Music as we know it

[Graham]

I was thinking the other day (when i should have been writing my arse off in an exam ) about the current music industry.

With the emergance of the 'Cr*zy Fr*g', and other such works...what has heppened to the music industry? What's changed since we were younger?

Is it just our tastes have evolved, or has the standard dropped that much?

Is there a way back for commercial 'pop' music, or is it dead and buried? or is it just a minor blip?

Why are there so many questions in this post?

Rant/ explain away, peoples

[static anonymity]

The only coherent thought in my head at the moment (I have a headache and will get back to this at some point) is that "pop" now seems to be looked down upon and has been given a bad name due to all the trash that's churned out today. It seems to me that a lot of the time tracks are splodged together and bunged out to shops with little innovation and a feel of it being too polished before having the "pop" label slung on them, and thus this standard is what's associated with it all.

Also, I know that when I was young, it was very much a pop-centred society, music-wise, especially in my area. Nowadays, however (gawd I sound so old saying that) "alternative" music has really come into its own and we are encouraged to be individual and non-conformist in our tastes, branching out into other genres and the suchlike. Thus, with such a wide variety of music to choose from it could be that pop, without the majority of the public's attention, has become rather neglected causing its standard to fall, and for such bland tunes to be hurried out in an attempt to keep the pop genre in the public eye through the quantity we're being bombarded with rather than quality.

Or it could just be that when we were little we were happy to listen to any old tripe and it's only now that we've developed taste: the old retrospective rose tinted glasses coming out again, identifying today's pop as crap but remembering yesteryear's pop with fondness due to our distorted retrospective viewpoint.

(Or I could just be too tired and rambling about absolute crap. )

[Luco El Loco]

I think it's a combination of the two of what Ellen identified. Some people moan about some of the talent show winners, but as pop goes, some of it does have merit.

On the other hand, the generic pop for pop sake which trades on either slavish amounts of flesh or naff-ness has increased, and was quite rare before. I think The Birdie Song was one of the rarities from the 80s to be in that league, and even that carries a passable tune one could probably whistle coherently.

I think the attituse/humour of society has changed too, and some people don't want to listen to music - they want an event, or just simply to be part of an annoying crowd listening to a tune most people can't stand. Perhaps.

[Martin]

Essentially, the answer to all four main points is media exposure. The media can have a big influence on all ages, and we have many ways to advertise 'good' things and 'bad' things.

'Pop bands' do not have the same life-span as days gone by, and as such, the listener has to adapt to liking different bands and possibly different styles or genres. Which means more people like a wider range of music and so one band may sell less than you might expect them to. It's not so much popularity but more that the listener is simply covering their own back by liking a range of music. Even primary school kids today like a wide range. Ten years ago when I was in primary school if I asked someone 'who is your favourite band' I'd get a reply of either 'East 17' or 'the Spice Girls'. You ask them now, and they'll give you a list of who they like.

Reverting back to the media. Newspapers, for example, can write pretty much any story they like. Sometimes it might be good for the artist, more attention = more interest = more record sales. But sometimes it can be bad. Take Gareth Gates. He was going fine, selling lots of records, appealing to a large audience (albeit a small range), and you can't deny he can sing and play piano more than competantly. A few tabloids turn on him, and then bang, career effectively over. That kind of artist lifespan is the end result of why media is a large influence on the music industry.