Why does most new music suck?

There is the old quote attributed to Duke Ellington, I believe: "There are two kinds of music.....good, and bad". I've also seen it ending as "good, and the other kind". But that doesn't really help, as different people put the same music in the two opposite groups. One man's good is another man's bad.

Jazz musicians dismissed The Beatles in '63 (or so said Jeff Hamilton, Diana Krall's drummer, at a drummer seminar I attended about ten years ago) because they weren't virtuoso musicians, apparently not knowing that being a virtuoso musician is not what is required to make good music of the type The Beatles were making, any more than being able to compose like Bach (or write a song as good as did John, Paul, & George) is a skill required to make good Jazz music.

Mapman, another way to say that is that the Beatles music spoiled us to the point that we have no use for most of today's music. It's partly a matter of quality.

Anyone here read, "The Song Machine, Inside the Hit Factory" by John Seabrook? Apparently modern pop is created much like Muzak was. " Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain's delight in melody, rhythm, and repetition, these songs are highly processed products. Seabrook visits specialized teams composing songs in digital labs with new "track-and-hook" techniques."

There's a reason they sound alike, and unsatisfying.

"There are two kinds of music.....good, and bad"

I agree with teh Duke on this. I find all music good enough to listen to at least once. More that I will give a second try based on the first than not. In the end the babies get separated from the bathwater.

"Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain's delight in melody, rhythm, and repetition"

And the problem with that is......?

Oh yeah, its not "creative". is delivering more of a product most people like not creative? Most people just want to dance, not listen. Is dance music bad? I like to listen mainly and if it makes me want to dance then the litmus test has been passed.

Most people danced to the music of Ellington. that's what made him popular. The genius came out over time.

People like to dance to modern music as well, at least younger people. There is likely at least a couple genius out there as well making this stuff. They might get tired of cookie cutter and do something else creative and great later. Like the Duke. How many of his contemporaries are still even known at all today? A small %.

The other day my 14 year old daughter informed me that she cannot enjoy a lot of teh modern pop she did anymore in that she realized that the music of the 80s and Michael jackson specifically is so much better.