Why does all new pop music sound the same?

Current American top 5 pop songs, week of 30Dec17:

1. Ed Sheeran -- Shape of you
2. Bruno Mars -- That's What I Like
3. Zedd and Aleissa Cara -- Stay
4. Kygo and Selena Gomez -- It Ain't Me
5. Aleissa Cara -- Scars to your Beautiful

Full disclosure, I really do not care for this type of music.  Also, I know the above is a snapshot and not representative of "All modern pop", but this somewhat validates the argument.  All "clubish" type compositions. I do not think they all "sound the same" though, but certainly this is the genre that is currently popular, so the songs will be similar.

Interestingly, NOT all written by the same two guys though.

Also, remember Post grunge? Hair metal? Disco? Bubblegum? Modern country? Boy Bands? Swing? Once these styles became popular and over saturated, I would argue the discussion was exactly the same. 

My point is, it really doesn't matter how many people write the songs, once it becomes "popular", and all the trappings that the label implies, it becomes restricted in content and formulaic. It's the American way. This isn't a new situation. Pop music has sucked forever. 

I look back fondly on the early '90s, as a time when there was an explosion in music variety.  Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, etc. Rock had a revolution!!!...

...and then I look back on the charts.  Oh nuts. It was filled with Boyz II Men, All 4 One, Brandy, Aaliyah, Monica, En Vogue, TLC...

This too shall pass, but the complaining won't.  

So I guess we should all move to Finland? 

Actually, I was listening to some Ed Sheeran YouTube videos while I was writing out some checks yesterday (yes, I still write a couple of checks each month to companies that don't let you put it on Amex) and he's not bad at all.  Nice songs, good production, nice voice.  I'm kind of surprised he rose to his current fame because he definitely doesn't look the part of the adolescent girl idol type, but I certainly don't consider myself an expert on that subject.  "Shape of You" is a good song too, but I can live without it being played every 10 minutes.  Change the station you say?  I have a friend who likes it and I don't like to criticize people's listening tastes just because I don't agree with them. 

Agree for sure. Just spent about 40 minutes with Ed Sheeran during lunch on the Bluetooth set up. Not my favorite by a long shot. Family likes him though, so it's fine. At least we are listening to music, right?

Face it, this music isn't made for us. It's ok to be a snob.

Why? Because most of what passes for talent today -- used to be considered trash; furthermore, many have so dropped their values and expectations . . . believing that if some publicity stunt or cleaver publicist gets a large number of people to follow such trash, then even those who find such atrocities offensive, will follow them because they don’t wish to be considered odd or out of fashion. Individuality and superlatives have been replaced by a singularity of thought and loss of thinking for oneself. The lyrics stink for the most part . . . and the so-called music all sounds like the same tired formula with slight variations of a beat, banging, foul words, and screeching harpies trying to reach high notes that sound more like sirens or whistles than they do human voices. Take away all the special effects, backup singers, and other noise assaults, the lead singer usually has a very mediocre voice at best, if at all, and after all the electronic modifications and changes. what the audience or listener gets is something that does not even resemble the original voice by which people are being entertained. The synthetically produced slop is not fit for human consumption.

Singers and musicians used to pay their dues -- not take pay under false pretenses; therefore, how quickly many “artists” are forgotten within a short time and never heard of again. No wonder so many young people are so tense and have a hard time relating to one another without their cell phones, computers, laptops, and noise blasting out the world around them. The mind doesn’t differentiate between that it is conditioned by -- when that is ALL it has ever been exposed to is a mindless, debilitating barrage of garbage and junk.

Amen !