Why BOOMERS Hate POP Music

In today’s livestream explore the reasons why pop music does not appeal to the baby boomer generation.
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[@mr.g354]

The best part of modern music is anyone can make music and make it available to everyone. The worst part of modern music is that anyone can make music and make it available to everyone.

[@spigglemyxic1261]

Never have I read a more apt statement. It also applies to online discourse. Yeah, everybody's got an opinion but few people have a QUALIFIED opinion. (Are you going to ask a street gangsta for help when you're having a heart attack?)

[@iknownothing4661]

@@spigglemyxic1261 Wut?

[@spigglemyxic1261]

@@iknownothing4661 Best troll ever! You got me to reply to you and you didn't even type a real word in English! That's impressive! Also, your Nickname checks out! Double high-five, epic troller!

[@sansabark]

The great thing about the USA is that anyone can be president. The worst thing about the USA is that anyone can become president.

[@spigglemyxic1261]

@@sansabark It USED to be the case where it was possible for anyone to be President. Now you have to be one of the wealthy power elite to be President. I guarantee you that a working person couldn't even realistically run for office without huge stacks o' cash.

[@pattystomper1]

You don't have to be a Boomer to hate music that sucks.

[@matthewpaterson5216]

Well said.

[@AnthonyFerguson01]

Brilliant comment.

[@spazzymcgee1416]

Yeah!! rap is crap. The music i personally don't enjoy is objectively bad!!

[@kodykindhart8230]

You must not know any real rap then... and your far from objective just sayin 🤓

[@zhou_sei]

@Roger Coley that's a real position that many people hold, why would it be obvious sarcasm?

[@williamburych2136]

We boomers don't hate pop music, we hate TODAYS music.

[@katelynmeaghan3410]

And your parents hated your generation's music and their parents hated their music, rinse and repeat.

[@dogsbodyish8403]

@@katelynmeaghan3410 I wonder how many of today's pop songs will be regarded as classics in years to come?

[@petesmith6434]

Very true!

[@aracelymoran2504]

@@dogsbodyish8403 None. Don't fit the criteria.

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

I'm a boomer and I dont hate todays music, nor pop music. Most of it is average at best, but 95% of music always was average at best. Not everybody was Freddy King or Eric Clapton or Hendrix in the 60's or Pink Floyd and the Dire Straits in the 70's. The record stores were filled with crap records in the 80's that were hits then but are long since forgotten. Like a boomer I listen to the national DAB radio while driving, and I hear todays pop musique, and it's good enough for me to not zap to the boomer playlist station. That's about as much as you can expect from pop now and 50 years ago. All good. What I don't see or hear tho, is 2023's Hendrix, Santana, Clapton. And I believe that's because music doesn't have the same function in youth culture today as it had for us.

[@dwgrly]

I was born in 54 and grew up.listening to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, ELO, Carly Simon, Simon and Garfunkle, Pink Floyd, ELP etc. I still listen to a lot of my vinyl. My son is 25 and plays guitar. He not only listens to and know so many great songs of my era, but has gone even further back and spends a lot of time listening to the old blues legends. He also listens to, for example, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. He knows a lot of todays pop music, but it's not what I hear him playing most of the time. He doesn't enjoy like he likes real instruments, great vocals that may hit before or after a beat, songs with changes and variation and texture.

[@jackkilman8726]

A couple of years ago I was talking with a young coworker who thought it was weird that I actually sit down and listen to music, as opposed to just having it on while I'm doing something else. Since then I've wondered if the "issue" with current pop music might be that it's designed to be heard in the background while multitasking rather than actively listened to.

[@facelessandnameless]

Interesting 🤔 I think you are on to something.

[@philfrei1]

The lack of variation that Beato refers to would help let the music stay in the background.

[@vandemonian5412]

as far as i've observed "multitasking" actually equals doing a bunch of stuff in half-assed way -

[@uwebaganz5144]

Yep that's true I think - btw i also love to sit down and listen to a whole album

[@lovetolearn881]

I think you are right. And also just only wanting a steady beat in the background that can't basically be in the background and one can dance or sway to as opposed to more complex music which draws one in

[@Hexxecutioner]

The low overall quality of modern popular music has one major benefit- it has taught fans like me to appreciate a lot of older music that we never paid much attention to before. It's to the point now, that if I hear anything which involves actual musicians who can actually play, singers who can actuallt sing, and so on, regardless of genre, I respect it.

[@That70sGuitarist]

I agree completely, but then again, I'm an old timer. I grew up listening to players who could play, singers who could sing, drummers who could drum, etc. It's like the old Bob Seger song put it; "Today's music ain't got the same soul, I like that old time rock and roll!" I can listen to almost anything from old time big bad swing to 90's pop and enjoy the heck out of it.😉

[@braveswin1]

As I got older I expanded my tastes to include several forms of jazz while retaining my love of rock/pop from the 20th century. I've since started re-investigating other rock artists that I either overlooked or dismissed when I was younger. This led me to a true appreciation of Dylan, Neil Young, The Beatles, The Stones, etc. This has been a truly enjoyable experience and comes at the dismissal of most current music - but I see no reason to regret because, frankly, the older music is simply of higher quality and creativity.

[@johnmaki3046]

Music took TALENT (before the late 1980's) NOW IT IS CRAP!

[@stevenvox6549]

@@johnmaki3046It was better when there were record companies and big time production quality with real instruments and voices.

[@liveBasschannel]

@@braveswin1 living the same thing but Ive been dismissing stuff as "just pop" in my youth and was more into heavy jazz and rock... now I can put up with a lot more crap my brain is ruined already what can go wrong

[@bobwallace1880]

I am 77 years old. My grandson plays in a band. They were struggling trying to cover current music, their audiences were leaving during their shows. I charted out songs from Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Roy Orbison and others. The kids their age loved it, they are now actually making money. Good post Rick!!! Do some more.

[@kennethfrank1717]

Boring

[@westzed23]

That is so great for your grandson's band. Rock & Roll still lives. 😎🎶💜

[@davidpalmer7175]

That's why I love to watch younger people discovering 60s, 70s and 80s music. Back when talent was needed.

[@scasey1960]

Pop music doesn’t make money

[@michaelmartin4552]

Until my hearing was damaged, I worked off and on as a DJ for decades. And my last regular club gig was about 20 years ago. I always played to the crowd when I could, and when I took over as DJ (it was a failing club because they kept hiring joke DJs), I spent several hours going through various genre to see what people liked. And actually got a hit when I played some techno remixes of New Wave songs. Both the older people liked it because they knew the songs, and the younger kids could appreciate it was faster like what they liked. But I have almost never had people complain about playing older music, no matter the age. But more and more each year the pop music simply sucks today. And this can be seen in who is performing. Go back 30-40 years, and you actually had Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, the Beach Boys, and acts from the 1960s and before charting in the mid to late 1980s. And Michael Jackson charting in the 1990s, even though he got his start in the late 1960s. How many Top 40 acts hitting the charts now were around even a decade ago? Almost none, yet you still get artists from the 1970s and 1980s selling out concert tours for big bucks.

[@json072993]

I was born in the early 1990s, and I was struggling to understand why I found it more difficult to appreciate music produced for the past 15 or so years. Thank you so much for nailing every single reason why I like songs from the 70s until the late 90s better than the music that hit the charts these days!

[@MuckChickleton]

I reject the assessment that my critique of current pop music, which doesn’t merely suck but in fact performs an entire Aristocrats joke as a matter of routine, is somehow inarticulate.

[@jerelull9629]

IMO, your use of music in that context should be in quotes, as there's little or no music involved in the "pop" stuff that's making the rounds recently. At least EDM has a predictable beat that can sorta be danced to: Just the right beat to get stoned to bounce around to all night.

[@timwilson7326]

"too much production, not enough talent" That's literally it. Period

[@jpmillman1]

You need a lot of talent to make it into a great production ;)

[@norulestv2010]

But then you have to wonder why so many boomers and generation Xs love adult contemporary which has the same overproduction and talentless hacks playing it.

[@shREDhead44]

You don’t need talent, you just need to have the right look. See all the lip syncing superstars out there? Yeah.....Talent 😂

[@johnm948]

@@jpmillman1 most of the time that is true, sometimes there are other factors (relatives, wealth, "favors")

[@mason3872]

@@jpmillman1 not anymore, atleast in pop music I find that they just stick the song in audible or some audio editing software and just put a few filters and edit in a few instruments and specific sounds but besides that they don’t really put in effort modifying the sounds using specific settings. If you can find demos for certain pop songs and then the final version you just hear a small difference compared to something like the holy wars demo to the finished version of holy wars. Plus you know a lot of these artists use prebuilt programs that practically produce, mix, and master the song for them.

[@Maneru5978]

When you mentioned Bridge Over Troubled Water my heart filled with joy. A truly remarkable song indeed!

[@thegreatelfinko]

In case you're interested the drummer on that, the great Hal Blaine who was on 99.9% of the records back then was using his tire chains with with the echo chamber in the basement of the Capitol Records building to make that sound. It was a fantastic idea that really helped the record.

[@peterdeis1487]

@@thegreatelfinko Larry Knechtel, a fellow member of the Wrecking Crew, played the piano for this masterpiece. He also came up with the piano introduction. Couchgrouch

[@johnmaki3046]

I NEVER liked this song! I appreciate its' ERA though!

[@stevecrocker6904]

yes sir, a song that excites the senses in a myriad of ways. Just good, good music!

[@grzewnicki]

One thing missing from today's music is multiple singers in a band, like the Dead, The Who, The Band, Floyd, Zappa, Fleetwood Mac, you didn't get stuck listening to the same guy sing over and over again.

[@MrJothindra]

I remember my father saying, in the late 60's, "Son, the music I am listening to is the music you will be listening to the rest of your life." His words have come true. Majority of the songs played on the radio continues to be the same.

