Is Old Music Killing New Music?

@aewarren 

New music is killing new music.

My first thought too. 

The monotony. The simplicity. The same three chords over and over again. The way almost all cars look the same because of aerodynamics for gas mileage regulations, and SUVs and trucks all look the same for utility is the way music has become. It's very formulaic. Songs are now written by committee, so they're dumbed down to a common denominator. It amazes me that you need seven writers to come up with the same old three minutes of "boots and cats" computer-generated rhythm overlaid with fake auto-tuned vocals. And don't get me started about rap, which is much more literature than music, and even more monotonous.

"New music is killing new music" is my thought as well.

I primarily look for music coming from new Blues artists who re-interpret the classics and come up with new tunes.

To me, "pop" music is still pop music; commercially driven crap that is put out there for world consumption.

I have a nephew who plays alternative rock and has his own band. He writes his own music which he labels as "original". Honestly, most of it sounds really bad. He complains that only a few can appreciate his original music. His point of view is if you don't like his music then you must be an idiot.

To each his own, but to me musicianship is paramount regardless of the genre. Autotuned, drum machined pop music is not what I am looking for.

Technology has made making music easier and more accessible to the masses. Not everyone in the masses should be making music. There is more new music than ever before but the number of real musicians, people that can play instruments, is likely not that much greater than in the past.

I read 2 instances of articles on this subject and heard a report on NPR. My take was that NEW MUSIC was classified as something at most 2 years old.

hilde45

"Every generation, blames the one before" - Mike and the Mechanics, The Living Years.

Could it be that the generations younger than the boomers have had it too easy when they were raised and just aren't willing to work hard enough to get their share? There are plenty of opportunities for the younger generations to become doctors, lawyers, and other high paying careers, but it takes a lot of work to make it in those careers. There are a lot of good kids out there, but are they determined enough to put in the effort? This thing about living in their parent's basement is not just a stereotype, it's actually true. They're addicted to social media which can be a distraction to the concentration needed to get ahead in the more difficult fields. Last but not least, I find their music somewhat lazy too, all thumping beat but no melody or orchestration. Hell, even Led Zeppelin used strings in some of their songs. They should watch The Beatles: Get Back and learn where true genius combined with hard work can take people.

Good music stands the test of time.  Most of what is new doesn't, but some of it does.  

Don't let others tell you what to believe.  Enjoy it for yourself.