The truth about why modern music is so awful.

Here's the link (I think):
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/opinion/what-these-grammy-songs-tell-us-about-the-loudness-wars.h...

@cleeds Perhaps I was being a trifle idealistic but I like to believe that the new genres in popular music were generated from social trends often identified by fashion and hairstyles etc. For example Rock and Rollers, Mods, Skinheads, Hippies, Heavy Rockers, Punks, Disco, Heavy Metallers, Rappers etc were all social movements of one kind or another.

Apart from the growth in popularity of tattoos and piercings it's difficult to think of a recent sociological movement that might be connected with music in some way.

It's as if social media has now replaced music as the common bond or glue that used to unite these individuals into a recognisable group.

We probably need someone young, at the cutting edge so to speak, to point out what the next musical trends might emerge from the underground, if any.

@tostadosunidos Thanks for the link to the Greg Milner article. His book Perfecting Sound Forever is an interesting read on the development of the recording industry all the way from Edison to recent times. I got the impression that the 1950s were a golden age for audiophiles in the sense that the industry followed the money back then and paid real attention to us.

The onset of the CD era loudness wars reveals only too clearly what they think of us now. No wonder many audiophiles always hold vinyl close to their hearts.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/is-new-vinyl-exempt-from-loudness-wars

Did you see the Super Bowl half time show? That is why today's music sucks ass!! 

Good post cleeds

I have to agree with much that is in the video.  On some level, this has been going on for a long time. I think it just got progressively worse and we are at a tipping point--into realization and backlash by consumers OR acquiescence into it further with the potential for great damage to be done (maybe quasi-permanent damage that could take another generation or two to recover from). 

If we like and use the fast food analogy, it took a generation for that vehicle of food delivery to be rejected by a larger chunk (but still adopted by a big chunk) of consumers.  

Some of this is certainly subjective.  Some of the subjective conclusions are backed by partially objective evidence.  That said, I think we've crossed a point where we can say, with intellectual honesty, that the music industry is fine, the quality of pop music is as good as it ever was, and that there is substantial diversity in pop music.  It is, however, true that you can search out stuff to find quality and bright spots in music.  The fact of the matter is--to me--that the searching out requires more diligence and the overall status of Western popular music is not as healthy as it was from the 1920s through the early 1990s.