[@notmyworld44]

Born in 1944, I'm 76 years of age, soon to be 77. I remember the sweet music of the 40s through the 70s. I strongly dislike all genres of contemporary popular American music. Same goes for modern "praise & worship" songs heard in churches these days. Without a good melody and instrumentation, repetitive religious words do not make a song inspiring. I'm a retired symphony musician, proficient in contra-bass viol, violin, and French horn. If it ain't pretty, I don't want to hear it. Thank You.

[@rustyaxelrod]

I could not agree more! I’m about to turn 60 and have been lucky to hear a lot of great music of many different types and have been in and out of bands most of my life as a guitarist and singer. Our church has shifted from the hymnal to more modern music and it takes effort to not squirm in my seat, huff and puff, and roll my eyes. The repetition of melody, rhythm, and especially lyrics is mind numbing to a degree I don’t enjoy going to church as much as I used to. I don’t like feeling that way in church! I’ve been attending services in other churches lately and this seems quite common in this area from my experience. I did find one local church that was much like a concert, dark lighting, lots of equipment on stage, very loud volume featuring a lot of guitar, huge sub cabinets pumping under the front of the stage and the music was more than half of the service! Guess what? Repetitive as the more traditional services.

[@clockguy2]

I was born in 1966 and I pretty much agree. I dislike modern church music because most churches did away with hymn books. I don't like singing from an overhead projector and if I wanted to hear a band, I'd buy a concert ticket.

[@jamesbell8861]

My Grandmother ask us kids to take her to the last SLIPKNOT concert that came through town (2019) when she saw how excited we were getting about it. So we geared her up in leather and face paint and gave her some proper earplugs, snuck in a flask of vodka. We had fantastic seats and she was easily the oldest person in the colosseum. She was 78 years old. She still says that it was the best time she's ever had in her life. She taught herself how to use Spotify so she could find more "SLIPKNOTy" music. Turns out she's got really good taste.

[@odysseaspierides7466]

I agree and i am 14 😂

[@notmyworld44]

@@odysseaspierides7466 You are amazing! Continue to be who you are, and not a follower of the majority. Dare to be different. Dare to be exceptional. God bless and keep you.

[@frankmerendino1855]

I introduce my elementary music students to and perform with them the music of The Beatles, Motown, Journey, Queen, and even Yes. So many of them end up loving it more than what's popular now. Every time! They hear the quality difference! Ten year olds!

[@voronOsphere]

Thank you!!!! That is gonna help in many ways. I see young people playing older songs on KZbin all of the time! It's very encouraging!

[@stevehelland6789]

My son just turned 10, and he absolutely loves The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, etc. His mother tried to introduce him to Imagine Dragons and he just kind of shrugged...

[@sbrazenor2]

The Beatles and many other classic rock bands are relatively timeless. It's hard to beat them.

[@elzoog]

Which songs from those bands do you talk about and/or perform? I kind of want to explain to my students why these are better quality.

[@jhonhenry9056]

Wow never heard of those underground artist before

[@mikemcf33]

I’m proud to be a boomer. born 1959.... feel like I grew up listening to the best music.

[@SmilingIbis]

You did. I remember being allowed to stay up late to watch the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. Golden memories. Treasure them.

[@user-om9ix2lh3t]

Amen brother....😄😄😄👍👍👍👍🤟🤙

[@HyperHorse]

Well, you didn't.

[@alan73795]

Hey Rick. Love your videos; just came across this one. I think there's a one-word answer to why boomers hate today's pop music based on all the elements your list: lack of chord changes, lack of sohpisticated melody, lack of rhythm variety (both beat and sounds), lack of subject matter and lack of dynamics. It all adds up to the main reason current pop music (with some exceptions, of course) sucks: it's BORING.

[@Handonforehead]

If you want some good modern pop listen to these songs, definitely worth checking out the artists if you like them: Famous Last Words - James Blake Cavendish Square - Beatenberg Prince of the Hanging Garden - Beatenberg G3 N15 - Rosalia God's Chariots - Oklou Zero 7 - Destiny Hanging On - Knower Hot Mess - Genevieve Artadi Billions - Caroline Polachek Andrew - M Field

[@MetFan37]

@@Handonforehead We have entered the situation described in Arthur C. Clarke's futuristic novel from 1953 "Childhood's End". In the book, it describes a society which has no reference to the past in any way shape or form, and creates, in essence, "art for art's sake".

[@70sleftover]

@@MetFan37 Interesting. A friend has said the same about younger people today having few references to the past, in large part because they aren't watching reruns of Bugs Bunny and the like that our generation were subjected to for modern entertainment decades after they were produced, with all their classical music elements and even references to history we would otherwise, maybe, not know. We also had parents who were pretty much grown up as adults (I mean, for one thing, moms and dads dressed like moms and dads and not adolescent wannabes), they were from such a different era, e.g. in high school during WWII.

[@stephenlennartz3466]

Boomer here. I play in a cover band with a set list that mixes classic rock (Zeppelin, Santana, CSN, etc.), pop (Michael Jackson, The Squeeze, Bruno, etc.), Motown, country and reggae. This has been our recipe for getting lots of gigs for 25+ years. In fact ... many people tell us that our blend is what they love about the band. Selling out? Hardly. There is some incredible songwriting and storytelling out there. Fun to play and musically challenging. One of our performances caught the attention of a well known movie producer & landed us a gig in a major motion picture. No ... I don't hate pop ... I just do my best to choose wisely no matter what genre of music we perform. We'll keep doing what we're doing.

[@LKtube1]

The older I get, the more I appreciate the songs I heard in the back seat of dad's car on AM radio in the 70's.

[@fairlessdave1834]

Are you rockin' to Sylvia's Mother?

[@tubecoatue]

Facts

[@haveagreatday9865]

It’s called nostalgia

[@haveagreatday9865]

@jon scott nostalgic songs transcend greatness

[@LKtube1]

@@fairlessdave1834 No - that one's kinda awful.

[@davidcerjak3153]

As a boomer, we grew up with this formula: verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, solo(s), chorus. Songs told stories too...Bad Co.'s Shotting Star, Foreigner's Juke Box Hero, etc.

[@jedinova67]

I know this video is a few years old, but honestly I feel a big part of the problem with pop music is where the focus lies. In 60s and 70s there was a focus on unique sounds and bands trying to outdo each other to find that unique sound. When the focus lies with creativity we all win. Unfortunately, today's pop music plays things very safe. What's going to make us rich. We've seen this in music history many times. And all it takes is one song or band to cause a revolution in popular music.

[@gnu_andrew]

Sadly, I don't think it's that simple. There has been a growing diversity in popular music since the rock and roll era of the late 50s. Each subsequent decade of the 20th century spawned major new genres, even if they weren't to everyone's taste. I feel this changed in the early 2000s with the karaoke TV shows and a general pushback by industry to safer sounds that they could control. We went back to a time when the most popular songs were by artists didn't create, but just recorded covers of existing proven songs, much like in the early/mid 50s where the charts would have multiple versions of the same song. However, there still would have been diversity, had it not been for the implosion of record sales and the industry's lack of desire to invest in more risky ventures. Bands started to pretty much disappear from the charts in the late 2000s. Current charts are made up of songs by a small group of artists, with songs by an even smaller group of writers & producers, supported by loyal fan bases that stream this music. The rest of us are pretty much left out. You see this most clearly at Christmas when the charts now get flooded with everyone's Xmas party playlist. In a healthy music industry, decades-old Christmas songs should not be beating new releases. I can look at a chart from the 70s (before I was born) or the 90s, and find songs I love, songs that's are ok and songs I wouldn't want to listen to. In both, lots of different styles are represented. With today's chart, it is all in the latter category for me and just sounds like the same bland homogeneous mess. The one song or band they might have been able to break out of this before is likely to now not get the investment from the music industry to make that happen. Not when they can make safe money on the same old stuff.

[@RichardHansbury]

Here's the truth as I see it now or when I grew up in the 70s and 80s: 90% is garbage. 90% of the charters is burnt crispy in a week and you never want to hear it again. 90% of rest is flavor of the month and the rare leftovers are still playable in a year. We used to listen to year end top 100 countdowns and laugh and groan our way through. We couldn't figure out who requested this crap. For me it's all about who I listened to a song or band or style with and memories that are wrapped up in it.

[@gnu_andrew]

@@RichardHansbury totally. I've been watching these re-runs of the UK music show, Top of the Pops, lately and the interesting thing is you get to see the charts of the time in all their glory, not just the rose-tinted view you get on hits stations. There's a bunch of stuff that was barely remembered a month later, let alone now, both from bands I don't remember and follow-up hits that didn't get anywhere (Chesney Hawkes had another song? really?) The ones I've been watching are early 90s, but I don't doubt it's the same for the 70s & 80s. For every "Bohemian Rhapsody", there is a "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep", along with a bunch of songs no-one now remembers. But all of it reminds you of a certain time. Even the bad stuff.

[@jedinova67]

Let me be clear, there's a reason I didn't mention the 50s in my original comment. Most of that Era is similar to what we're seeing just a regurgitation of the same sounds. It wasn't until the 60s that we started to see songwriting innovations and experimentation.

[@gnu_andrew]

@@jedinova67 yes, exactly, this is why I said late 50s. Prior to that, it was very much the same sound and multiple singers recording the same song, often ballads. I think, from the karaoke shows of the early 2000s onwards, we've seen the music industry try to push back to this safer era, where their meal ticket is not taking risks by experimenting. Let's face it, a lot of the music industry exist to make money from the few who are creative, and the setup works better for them where the songwriter is not the same person as the one in the limelight as the performer.

[@joequintana5546]

I'm 51 yrs old and I really try to have an open mind for music but... I just can't deal with modern pop. I can't listen to it. I don't know how you do it man. Respect.

[@joendeb640]

Most hilarious comment of the day from Mr. Sly Witt, aka Rick Beato; "Now I hope I don't get demonetized for this" after playing a programmed drum track that is in 95% of all the pop songs today at the 5:37 mark. Well played, Rick!

