The Tragic Decline of Music Literacy (and Quality)

Branford Marsalis said that jazz ain’t for kids. The same can be said for classical for kids of the past x amount of generations.

Wow. Cultural gatekeepers shaking their fists at the societal deterioration playing on their lawns and airwaves. 

Im not suggesting that formulaic commercial enterprises like Maroon 5, or sounds du-jour like trap or 21 Savage are indicative of any depth, but much of the music of any decade or century is bubble-gum. It loses its flavor after a while and society moves on. 

in the past year I've discovered several new, younger artists who are now part of my listening catalog. They're not legends; they're not trying to be. But they are talented, engaging acts who keep the musical flame burning. 

I think the premise of this thread is flawed and a victim of the blinders of relative cultural and age perspective. I mean, by the OP premise, music has been in decline since Bach stopped writing music. 

Idk. Saying contemporary pop is in serious decline...based on what? Musical structure superficiality? Compression? Whatever. People were saying the same schitt in the 80's and just about every decade. 

We we grow older. Music changes and doesn't fit into our established impression of what defines good music, and thus we dismiss it or grudgingly accept it if it's close enough to some schema we recognize. 

Wolf_garcia is right: there're so many contemporary jazz, folk, rap, and rock artists out there beneath the mass produced glaze of compressed and hook-obsessed club hits. You just have to shift your vision. 

I guess I understand, although I will never agree with, the prevalent mistrust and dismissal of rap on this forum. Maybe it reflects the aging white demographic that is many of the members here, but to write off a brilliant art form with so many gifted and talented artists has rap and hip-hop has seems short-sighted.