The Decline of the Music Industry


Click bait for sure!  Actually, this is Frank Zappa's opinion on why the industry declined, but if I would have put his name in the title, many would have skipped over it.  I personally never connected with Zappa's music, but I do agree with what he has to say here.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GowCEiZkU70
chayro
@mikeydred  and don't forget about Matthew Broderick and Ally
Sheedie in "Wargames"
@richopp,

A nice and clear explanation.

But how do we get out of this nightmare scenario?

Just how do we regain some space to breathe, to create and to express?

And most importantly, to enjoy?

It was bad enough that revenue from music sales went south years ago, leaving us back in the pre-Beatles era where artists made their money by touring.

Unless they were Elvis who could walk straight into Hollywood.

However, right now there's next to no opportunity for artists to tour and play live.

Now that creepy/sleepy (take your pick) Joe has been installed safely behind a wall of MSM and Big Tech (and some 7000 troops) we might just see some of the restrictions lifted shortly. 

Or we might not. 

I guess we're all getting a good taste of what it might have felt like being a teenager living in the pre Rock and Roll era.

Then out of nowhere came Bill Haley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, and Elvis. Not to mention Brando, Dean, Hopper etc.

Many Brits have a similar affinity for those heady days of loosely regulated pirate radio in the early 1960s. Both Radio Luxemburg and Caroline are still especially fondly remembered by some.
The decline of music cannot be explained by only internal factors proper to this industry only...

The general decline of western civilization is linked to this musical industry decline...

Most people dont see this decline invoking for example booming new technologies...But empowering technology and technocacy is not culture nor science in itself...

This is the bad news...

The good news ia materialism of the last hundred years is terminated .... Humanity is at a forked road in evolution...

True science in all areas pointed to consciousness being the fundamental phenomenon not matter which is a fiction by now created by sense and habit....

We can predict then after the chaos of the actual uncertainty a Renascent creativity in all areas, music included, before the end of this century...

It’s true even in the early days of rock music artists were perceived as rebels, highly independent and not subservient to others. Then success and money kicks in and as we all know always  “just follow the money”. So much for artistic freedom.
If I might venture a guess, I think the difference between music now versus decades ago is that the criteria for judging talent has changed, not only for music but for the movie and TV industries as well.  I think today the singers and actors that get a shot are chosen first for sex appeal, including youth, rather than talent or experience (including life experience).  They haven't had the time or years of experience to develop what talent they might have.

Combined with the lack of talent in plot and story development, we get scenes with explosions, computer generated graphics, endless chase scenes and actors' knowing-looks instead of meaningful dialogue.  

In music, instead of well written melodies and clever lyrics, we get sexual innuendos and dancers doing stop-start antics and thrusting their limbs like they are warming up for martial arts action. "Its getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes . . It's so hot in here, I'm gonna take my clothes off!"  It's the aural equivalent of TV sit-coms . . all physical attraction, sexual innuendos and very little acting.

I think the difference is also related to the times. The 50's and 60's were more idealist, naive times with sincere love songs. By the 1990's, life and music and just about everything was about being wise to games, playing games on people and successfully manipulating and using them, proving yourself a playa.  I miss the old days when peopla at least seemed sincere.