[@emptyemptiness8372]

I am Gen X. When I grew up there were endless bands in suburban garages, there we not only learned music craft, we learned the social skills of working together and organizing stuff, no internet- it was photocopy, cassettes and pounding the pavement. Our parents were the rock n roll generation and our childhood was filled with rock n roll and we went onto punk, hardcore, metal,rockabilly etc... Today's bedroom computer music is rubbish because it is created I isolation, it can all be done alone, a musician can get filthy rich today without ever having physical contact with another human....and that is how it sounds to me, empty of soul and power.

[@personampauperis7595]

As a Boomer older than Rick, I would like to add that with music as diversified as it is today while completely accessible to anyone, there is so much amazing music available. My (similarly aged) friends and I went to see Billy Strings in Winston-Salem for the Doc Watson commemorative. One of the best musical evenings of my life. (And yes, I am old enough to have been at Woodstock & the Fillmore East)

[@derekwood7329]

THANK YOU. There is so much amazing music available to hear nowadays that its absolutely overwhelming. Go listen to the debut album by the Allah-Lahs and tell me with a straight face that it doesn't hold ground with The Animals or similar mid-60s bluesy garage rock. Go listen to "Ragged Wood" by The Fleet Foxes and try to tell me genuinely that it doesn't hold against Neil Young (Seriously! Their first album sounds exactly like Harvest Moon!!). Go listen to "Changes" by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and tell me it doesn't compare favorably with early Dead. And that's just like... the teensiest tiniest tip of the iceberg. There is so much unbelievably good music coming out nowadays that I feel like I don't even have enough time in the day to find and enjoy it all.

[@eliseintheattic9697]

There is a LOT of good music out there. It's just not on the radio like it used to be. If you're out in a restaurant or in a grocery store, you will hear today's crappy pop music. You have to dig to find the good stuff.

[@barnabascee1889]

But the topic of the conversation is current Pop Music. The Pop Music of the '60s and '70s was a lot more variable and sophisticated than any Pop Music of the last 25 years. In fact, I'm still not finding much NON-Pop Music today that truly stands up to the music of those two decades. I DO listen to it. I like some of it. But it pales in comparison.

[@MetFan37]

@@derekwood7329 That may be, so why are the program directors at the radio stations trying to PUSH ALL THIS CRAP UPON THE PUBLIC?

[@williamlidster5850]

As a boomer, my favorite music will always be real people, playing real instruments, singing in harmony and telling me a story!

[@jeannedarc7533]

As a Gen Z, I can't stand my cringy generation, and my favorite music will always be talented arists, pink floyd, pearl jam, guns n' roses, queen and many others, not this cardi b shenanigans and tomfoolery...

[@natalieisagirlnow]

like TONTO and stevie wonder?

[@_900_L]

@@jeannedarc7533 shut up crybaby

[@jeannedarc7533]

@@_900_L I thought my name was "crybaby" XD?

[@victorhovmand8728]

@@jeannedarc7533 i agree it just sounds better

[@doubleb6967]

My high school band director said something I've never forgotten. "The space between the notes is as important as the notes". I like some current music but most of it is over produced and too noisy. It's like a hoarder who fills every space of their home with junk. There are no spaces between the notes, no dynamics, just noise. I'm a big YES fan, have been for years, it's complicated music but speaks to me with various time signatures and volumes.

[@Alpha_7227]

As a student of the bass, the space in between the notes is sometimes more important. If you listen to the bass line in Weird fishes by Radiohead for example or a multitude of others.

[@eightcoins4401]

How the hell is mixing/production related to the space between notes? Thats writing, not production

[@bitmapman]

​@@eightcoins4401 Nature abhors a vacuum. Technology can alter the creative process. When you have laid down 16 tracks while playing your song live in the studio and you listen to the rough mix back all of the unused tracks on that multi-track recorder scream at you to "use me!". The temptation to add new instrumental or vocal parts becomes very real. Some of those little tidbits will just "fit" into the "spaces around the notes". Pretty soon 24 tracks aren't enough. You can go virtual and as long as you have money to by RAM you can keep adding tracks. 96 tracks on a single song is not that unusual today.

[@TheExtremeCube]

Instantly a band called Bell Witch came to mind, on their album Mirror Reaper, I feel like the silence between notes is another instrument

[@eightcoins4401]

@@TheExtremeCube Its doom metal. The whole point is that the music is slow and that notes "linger".

[@markthompson3398]

In the 60s and 70s we listened to albums. When we bought an album it was on recommendation or there was a song played on the radio we liked. It was well understood that when you bought an album that some of the tracks you would not instantly like but these tracks grew on you with repetition. We openly talked about taking the time to get into the album. Yes as a boomer guitarist my friends and I are working our way back through many of the old standards, working on all along the watchtower a la Hendrix with a change up into a bob dylan style and the thrill is gone at the moment.

[@allengoyne]

Bridge over Troubled Water piano played by Larry Knechtel (one of the Wrecking Crew) who also played studio bass on The Doors then went on to play with Bread, played the awesome lead guitar parts on their song The Guitar Man. Great creative players like him are in my opinion what is missing from music today.

[@andrewtrotter9023]

This week my 19-year old daughter sent me a screenshot of the song playing on her playlist and it was America’s “Ventura Highway” from 1972. Proud dad moment.

[@randyvanvliet226]

Talkin' Bout my Gggggeneration!

[@_900_L]

No

[@danielmason7282]

'I hope I don't get demonetised.' Encapsulates the music industry in one sentence. :(

[@susanmaggiora4800]

Daniel Mason Yep, makes a 30 minute video, gets demonitized for using 2 seconds of a beat. Fucking youtube🤦‍♂️

[@Screwyourpolitics]

Which he says after playing a stock beat from about a thousand different drum machines and multitrack programs.

[@JTuaim]

Name that tune.

[@mvp019]

no kidding - really good point.

[@Hawking1969]

brilliant

[@danigomez9573]

Beato is so open-minded. It's great to see someone that lists the things they like and the things they dont and knows those things aren't necessarily good or bad. I know that I wouldn't be that objective when it comes to why nowadays pop music is pretty much garbage.

[@hoarder1919]

he's not open-minded at all. You can see it in his top lists of "20 Greatest...", you can see it in him just talking about music in general. He rarely explores anything outside his rock, Anglo-speaking bubble.

[@user-ho4nw5sf3w]

I'm a boomer,73. It's not that I hate or dislike today's pop music. There is some good stuff out there. It's just that I no longer relate to most of it. The topics of most songs are in my past and do not relate to my now.

[@loghanditheimperialdiehard8876]

I think you’re Gen X.

[@chiselcheswick5673]

I think for a lot of the younger generation, the actual music is secondary to the image and personality singing it. My daughter follows many of the popular artists today, but rarely listens to the music.

[@jamesjolley447]

Good point. I’m an older gen x’er and I noticed the same with my granddaughters.

[@tdz69]

Lol. Exactly. How many female “artists” have more focus on their pics showing T&A than their actual music. Are you a musician or a model?

[@brucesmith3740]

My daughter likes Stevie Nicks

[@BretHHamilton]

In a way, that has always been the way of pop music.

[@benmann6488]

I thought about this today when listening to Post Malone "Circles" on the radio. There is so much good music out there that is not on the radio that it donned on me that in order to get noticed, listeners have to be attracted to the image and personality. I think it's always been this way to some degree, but these days it seems even more true due to the fact that you don't have to be a good singer, writer, musician to make high quality music anymore, you can do it with a laptop in your apartment and go viral on KZbin with your personality and marketability.

[@GroovyJo]

There’s fantastic music being made today, it just never gets anywhere near the charts.

[@Ryan-op2ng]

Exactly what's your favorites?? rn people think songs are what they need for stupid tiktok clip

[@chrispercy4061]

True. Some of the most critically acclaimed modern pop albums are from smaller pop artists who get little radio play: Charli XCX - Charli Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III Grimes - Art Angels All these people whinging in the comments about that state of pop music have no idea what they're talking about. They're basing an entire genre off of a few repetitive songs they've heard on the charts.

[@koenkrabbenborg4823]

@@Ryan-op2ng anything by Tom misch and loyle carner

[@jpbart1390]

nothing good has been on the charts in over a decade.

[@suobset]

@@Ryan-op2ng Listen to literally anything from Bitbird; they are a super amazing record label putting out some real good stuff.

[@EmmVee369]

I was ready to say boomers just hate everything but I'm a X-ennial and I agree with everything you said. While I like the music coming out and think we have some great lyricists in this generation, I'm SOOO sick of not hearing real instruments or real voices. My YT playlists are mostly amateur covers of today's hits because I'd rather it be rough as long as it's real.

[@chrisrachal3882]

Love your videos! They are fantastic. I'm 62 and grew up with basically the music you talk about a lot. I enjoyed your episode on the best Carpenters song and your interview with Leyland Sklar (I love Phil Collins too!), and many other of your videos, but I'd love to hear you talk about the Beach Boys sometime. I've never heard you mention them. I'd love an episode on Brian Wilson. You Rock and you're in my home town of Hotlanta! I live in Greensboro, NC now. Go Braves!

[@BorisBerlin]

5:08 where he starts naming the reasons. Here's my summary: - No Tempo Variations - little sonic variation, repetitive sounds (particularly Roland Drum Machines 808, 909, 606) - repetitive grooves (e.g. current trap beat with circada HH) - all diatonic chord progressions (rarely secondary dominants, harmonic interchange or modulations); typically 4 chords or less - little dynamic variation (except side-chain ducking/compression pumping effect) - simple nursery rhyme-like melodies (partially due to simple chord changes) - robotically tuned vocals (Autotune, Melodyne, etc.) - era of “perfection” where music is now more artificial, quantized to grids and inhumanly tuned, generic thus boring

[@JackTheRabbitMusic]

Nailed it. 🐰❤️🎸🎵🤝✌️

[@CardinalEgan]

Thanks, Boris! You just saved me 5 minutes and 8 seconds!

