realize why they enjoyed dancing to the older rock so much and could only bump-and-grind and/or STAND AROUND ON THE DANCE FLOOR to the newer music (yes there was simple standing by some).

When I was younger there were 4 radio stations in my area that played primarily top 40 hits. Today there is only one radio station in the area that plays top 40. This speaks for itself that times and the music have changed. It is not just that we are getting older.

HEY NOW! I didn't say I didn't like LOOKING at Brittany! Isn't that more evidence for what's wrong with commercial muzac? Get a bimbo or bimbob, put 'em in spandex, and process in some real singers to "thicken up" lame vocals. Same story with that country singer Shania Twain. She sounds better on TV than radio.

Was wondering why on one state run New Jersey Radio Station they keep playing Elton John, Barbara Streisand , Liza Minelli and Culture Club.