2. music
  3. 1092353458

The effects of corporate music

I'm old enough to remember AOR and being able to listen to music that at the time I thought was just bizzare, and that was on the radio. There were so many stations around with a huge variety of music to hear, including things I had not heard before.

In the last thirty years music radio has changed so much, and for the worse that I no longer listen to music radio. I can't help but think that cumulus and others of their ilk have destroyed radio, but I also wonder how big their influence has been on the quality of music.

There used to be more of an edge to music, and I'm not talking about the trash made up of violence and sex that is todays rap music. People had more to say, and better ways of saying it when I was young. The musicians did not try to substitute shock for substance when making their records.

Are there still musicians around that are great artist, but we never get to know them because they don't fit the formula of corporate radio stations? Is there still a place for small stations that are unwilling to play the drivel that passes for pop music, or the oldies that comprised our youth, but are getting old even to those of us that love those songs???
128x128nrchy
aceto
273 posts
 
As the French say, you cannot mix business and art. What has happened to radio has happened to school music programs, has happened to the whining bullies of the recording industry, blaming their abject failure on MP3. Consentration of ownership kills beauty, courage and freedom. Look at the news and look at our candidates. As with news and alternative radio, the internet is the refuge of the small, the brave and the seekers of beauty and truth. A few inner cities have enough free spirits unafraid of the future to cultivate something like culture.
wham_man75d3
1 posts
 
Corporate weasels in the music business is nothing new. Even back in the days of AOR, the vast majority of radio stations fell into the catagory of top 40 in whatever genre they covered. But at least there were a few people who wanted to break the mold and try to do something new and innovative. Unfortunately, labors of love have become almost non-existent.

I'm a huge Disney fan (in addition to being a music lover and audiophile) and it's sad to see what's happened to the amusement parks and animated features. Bottom line thinking has swamped the legacy that the artists and craftsmen left behind.

From my perspective, the shortage of true innovation has come from the faster/cheaper mentality of the corporate world. Companies view themselves as being at war with their competitors and are unwilling to take the risks or the added time necessary to come up with something new. The result is a repackaging of the same old crap (usually in a watered-down form).

Listen to some of the kiddie punk band like Blink 182, Sum 41, Lit, etc. They all sound the same and are pathetic extensions of the punk bands of the 70's. Yet they're being marketed as the cutting edge of alternative music.
ogsarg
59 posts
 
I agree that music radio sucks and has for quite some time. The reason, I believe, is that the value of a radio station is so high that only large corporations can buy them.

Large corporations don't like to take chances, so they hire program consultants to put together playlists and they are very leery about playing any artist that is not a proven commodity. So, we just get the same old artists over and over.

As far as new music is concerned, I think there is more than ever and this site is a good place to start finding it. Look at the thread "What Music Do You Want to turn people onto" Look at some of the answers and go check them out on Amazon.com or some other site that has sound clips. When you hear something you like buy it.

Although I haven't tried it, my Daughter likes Launch.com. You provide feedback on songs you hear and then it starts to learn your tastes and suggests other stuff.
More to discover