[@BorisBerlin]

@@CardinalEgan Actually, I saved you much longer, as he only starts at 5:08 and then goes on for the rest of the long video (assuming you're referring to my summary)! You're welcome :-)

[@CardinalEgan]

@@BorisBerlin - Thanks! Hope I can return the favor!

[@SexycuteStudios]

I can boil all that down to one sentence. Modern pop is pretty much the product of algorithms and artificial intelligence.

[@RyunWould]

Currently 35. I would rather hear no music, than the current top 10.

[@huntthekirbster]

I’m 14, and I agree

[@patrickrichardson4765]

There seemed to be more variety in bands' sounds that you could choose from back in the day. Very intelligent explanation for us non-musicians and Boomers! My daughter has very eclectic musical tastes due to our exposing her to our music; classical, opera, Broadway, disco, country, swing, jazz etc. I usually learn about current trends from my kids. And then I find music that is from the 90`s that I never listened to back then but for some reason appreciate now.

[@nicholasbuttery511]

Blame the Download Charts ! Gone are the days when you bought a record and held onto it like a precious stone until you got home when the delight of unraveling and placing your vinyl on the turntable.

[@fewwiggle]

It's not just the lack of "variety" within the songs, it's the lack of emotional content (in many pop songs). There's nothing real/authentic to connect to.

[@kme06d]

Exactly this! I'm in my 30's and hate current pop music because it's all fake. Computerized beats, autotuned vocals, repetitive unclever lyrics. All the human elements and emotions are gone. The whole "quantized" issue isn't as big of a deal to me if the song is using real instruments and the lyrics actually have substance. Studio tracks are always going to be "perfect", go see the artist live to see the human performance of the song, but the "realness" needs to be there from the start.

[@sondrestrmme4006]

I love this quote from Jacob Collier "Try to create something completely disingenuous, and you will find that you cannot do it" there will always be emotional content within art and work. Perhaps something as abstract as emotionaless is not a good measurement. The freedom people have to create today gives songwriters immense power to write lyrics that truly mean something to them. But the lack of understanding harmony beyond the most basic level makes it sound more flat and disingenuous, because you're working in clichés.

[@t5396]

It almost feels like plastic

[@TheXerosChannel]

Honestly, do you think the topics used in top 10 music has ever changed? The Beatles sold well initally becuase they were incredibly skilled at writting brilliant songs about love for teenagers. People write what sells well and thats never changed.

[@Sammie_Sorrelly]

A lack of anything that you relate to personally is not the same as a lack of "emotional content". In fact, while I'm not a fan of either artist involved, I'm gonna go ahead and say that "WAP" is a far more impassioned, sincere and insightful take on sexuality than, say, Plant wailing about legs and honey on "Black Dog".

[@raggeragnar]

It’s frustrating when you know that there’s talented musicians and songwriters out there that don’t get a break , on account of music labels/publishers greed.

[@Juliamiller56]

Eva Cassidy for instance Great talent but the producers & record company couldn’t figure out how to make her a commercial cash cow. They couldn’t pigeon hole her so they deprived the public of her beautiful charming soul. She died young & what a loss

[@raggeragnar]

@@Juliamiller56 : Sad.

[@ellikerdonald5660]

this is not a new thing. The difference is, the pyramid is on it's head.

[@thevillainoutlaw3549]

I wish Rick would listen to the eight songs that I have on KZbin

[@blackwhitemore1468]

Yep, Roger Fredriksson, you are so right. Nashville is full of musicians that play on the street corner trying to get a break, that have more talent then our pop musicians of today.

[@thegreatelfinko]

The talent was enormous in the '60s. Of course a lot was attributable to The Wrecking Crew and the Funk Brothers. Then you had Stax Records in Memphis with the house band Booker T and the MGs. They were the studio musicians for a lot of the Soul Acts. Isaac Hayes was the producer, and to me the most influential creator of my lifetime. You had great music and musicianship In the '70s and '80s because he invented disco music. The music got very tight and accomplished . There was a ton of talent in a lot of that music. It was nothing like today for the most part.

[@radar0412]

Spot on. I consider 60's music to be a period from the mid 60's to mid 70's. Some Classic Rock, Punk and New Wave was still ok in the 80's but not quite as Epic. And of course late 70's Disco wasn't Phenomenal, but it was fun and had production value. We just lucked out to have been born in the right Era, and should be more empathetic towards the Kids today that are less fortunate.

[@chuckwhite3176]

The human element in the instrumentals is what sets the old school music apart from today's pop music. So much emotional expression is lost in synthesized, additive sound - the sound is just not the same.

[@maxsignori7660]

"I miss chords. Remember when songs had chords?" (Tom Bukovac)

[@5roundsrapid263]

They have chords now, just the same five over and over. Rock, pop, country, they all use the same progression.

[@jeffblack5024]

I couldn’t figure out why people kept describing my band as “80s”. I’d made no real effort to sound 80s like that Synthwave trend, but it kept happening. “ Oh, you’re the guy in that 80s band. I hope that stuff comes back”. Then I figured out it was that because my songs had chord changes and melody, to them it was 80s. Well, in that case, I’m proud of it.

[@patbrennan6572]

Sure do partner, too bad technology makes it no longer necessary but the so called music is awful.

[@chindodawg]

“Gentlemen, I don’t do chords.” BB King

[@bradley8913]

@@chindodawg Not true. Listen to early BB KIng. He absolutely knew how to play chords. Later on when he had a big band behind him, he got rhythm players and stuck with the single lines, but he can play chords.

[@richardbaron7106]

I'm a gen-x dude and find the fixed tempo, repetitive beats and sounds, limited chord / key changes, barely any dynamic change destroys the soul or feel of the song. It's like making a movie with fantastic production values but with a weak, stereotypical story and bad acting. The end result looks great but has no life. Side note: On occasion, I've played drums on a keyboard alongside other musicians, running thru a chorus and reverb pedal. And I mean actually tapping the keys that matched the various drums and cymbals in real time, not programming anything - 16th notes are impossible to play, lol.

[@alexanderl9721]

So basically Marvel films?

[@blobeyeordie]

I was born in the 90s and youre not wrong. 99% of pop music is designed to be trendy(often setting a trend), generic/recycled and predictable to appeal to the masses, sheeple music if will. Our brains are stimulated by certain sounds and rhythmic patterns, most notably 4/4 time(its instinctually catchy or so Ive read) and pop essentially takes advantage of this and exploits it for money. Not to mention from a production stand point, is or can be incredibly facile to produce.

[@shader26]

@@blobeyeordie Lots of things going on too, I mean I grew up in the sixties, and ama musician, play in bands, etc. and I hat most pop. It’s not like when one writes a song one wants it to be bad, but pop songwriters are formulaic and wrote only to appeal quickly and have a hit. If they did that in the sixties we would have lost so many true hits that have stood the test of time. But the industry hated the sixties, because people were open to many different kinds off music, and bands they didn’t have control over became popular and were difficult to control. The industry often tried to dictate they make the same album over and over, and some groups managed to ignore that and wrote from the heart. It’s was a very mixed bag, and some political, and some on many aspects of life. Now...it’s synthetic rather than organic to me.

[@FamousByFriday]

Man... So many songs I’ve written have just died when I tried to record to a click for an online collab.

[@williamthomas4125]

It's all electronic crap without any guitar. Yuck.

[@unclemicky]

Hey Rick, thank you for all of the time and effort you put into all of these videos. Would you please consider a deep dive into the incredible Bert Bacharach? And the story about his work being almost rejected due to adding extra bars here and there to make the song flow unpredictably and better would be good knowledge to share. He was fighting with pop as a composer/producer even back then, it was assumed the public couldn't follow along comfortably. He was a genius that seems almost forgotten these days. Thank you for letting me ask.

[@alanshepherd4304]

Tempo change, key change, harmonies, lyrics with a meaning or a story, REAL instruments, real musicians, REAL genuine talent!!! That will do to be going on with!!!😡😡😡🇬🇧

[@melanieg5459]

Just found the channel, and can I just say "thank you!" Not a boomer. I'm gen x/xennial, and current pop music drives me insane. It all sounds the same. Thank you for explaining why. (My current happy place, musically, is music like The Rat Pack, Rosemary Clooney, Julie London etc.)

[@hypatia4754]

@I STAN Kim Jong-Un but Can't STAND Trump Dire Straits did not sound the same as Michael Jackson did not sound the same as Duran Duran did not sound the same as Chicago. You must be tone deaf.

[@Handonforehead]

If you want some good modern pop listen to these songs, definitely worth checking out the artists if you like them: Famous Last Words - James Blake Cavendish Square - Beatenberg Prince of the Hanging Garden - Beatenberg G3 N15 - Rosalia God's Chariots - Oklou Zero 7 - Destiny Hanging On - Knower Hot Mess - Genevieve Artadi Billions - Caroline Polachek Andrew - M Field

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

I'm 27 and I never noticed this trend as I only listen to GMV/AMVs and they typically don't use top list music but old artests and inide/ mid stuff. But yeah their are a tons of great modern music releasing everyyear that never make it that high on the charts.

[@iamanomas]

I have rediscovered Joni Mitchell. She’s my happy place.

[@alabamacoastie6924]

1) lazy writing 2) autotuned vocals 3) lazily programmed drums 4) few "real" instruments 5) no timbre 6) clueless studio execs 7) apple products

[@FRAME5RS]

And most of all, lyrics that say absolutely nothing. Repetitive nonsense.

[@tarmach523]

“apple products” made me lol, did you mention it because it’s garbage too? I would agree, having gone through soooooo many apple phones

[@r.7530]

Apple products lmao😂😂

[@mbrady2329]

8) Excessive compression.

[@notpub]

And crap lyrics with no heary, no mystery, no soul....

[@tiffsaver]

I began my career as a rock drummer in 1965. We all HATED pop music. I think it's because we were purists, and believed that all pop music was simply bastardized rock music, nothing but commercial junk. While some of it actually was, as I grew older and began to appreciate ALL forms of music, I realized that their were some incredibly talents musicians and songwriters that came from that period, from The Carpenters to ABBA, from Bread to Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass. When I stopped thinking of music simply from my limited perspective, I changed my mind, realizing that great talent comes in every style and form imaginable.

[@josesarango710]

excellent and very true comment. Purists can certainly get sooo annoying

[@tiffsaver]

@@josesarango710 I think it comes from two places... ego, and ignorance. I believe that all forms of music have a place. But there is only ONE form of entertainment that I truly HATE, and that's rap. But notice I didn't confuse the word "music" with "rap," simply because gangster rap shares absolutely NO CONNECTION WITH ACTUAL MUSIC AT ALL. It is simply bad poetry, spoken over someone else's canned rhythms tracks. These people can't even play a cowbell. Just trying playing rap for a solid hour, at high volume, and if you don't feel like killing someone, then there is something seriously wrong with you. However, if you disagree, please feel free to comment. But to my ear, their "invention" is an abomination to the very spirit and essence of music.

[@josesarango710]

@@tiffsaver I agree

[@tiffsaver]

@@josesarango710 Glad to hear it. I have posted my dim view of rap all over You Tube music videos, and surprisingly only one person disagreed!! Just the other day I was taking an Uber ride, the driver played rap LOUD all the way to my destination and by the time we got there I was ready to check into to the local asylum.

[@tylerjones954]

@@tiffsaver Not all rap is gangster rap, or like, MC Hammer or whatever. Check out Kendrick Lamar, MF Doom, Mac Miller, Earl Sweatshirt, Smino, Orion Sun, Saba... these folks (and plenty of others) are real artists. I'm still not a huge fan of most electronics-oriented music, i'm sort of a guitar music boomer in that way, but just like any other genre, there's some real gems and a LOT of junk. Part of it is that the style of music you're talking about had it's genesis and popularity boom right around the beginning of the internet age- and now anyone can record and release music from their bedroom. You also have to keep in mind that, with any genre, the stuff that gets popular often is not the best. If your only impression of rock music was Girls, Girls, Girls, you would probably have the same opinion about that style of music.

[@88mphmusic27]

Rick, Another Great Video - LOOOOOVE this Video!! I.E. Analyze the structure of lead solos (keyboard, guitar, all) from the 70's to todays (if you can find any) performance solos!

[@irhonda31]

Thank you for articulating what I cannot because I’m not a musician. Boomer here, guilty as charged, cannot stand the “boring” current pop. It’s no fun getting old! 😜

[@allanmoorhead9492]

On the bright side, there is plenty of music from past eras, including our own era, we still haven't listened to. Current pop is an excuse to go back to earlier times.

[@LandonAPerson]

@@akshaynatu1084 Not necessarily. Both eras have upsides and downsides.

[@Jill-ih9dq]

I’m 19, and I’ve been watching your channel for a couple years. I haven’t enjoyed nearly any pop music that’s come out since about 2011. I’m not an elitist about it, but I wish rock music was still part of the mainstream and miss a lot of older styles. The cicada hi-hat sound in particular makes me want to put my head through a wall 😬 I’d love to see a WMTSG on Sum 41 at some point, if you’re interested! Edit: also, Bad Religion and Three Days Grace

[@jonasrmb01]

that would be great

[@ZEPRATGERNODT]

I love Jill...haha

[@Jill-ih9dq]

s devrim that’s insulting to strip clubs 😂

[@DBLRxyz]

Check out Yves Tumor.

[@Soldano999]

I'm 38 and grew up on blink 182 and smashing pumpkins. I know a good song when i hear it and there are many songs that are good today, however the general level, creativity and diversity of music is at its lowest since i was born. In the 80´s and 90´s new music styles would litteraly emerge every 6 months.

[@ahemschmeyer]

I’m 52 gen x’er, I struggled listening to 90’s music and stopped listening to top 40 all together in the 00’s never looked back.

[@rooscreativelearningcurve2511]

Same age as you and you articulated this so very well. True we may have a favorite decade or genre but my my 84 year old dad introduced me to Rhonda Vincent’s music... great musicians and music are just that!

[@BryonBlackArtistOnTheLoose]

I've noticed a lot of the younger kids gravitating toward "old-school" music. My kids for instance, have lots of great music from bands from the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90s. It really makes me think there is still a market for musicians playing together to making music.

[@chrisrj9871]

I'm glad for them, but I kind of wish they could listen to some of the actually-good newer bands who aren't on the charts, instead of staying in the past all the time. That's part of what's killing rock right now - focusing on the past and not the present/future. I really like the band Royal Blood.

[@rickrhoden1]

@@chrisrj9871 Rock has been killed. Actually, some of country has kept elements of rock going. I hope it's coming back--KZbin has helped and there's growing boredom with the "sameness" of contemporary music as described in this video. One 16 year old who's going to bring it is Courtney Hadwin who has done a lot of covers of old rock classics, as well as improved and rocked up, bluesed up covers of contemporary hits. When we get past this pandemic she should be showing out with great original music and, above all, live performance. If not familiar with Courtney, check her out by searching KZbin or going to her channel; she is well worth it!

[@fudgeyman99]

Literally always been the case there's not any more youngsters looking back now than there were 20 years ago

[@digitalfrog1584]

@@brucey39 I'm same age as Rick, I got my daughter hooked on 70's-80's that I grew up with: Simon & Garfunkle, Supertramp, Queen, even more obscure stuff like KLAATU.

[@cheery-hex]

you're right and things like 'kids react to' videos of old tunes is one of the best things to come out of youtube. It's awesome to see

[@bob___]

Rick, I'm five years older than you, and I started listening to top 40 music when I was 8 years old (in 1965). Later, my dad became a record reviewer, so basically every rock album passed through our house when I was in high school (class of 1975). I think today's music all sounds the same, but I don't want to sound like people who hated rock-and-roll in the 60s and 70s. Have you considered the possibility that one difference between today and the old days is because of the producers. For example, George Martin was a producer of classical records before he worked with the Beatles, and you can hear his influence as the Beatles became more sophisticated. He was a teacher. He didn't take over the creativity. He empowered them by increasing their level of musical sophistication. The Beatles had the charisma and the talent, but they needed a guide, and George Martin provided that. Several of them took master's course-type guitar lessons to improve their technique. Your background as a college music teacher is probably part of what made you a producer, and it is the producer-as-teacher quality of your KZbin segments that makes them popular.

[@sdubon7800]

Totally agree with your comment. One benefit of the shutdown was being able to watch a lot of documentaries they hadn’t shown before, and I was really jazzed to watch the one on Sir George Martin. What an amazing man, and getting his backstory so enriched my appreciation of him, which was already very high. I was born in 1950, and although a child during the 50s, heard and watched the earliest rock’n’rollers. I loved them immediately. My father was a radio announcer, mostly commercials, and he was so conservative, yet I got to meet many of the golden age of FM DJs and personalities, who began playing the Beatles and all the other Brit invasion groups, and then snuck in new longer length songs from the folk rock and prog rockers, and then early punk. Some brought in world music, and the multicultural explosion fertilized the best that evolved in the late 60s-70s. As technology evolved, the production masters saw it as a blessing, not an opportunity to cheap out on quality. There is rarely a moment that today’s pop exceeds let alone matches what these folks accomplished, and I get it-it’s expensive. It’s time consuming, and the entire world of the music biz has totally changed, thanks to the internet. I’m not sure if we’ll ever again enjoy that level of excellence. Which is why I believe so many boomers aren’t giving modern pop a pass. It simply doesn’t measure up. Not many of us can remember a Cardi-B melody or lyric, but go to an Elton John or Sting concert: everyone knows ALL the lyrics and all the melodies. I should add, though, that H.E.R. and other young musicians/singer-songwriters who’ve done their homework, are phenomenal, and I know they’ve picked up the baton and run with it.

[@BackLooking]

I grew up on bands like Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Rush, Supertramp.....and the solo projects of some of the members, and I also liked the pop of the 80s and 90s like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Depeche Mode, Kylie Minogue....not everything, but a lot of it was fine. And even today I like some of the present mainstream music like Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Tinashe, and some others. Sometimes the production is interesting, it grooves nicely and it feels good. I´m a big fan of Dirty Loops. Young guys who are masters on their instruments, they groove like crazy and mix pop, funk, jazz, gospel, rock......all together in a very listenable and approachable way, and they are interesting even for the musician because they are a challenge to cover.

[@gregwarren9759]

Late to the party on this one, but as a fellow Boomer, this put into context what I felt. Not about all contemporary music but much of it. Thank you. Also reminded me of an interview with Nick Lowe I read. He said When he was producing he liked to do the vocals at the same time as the music. He felt it gave it ‘feeling’. The engineers would say we’ll ‘fix’ the vocals later. Nick would say, “Oh no,no,no!! That is going to be the vocal.”. They would say “What? With the wobbly bit?” “Yeah, absolutely with that little wobbly bit. When it goes off pitch, I like that.” He thought having that personality, that human imperfection was gold dust. I think ‘perfect’ doesn’t ‘feel’ human.

[@stevenmeilleur671]

The word you're looking for to describe a lot of pop music is, "sterile." That said, there's lots of really good stuff coming out these days IMO - although it tends not to be in the category of "pop."

[@waydegardner7373]

That’s exactly the word I was thinking. Glad you brought it to light. In my mind at least, it’s like comparing traditional celluloid cinematic film to digital film making. Older tech seemed to have more soul.

[@johncapo2843]

here is a little history of pop music - classical music / military band / jazz / R & B / disco / rock / rap ............(notice the water down trend)

[@tsriftsal3581]

Sounds dead and lacking a soul.

[@alanshepherd4304]

Hi Rick!! You have just articulated exactly why I as a baby boomer don't like modern music. I really enjoy your analysis of music, your take on new AND old music. I do try to be open minded towards today's music but it sound to me as though it has been assembled by a computer programmer from preformed off the shelf modular pieces and as such has no heart, no soul, no passion, no love. I guess my generation have been spoiled, our music was crafted like fine Chippendale furniture, whereas todays is more self assembly IKEA!!!🤔🤔🇬🇧

[@georgejo7905]

I am a boomer also. 1953. In 1960 at a house party with my parents the host put on Chubby Checker "the twist" and it was electrifying everybody spontaneously danced and laughed , magic. Then whenI was 14 in my freinds basement we put on his sisters 45 of hey jude on a mono tabletop tube record player. Suddenly the beatles were,pounding out Revolution.Magic again . we played it over and over. Like your first taste of whiskey . Songs continued to give great experiences but as you know they grew more and more subtle . Bring back those days.

[@joeyjoejoejunior3859]

Gen Xer here. A big problem I have with modern pop music is the vocals. I'm not referring to autotune so much, as the fact that a lot of singers (and, it seems to me, mostly female singers) sound *exactly* the same. To my ears, the vocal phrasing (note: I'm not a musician, just trying to convey my thoughts on the topic in the best way I can) seems to sound virtually interchangeable from one singer to another. There don't seem to be a lot of distinct voices in modern pop. I strongly suspect those stupid TV "talent" shows such as Idol are largely responsible for this. Lowest common denominator vocals, aimed at pleasing as many people as possible, which makes it completely devoid of any individuality. And yes, I do realise that pop artists intend to appeal to as many people as they possibly can. In the past, a lot more of what would be considered non-commercial (or commercially unlikely, at least) voices made it onto the pop charts. Don't get me wrong, I love cheesy pop as much as the next guy, but equally, I've always liked a bit of grit in my music. Modern pop is super smooth, without any jagged edges, and is incredibly boring as a result. I also think that part of it, for me, is getting older and having less patience for new music. I read comments on KZbin videos where people say "there *is* good music out there... check out band x,y,z". I sometimes go ahead and check out these recommendations, and I'm always disappointed. Even harder edge music sounds... too modern. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems to be the vocals that turn me off. Even in hard rock bands, they sound too modern and kind of cheesy. As much as I love the older music that I grew up with, sooner or later, I do get tired of listening to the same things. I've actually recently started seeking out albums I missed in the past and listening to those. A good, recent example is Simple Minds' New Gold Dream. I was a casual fan back in the 80s, but I kept seeing comments where people were raving about the album. I started listening to it and it's really good. I'm also beginning to listen to their earlier albums, as well. When I think back, I really started disengaging with new music in the very late 90s/very early 2000s. If I can't engage with modern music, I'll just use a time machine and go back to the past to discover new musical lands.

[@donatist59]

A lot of interchangeable contemporary Black female R&B singers with identical voices can be used as examoles.

[@barnabascee1889]

Most of them want that breathy quasi-sexual voice. So they make their natural voice more guttural and emphasize that. It's just another one of those clichés that seem to be part of the formula. And God forbid anybody actually go outside of the formula!

[@norwegianblue2017]

Yes, this! The female singers especially. Not only can they not sing, they tend to only have three emotions: angry, bored or emo.

[@RichardHansbury]

We used to call that elevator music. Somehow dead even if it was live. An insult to jazz.

[@someoneoutthere7512]

My dad used to tell me "That song only has 3 chords!". If he were still alive I could tell him "Yes but what if I told you they have songs now with only 3 notes!"

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

My dad too (who's a musician). I've had to tell him repeatedly over the years that lots of great songs are comprised of only 3 chords though.

[@andrewring9999]

Or even two chords...

[@lesnyk255]

They say a pop musician plays 4 chords to 1000 people - while a jazz musician plays 1000 chords to 4 people.

[@MagruderSpoots]

John cage record a song that had no notes, or sound.

[@Nutmegger7]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH musicians have said that to me before too

[@skateordie9628]

The reason I dislike modern music is that it seems to me as if the looks of the musician are far more important than the music itself.

[@callixvision6481]

You ever heard of Ed Sheeran?

[@thegrinderman1090]

The vast majority of modern music is faceless and exists mainly online or in non-mainstream circles. The tiny fraction of music that makes it into the charts is not representative of 'modern music', like it was before the internet. The internet has made it so that now more than ever, looks do not matter unless you want to be a 'popstar'. And even then, look at Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran. They're just average-looking guys who have recently had enormous chart success.

[@jimmy5634]

@ Skate Or Die....You’ve got to be kidding or you need glasses.

[@greggriffin8020]

@@callixvision6481 He is certainly an exception to the rule. But I agree with the assertion.

[@andyallan2202]

I agree with the assertion that (in modern music), "It would appear that looks are far more important than the music itself." The only thing wrong with this statement is the built in assumption that there actually is music. There isn't.

[@dwidmark]

The most pernicious aspect of modern pop music is the stultifying effect on the uneducated ear. It becomes less about music appreciation and more about the package, the celebrated person, the marketed story. It makes the listener into the john trying to find romance with an old prostitute. And, it's enforcing a class system between being a mere consumer of what is popular versus those on a quest for musical literacy which requires curiosity and an effort to understand why some things are much better than others.

[@garyrusso5571]

Great analysis Rick such a good analysis of why most of what’s out there does not resonate with me anymore. There is still a lot of great music out there and musicians it’s just that these don’t make the chart or make money for the likes of Spotify etc

[@mrpandabites]

I would like to add another reason older people don't get wowed by a lot of new music. We've heard *a lot* of music. Some kid might think might think an artist has a super original sound, but it's copied directly from another band or referencing a genre of music that's decades old already. Sure that sounds good, but I've heard it before.

[@jfloydnyc]

See "Amy Winehouse"

[@migthulhu]

The post-modern world just isn't worth living in.

[@mitchkroener]

Good point-they say that you read the books that most impress and influence you before the age of 25 for exactly this reason

[@mrpandabites]

@Roger Coley Greta Van Fleet (Led Zeppelin) Corpus Delicti (Bauhaus) Interpol (Joy Division). I can't think of any more off the top of my head, but bands steal other bands "sound" all the time. Mentioning Interpol in the same breath as Greta Van Fleet is not exactly fair, I admit. Interpol innovated heavily on Joy Division's sound, wheras Greta Van Fleet is an imaginationless Xerox, but my point stands. To a large extent, bands copying other bands is just how innovation in popular music happens, but sometimes a band will emerge that seems more like a regression to another era meant to capitalise on nostalgia, rather than a homage to their favourite musicians.

[@eddierayvanlynch6133]

Agree, and it works both ways: Acts like Leo Moraciolli and PostModern Jukebox (who do genre-switches) stand out because they understand and respect the source material. They're not just looking for a fast buck by covering someone else's work. They show that a GOOD SONG is more than person, group, genre, or instrumentation. 👍💯🤘🥓😀🔥😎

[@kingmarshmusic]

I’m a primary school teacher of over 30 years. A significant change in the past 10/15 years has been that kids today rarely (I would even go as far as to say never) talk about songs on the charts anymore. They don’t talk about their favourite songs or singers or bands. It is like popular music has died. Gone are the days when kids would talk about what was number one this week on the charts. These are kids who are into music - many of them play an instrument (or multiple) and sing in our school choirs. They love being part of productions too and we have a lot of music at the school. But, I simply do not hear them talk about modern music. They don’t ask to have modern music playing at times when they could have it playing in class. No modern pop performers have captured the imagination/attention of this young generation. I recall having great conversations with kids in my first 15 years of teaching but that just died as kids no longer had opinions or preferences for songs, singers or bands. I wonder if this will ever return. Interestingly, they do know of older music (Queen, Abba, Elton John, Beatles, AC/DC and hit songs from 70s, 80s, 90s).

[@TheZenytram]

Internet defuse this, the preference of their music is mostly some randon dude on internet there's no need to top charts cuz we have infinite ways to find a music nowadays. And because of how internet democratized how you find anything, any pre internet industrie resorts to "click" baiting, Journalism, movies, and also music.

[@spaceknight793]

I teach high school and completely agree. Kids aren't "into" music like my gen was. Sure, they like music and listen to a lot of it, but it's more like a background or soundtrack to them. They look at me like I'm crazy when I say we used to go buy records, bring them home, and just sit and listen to them. We'd get "into" it, feel it, talk about it, pore over the cover art and liner notes. I wasn't done until I knew every note. Of course, the internet has a lot to do with the change because (a) their music is now unlimited so it's not rare or expensive, and (b) this gen has no mental downtime--they're constantly ingesting information so there's so much competition for their attention.

[@voronOsphere]

I believe it!

[@mauve9266]

mthompson552 if it’s any consolation that person is not necessarily representative of all youth today perhaps some but certainly not all. I’m 16 and I listen to albums start to finish even long ones 😂 many of my peers do too. Reading that was actually very odd. I’ve never come across someone who doesn’t listen to albums start to finish although I know that would be more prevalent today

[@pennyk2798]

@@mthompson552 Lend him The Kinks!

[@RegCostello]

Rick, Could you please make regular recommendations of young bands and tracks that you DO like?

[@deltekkie7646]

I've been working on "My old school". Wanted to lay the whole thing down with my DAW and my Yamaha MODX8 (and other intruments. But when I was trying to track the tempo of the song, they drift dramatically. The tempo is around 123, but the intro is much slower. So, I'm just going to have to play it faster than the "record" Ha. I totally agree with your misgivings about the songs being to regimented. Greate video! By the way...I'm a boomer too. Ha Ha

[@cybolton302]

For me... in order: 1. Autotune 2. The diminishment of the band. 3. The inability to tell stories with lyrics.

[@paavobergmann4920]

so..ehr..in general....content?

[@craighenry9512]

No, number one has to be improper or non-use of the greatest instrument ever invented, the electric guitar.

[@cybolton302]

@@craighenry9512 Point well taken. Hard to play a mean lick when you're holding a mike with one had and your crotch with the other.

[@cybolton302]

You nailed one of my other ones to a tee. i did exactly the same thing with my best friend's son. Ask him to sing a popular hip hop song. He couldn't do it. Kudos to you for listing it it... spot on.

[@greyguy.960]

You forgot repetitive beats

[@tedboggs4569]

As I thought more about this topic, I realized something else that a lot of top of the charts pop music is missing, which is movement. At the end of the song, I don't feel like I've gone anywhere. This is essentially the result of the things Rick defines as missing compared to what Boomers like. The music is very static at the end of the day.

[@stevemcnamara2584]

The lack of movement point hits the nail on the head.

[@BassByTheBay]

Great point. Most of my favorite songs feel like they're taking me on a journey... even if it's just a trip to the corner market. 😁

[@JG-to8sp]

Ted, I just did a long reply on what I think you are talking about and what I thought Rick completely missed, yes, some sort of emotional impact...having a message.

[@mountainman8775]

Yep, yep and yep

[@rgw29]

Yep.. there is more movement in a bar of a Bach fugue than the entire Pop music industry combined for the past 20 years.

[@JonHareGames]

A producer friend of mine who has recently had chart topping hits in Scandinavia told me that every song is in 3 parts, verse, chorus, build up.. and you should never use minor chords, or 7ths, or E major.. very depressing.

[@xeverettx2564]

Always hitn’ the nail on the head Rick!!!

[@GaryMeadowsMusic]

I like music when it's good, no matter when it was made.

[@stevecrocker6904]

I guess we'd all say that - while playing totally different things to another's taste.

[@amjrpain919]

Music (like life) is a "Baskin Robin's, it's so much better than just Chocolate, or Vanilla, or Strawberry... why restrict yourself!?

[@uumlau]

We should note another factor: we selectively only remember the GOOD STUFF from the 60s, 70s, 80s. Not every song was on par with Bridge Over Troubled Water. Not every artist was on par with Sting. Most of it was simple bubblegum pop, no imagination, just people trying to ride whatever new fad of the decade. It might be interesting, Rick, if you would dig back into the hits of the past and find the crappy music from that era, to put things in perspective. :)

[@ShaunHensley]

uumlau ok, but go ahead and compare the best each era has to offer

[@KennethWestervelt]

Start with "Never Been Any Reason"

[@lawrenceatkinson5884]

How many modem pop songs will be sung in 20 years? Be used in a major movie? Be sung on a talent show? Even be talked about on 20 years? None

[@andrewring9999]

Damn thank you for this comment

[@Cr8Tron]

Perhaps. Or maybe it could work the other way too, where in certain cases we might come to realize that the "bad" music from the past wasn't really *that* bad, now that we have the current pop to compare it with. In such cases, we'd instead be *reinforcing* our negative perceptions of today's so-called "music".

[@StelaPop]

I lived that era myself being born in 1972, and I really think you are on to something with your theory as I was only into radio and making mixed cassettes and fantasy and sci-fi novels before video games were released into arcades. Arcades then became where we spent all of our spare change, and then more of our "real money" on top of that. It wasn't until MTV before music came much more strongly back into my life, and I was able to afford to purchase my own music CD's. These days by spending 10 dollars a month on Spotify you have the universe of music at your fingers which helps to combat the millions of computer AND cell phone games as distractions.

[@GayJayU26]

77 year old who follows your channel. First record I bought was Heartbreak Hotel when I ten. And still search for modern rock and indie music.

[@Bane_questionmark]

There's plenty of good music being made today, it's just that very little of it is popular outside of niche scenes. Luckily we live in the age of the internet and it's so easy to find all kinds of music, however the huge variety of sounds out there just further highlights how stale and dull the top 1% of 1% of songs are.

[@chrispercy4061]

A lot of the boomer's in these comments are making me cringe. It seems like most people in these comments think all modern pop music is garbage because of what they've heard on the radio, ignoring the fact that a lot of the critically acclaimed albums from last decade are from smaller, more experimental pop artists that these commenters have likely never heard of. Examples of modern pop albums that are critically acclaimed, that weren't featured on mainstream pop radio: Charli XCX - Pop 2 FKA Twigs - Magdalene Rina Sawayama - RINA Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III

[@Bane_questionmark]

@@chrispercy4061 idk how that's really cringe. You can only judge a genre/scene by what you've heard from it, if all you've heard isn't to your liking can you blame someone for not exploring further? For example I don't like k-pop, maybe there's some group out there I would end up liking but what I've heard from the scene doesn't make me want to go looking for it. Why would you expect a boomer to dig through modern pop (which for a large part isn't good at least in the eyes of many) for something more obscure they may like (or may not like, plenty of times I've listened to a critically acclaimed album only to feel the same about it as I do other similar albums and not get the big deal or why it's considered so great) when there are so many amazing and distinct styles of music accessible to us online?

[@TeeDOG6]

I was 14 years old in 1981. The big bands that were hot were The Cars, Rush, AC/DC, The Police, The Talking Heads. We thought rock would only get better. Then MTV came.

[@therosses5]

ROTFL!!

[@sammysalinas7877]

and then to make matters worse, Thriller was played every 30 or so minutes.

[@peppermintpig974]

A similar thing happened a decade later. Modern rock format on the radio tapped into more exploratory music in the college scene. Post-punk mixed with newer talent and more room for outside talent to just come in. After 1994 the diversity of music on the radio was constrained, and by 1996 hard alternative rock and pop drowned out everything else and the modern rock format was essentially dead.

[@cleo4548]

Then the dark times came. In the long Long ago there was music played by humans,now the machines have control. Cue terminator intro music

[@visionop8]

Man do I so ever agree. I was barely alive in 1982. When the older kids and adults were bitching about MTV all the time, I thought it was because they had no idea what was going on. The whole "MTV Get Off The Air" thing was bullshit to me. I mean how could Yo MTV Raps and Headbangers Ball and 120 Minutes not be liked for the different kinds of awesome music they were bringing?.... Right?... Then I got older. Then I was in middle school in the mid 90s and I began to see it, the image over music, the TV shows instead of music, the dumbing down of music and if you weren't pretty, your music didn't matter. Only then was I able to see what the destructive force to music MTV really was. I actually wish I could apologize to every person older than me who tried to show me what was really happening to music back then. They were right. Those kids who got me into Wax Trax artists and KRS-1 (BDP) and Metal Blade Records and Death Metal. Thank you guys and you were right. Stuff was fucked up on MTV. Screw Nostalgia MTV sucked and did more to hurt and kill music than fascism ever could.

[@alisonholland7531]

I was born in 1959. At age 11, in 1970, my life changed drastically (musically) my older brother bought and played an LP by a band my mother utterly banned in our house - Black Sabbath - that LP was Paranoid one Saturday morning my Mum and Dad went out and Colin dropped the needle to the plastic and my love of metal was born. War pigs was,is and always will be MY song. My grandchildren cannot get over the fact their Boomer Grandma has a way better metal collection than they EVER will.

[@fredmorrison9865]

I’m a boomer but born in 52 . What I remember was listening to am radio top 40. Then at some point ( and I don’t know the actual timing of this ) all of a sudden there was fm radio . And in Toronto there was two fm stations broadcasting in stereo and the DJs were playing underground music. And that was when I realized there was a lots of other great music out there and that did it for me.

[@EricWild]

What makes this song great - Yes - Close to the Edge

[@felixdzerjinsky5244]

I'm 75 years old...and I listen to Classic rock, also 30's and 40's Big Band, classic Motown, Rammstein, In Extremo (Awesome group), Disturbed, Rage against the Machine, Robin Trower.....and the list goes on & on & on, even including the occasional Country song. I've tried some current (pop) music, but finding good music in it is like searching for an honest man....you know he's out there, but do you have the time to look? I tend to just go to my already existing library of some 1.04 TB, and pick a play list .......all with no commercials.

[@jpbart1390]

wow, you really are eclectic. luckily, you grew up in a day when people weren't pigeonholed into musical genres like what i had to deal with in my teens back in the '90s.

[@jpbart1390]

@@xeyex i'm 43 & in total agreement with you. i also like jazz & have since i was a kid. how about that? a metalhead who listens to jazz!

[@mauve9266]

musiclogic I think it can be worth it at times and I’ve found you don’t have to do much digging with apps such as Spotify. It’s crazy how well they can catch onto what you like to listen to and there’s so much great stuff that isn’t mainstream even a lot of decent stuff that is mainstream. Then again I’m 16 so I’m probably pretty bias 😂

[@realmarsastro]

@@xeyex It's never really been worth it. Great music has always been drowned out by the noise of the mainstream, or at least it's been that way since the cogs of the music industry machine began to turn. Leave it to time and bored kids to filter the good from the bad.

[@canyonroots]

I'm in my 70s and one of my blessings was working in a MUSICLAND in my 20s. Loved every genre, opening my ears to local blues, jazz, rockabilly, and tex-mex, Broadway, and more. My memories were not ready for this deep dive. Mid 1960s we were bringing our 45 records to teen parties. I had friends take me into the stereo while tripping. We could tell which musician was playing and where relative to left right, deep or close. My whole life I gravitated to everything except top 40.

[@Dillenger.69]

I was born in 68 and I LOVE mechanical, regular rhythm. I also love prog rock and stuff from the 70s and late 60s. I make all of it using a daw and synths and samplers. if you know how, you can make anything! Key changes are easy, tempo changes are FUN, combine both and it gets craaaaazy. I also HATE sidechain compression. I have no idea why but it just grates on me.

[@williamorrah9613]

I don’t know if anyone else feels this, but I have always been a bit judgmental about music that isn’t written or performed by the artist because they are ghost written. I have always seen music as a form of expression and artistic statement. So when artists today don’t play any of the instruments on the song, don’t write the melodies or lyrics, but just get in the booth and record a take then I feel like there is no genuine expression. Today’s music is made with teams of writers and producers and digital accompaniments. I understand that this has happened in the past. But my favourite music (beatles, Zappa, yes etc) is an extension of what those people wanted to say and has their fingerprint on it. Maybe that’s the Luddite point of view and I just need to get used to it. But Does anyone else agree?

[@matturner6890]

Yes, I do. They also don't even sing with good technique or on pitch. So boring

[@SlimeBugman]

Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley all had songs written for them, just to name three. All still legendary in their own right.

[@First1it1Giveth]

Music is the emotive expression of the heart. But most people who listen to the contemporary music today are much less emotive than people from the past (boomers). A lot of that has to do with individualism, and how you made it in the music industry was by putting your fingerprint on your own music. Think of Walk the Line where Cash played Folsom Prison Blues to the record producer who urged him to play a song that represented his life. Over the decades music has become streamlined because that has happened to people in the culture. The country isn't divided up into territories like the 20th century (ie- Bakersfield sound, Nashville, Blues in the south, Orange County ska, Seattle rock wave), rather we're connected and exposed to the same forms of expression found on tv, radio and mainly the internet, so that the music has homogenized into a rigid sphere of repetitive sounds that sells because only the younger, less dynamically driven audience feeds the labels. Those who like the wider creative range consisting of poetic lyrics, variations of chord progression, and artistic expression are the odd man out. Because that requires an entire multitude of musicians with the same appeal to propel the financial backing from the label to promote the movement. We're just not there as a culture or society anymore.

[@matturner6890]

@@SlimeBugman that's not the same as exclusively having your songs written by a team of people who aren't the performer. Modern pop artists are for the most part entertainers, not musicians.

[@keithbarry3057]

Motown music. Vast majority of artists never wrote their own songs. And yet... they are magical

[@steve-ks9df]

Millennial here: don't agree with boomers generally on a lot of things, but I can tell you that when it comes to hating modern pop, this millennial is in full agreement

[@jeremiedsouza6703]

So is this millennial

[@fundorgon]

Yeah same

[@sammack1564]

That's because most millennials are woke, panty sniffing sissies.....

[@garymclean765]

Why would you think boomers are an homogeneous group just cos some d***he*d in the media says it is so.

[@_900_L]

@@anniedarkhorse6791 shut up oldie

[@boonstein9949]

never knew why i don't like most modern music, it is just boring. thank you for explaining. only music i buy is either old artists that i couldn't afford when i was young, or indie artists that i find mostly on utube

[@lorih6514]

I think that some of it is lack of widespread music education in schools. Not speaking of theory education or ear training here, simply the feeling your body has when music is passing through it, the emotions different key changes, chord values(minor mood VS major mood), dynamic changes (esp gradual ones like crescendo and decrescendo and sudden ones like the very dramatic sforzando piano)evoke. The small variations in pitch and tempo from each musician layer into a rich whole that is more than the sum of its parts and can affect you down to the core because your body actually vibrates with that, feels that physically evoke something within you. Sadly, young people now don't have the same opportunity to feel that like I did. Funding for the arts is nil. Enrichment of the soul through actually making music is not valued as it should be. So pop music to me sounds soulless and robotic, cold, unemotional... everything music isn't and wasn't meant to be. That doesn't mean there isn't "real" music out there any more, just that most everything that hits the charts seems to be some homogenized, pasteurized version of music. I think it arises not so much from the age of the listeners, but from the need for sameness that social media feeds the young people, as well. You have to be perfect, skinny, six-pack, straight teeth, etc etc or you're worthless. Creativity and originality and uniqueness is discouraged. Big music feeds that with musical sameness. It's a shame and a loss for the young.

[@jerelull9629]

I don't believe school "music appreciation" classes do very much to educate students musically.

[@benday1218]

Rick, there's a lot of contemporary 'indie' musicians making very authentic, non-grid, pop music - but as ever, they lack the marketing to get right into the mainstream. If this was the late 60's - musicians like Mac Demarco, Connan Mocaksin, MGMT would be very popular and part of general popular culture. I'm thinking also of Anna Burch, The Lemon Twigs, Men I Trust, Boy Pablo, Stef Chura, Tennis, The Marias, Travis Bretzer, Khruangbin, Papooz. Lots of fantastic stuff out there that could be described as 'pop'.

[@tristan_840]

I totally agree

[@ZEPRATGERNODT]

Oh good...you put Khruangbin in there. 👍🏼

[@joaoassumpcao3347]

The thing is, they aren't even unknown. These guys all have significant fanbases, it's honestly shocking that Rick never tackled this. Other examples include Weyes Blood, Ariel Pink (even though he is a bigger deal in california), Big Thief, Alex G, the list goes on. All of them well established artists making different flavours of pop that stray from the radio aesthetic. Rick should start giving the groups with 100k-1m monthly listeners a fair chance

[@sondrestrmme4006]

Indie bands have more exposure now than ever, that's a GREAT thing

[@TheXerosChannel]

@@joaoassumpcao3347 So true. All the artists listed here are great. They have substatial fanbases (Tame Impala are even bigger) and I would consider them "pop". It's just that people are too lazy to go out and find them and dismiss all modern music (even though it's not hard).

[@5346565]

The focal point of music has also taken a beating in recent years as popular shows like American Idol and The Voice rose in the ratings. So much of music now is so vocalist-centric that the craft of creating music has changed. A "star vocalist", often autotuned, draws away from the intrumentalists in the band and casts them in the role of merely supporting the singer, instead of contributing to the song. In fact, many songs have very little in the way of instrumental breaks, usually a short bridge and nothing more. Vocalists are an integral part of contemporary music, but they are just one instrument in the collective toolbox of creating meaningful and artistically sound music. Songs now seem to built around the singer, instead of the singer augmenting a nice piece of music.

[@grandsome1]

New music isn't vocalist driven, it's producer driven, else Kanye West average prose wouldn't have made it number 1. Pop is heavily influenced by hip-hop and electronic music nowadays, which are producer playgrounds. Nobody really listen to whatever produced artist and albums that those talent show produce.

[@paulperkins1615]

Pop music being vocalist-centric is not new at all. What those discover-a-vocalist shows have done is reinforce the ideas that (a) belting is the only real singing, and (b) being a pop star is all about what people think you represent and creating an image that lends itself to "good television", and nothing to do with musicianship.

[@jjjjj2220]

I would say that snyths are really the star in modern music. We just dont play guitar

[@chrisrj9871]

American Idol, with all the timing in the world, happened after 9-11 when Americans were feeling paranoid and "patriotic", which happened during boy-band mania in the States, so of course it blew up. The Voice and X-Factor and all those only happened just to make bank of a pre-existing trend. It probably would have been cancelled if boy bands and 9-11 never happened in that time.

[@ronspri]

Well said. I agree.

[@user-ve6yn9rx9o]

The discussion seems to be about a very specific kind of mass produced pop which is the most popular music on Spotify. Although not making the Spotify top ten there are plenty of contemporary artists making music in a more traditional way. I really love the English progressive folk singer and guitarist Katie Spencer. Her studio work is put together using skilled session musicians as far as I can tell and that's what makes it special. The albums Weather Beaten and Edge of the Land are excellent.

[@jppitman1]

This is why I often listen to WTMD in Towson, MD plus the Philly station which is on 90.5 in eastern MD when the Kent County high school station is not on the air. By the way, the Kent County high school station plays fantastic music when it’s broadcasting. The other day I heard an old school jazz vocal song, a contemporary song but with a REAL MELODY, AC/DC, and an early 80`s alt. pop song. Who does it’s programming? Students? Staff? Combination?

[@jenniferh3332]

I was in junior high in the late 70's and would listen to Rock 108 KFMG while doing homework. Sunday afternoons they did triple plays - 3 songs in a row by the same band. At that time we were hearing new Rush, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Boston, Van Halen. All music that is still heard today. Today's songs sound exactly the same. I call it Sesame Street music.

[@Luanne_Ashe]

Exactly. INFANTILE.

[@darkhighwayman1757]

Im Gen X and I have 2 little dudes aged 7 and 9 and I have them listen to all that stuff and they love it.

[@zootsanchez]

Some of the Sesame Street music is great

[@IainFrame]

Most of the stuff you hear on mainstream radio is mind-numbingly repetitive and formulaic.

[@Laxnut1082]

Warfare through music. Mind control through repetition??????

[@clicheguevara5282]

Yeah... and the hamburgers at McDonald's aren't really food, let alone hamburgers. Mainstream corporate bullshit should be _expected_ to be horrible. Always. I don't even know why people pay attention to it let alone let it bother them.

[@physicsguybrian]

AGREED!!!

[@dogdriver70]

No wonder, most of it is written and produced by the same people.

[@herrbonk3635]

Why do you listen? (I haven't listened to radio since the 1970s, at least not voluntarily.)

[@keithmadison8754]

Rick the best reason I heard of todays Pop music was an interview ' Guitar Center ' did with Joe Walsh " Paraphrasing " Joe - the music today has no soul, one track from say France, one from Texas etc, drum machines. Man we ( Eagles) recorded as a band in the same studio as a band, that's what we were ! A band. The music today is too perfect."

[@70sleftover]

I know I'm discovering this three years later, but thank you for explaining all the reasons I can't listen to or appreciate anything produced since probably the late 1990s. (Well, other than my dependency on nostalgia for what I grew up hearing in the background, a.k.a. the "soundtrack of my life"!) One thing I could have explained before listening to your lesson here was there is a lack of melody and tempo variation in what's been playing out there. Glad to finally know there is a word for that tst,tst,tst,tst ("tic") sound - it's all I hear from passing cars or someone's headphones. I just want to know - was this progression to just mechanical electronic production inevitable? Creative use of varied sound, tempo, production just would never continue forever, given the commercial necessity and dependency on electronic tools?