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The Problem With Music


Farin

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I know this has been said hundreds of times before, but

all generalizations are always a bad idea...

you can't go around saying "the music of today isn't good", because there is no "The" music of today, there's good and bad, just like in the 90s, 80s, 70s, 60s and every decade before that...

a possible difference is that since we are now in the middle of it we simply notice it more...

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"all generalizations are always a bad idea..." is an example of irony at work. Today's music ranges from rap and r&B to country to pop to electronic to folk to indie to alternative to insert genre and subgenre of music. Now, if one were to take a sample from each one of those, it's a whole lotta crap. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but nowadays that's getting rare.

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My daughter has Britney Spears' Piece of Me and a song by Miley Cyrus playing on repeat. It makes me want to bash my head against the wall. BTW, she hates my taste in music, even though she's been exposed to it all her life. Am I going to learn 20 years from now, that all the rap and pap is GOOD, and that I was hopelessly unenlightened?

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I think you are right...if I say it is white, she will say it is black!

I appreciate the lyrics of a song, plus the music of course. In other words, the craft of songwriting needs to be evident, not just a phrase or two followed by "baby, baby"...For a lot of the younger set, it seems that the "beat" is more important; and that they can readily dance to the song.

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I just read this entire thread (including the initial article in full). Now after all the posts that have been made seemed to wonder from one point to another, It seems that for the most part alot of you have gotten off the initial subject ( which was how the record industry treats the artist). What it comes down to, is the lable is out to make as big a profit as possable in the shortest period of time, at the very least initial investment. While at the same time retaining all rights to the material produced by the artist, along with full control over the artistic expression of the artist(s). They pull the strings, and if you dance the right way they just cut them, and away you fall ( with no chute ).

Back in the 60's and 70's, certain bands had the power to dictate to the lables. They were the "super groups" IE, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Yes, etc. Those bands pretty much wrote there own ticket. But the lables make sure that dosn't happen today. The big lables own (or atleast have a great deal of control) of most of the radio stations in the US. And pretty much call the shots as far as to what they want played, and when.

I have been approached by these A/R clowns on several occasions years ago. I was lucky enough to be able to "liberate" copies of the aggrements and take them to a lawyer friend for review. Nothing was ever signed. They were written as if you would be obligated to turn your first born child over to them with no hope of recovery. I know thats a strange way to say it, but that how it was explained to me.

I have played in bands, and worked in studios doing engineering and mix downs etc, for about 38 years. I have had several very talented singers do backup work for us, and helped them to copywright there own material before some big lable snake came along and sucked it up right out from underneath them.

Jim

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I just read this entire thread (including the initial article in full). Now after all the posts that have been made seemed to wonder from one point to another, It seems that for the most part alot of you have gotten off the initial subject

that happens quite a lot here... you get used to it ;):P

but thank you for going back to the original matter of things, as unpleasant as they are :P:)

:thumbsup:

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I feel like Bitter Almonds is a bit silly and doesn't quite realize what he's talking about, but he is a good writer and he is able to convince people that he does know what he's talking about.

Didn't convince me.

Yeah, that definitely was depressing. If anybody had any dreams of making it big with a band, that article will just about crush 'em.

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Thus, my alluding to "The Allegory Of The Cave" :beatnik: Again, since the music of today sucks - totally - I don't feel the least bit depressed about Albini's comment on how they're getting jipped. Think about it, "OH NOES!!!1~ THE KILLERS, THE KLAXONS, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, THE BRAVERY ARE GETTING JIPPED IN THE INDUSTRY!" Is this something I'm really gonna feel bad about? There's more where that bland, crappy music came from.

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It's a bad idea to limit yourself musically. The Killers have a lot of good music. And you can't use the McDonalds argument on me, because I listen to everything from Sun Ra to The Doors to Ugly Kid Joe to Air. So I've been exposed to just about everything music has to offer, and I still appreciate what you say "totally sucks."

That being said, I know a few people in some local bands who have been talking with Drive Thru records lately. I hope they don't get screwed!

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I don't limit myself at all. I still buy and listen to some of that trash. It's just not up to par even if I were to refer to them as "mediocre." The killers? 25 years too late. That sound has been worn out by 1983. Can they come up with a trademark sound of their own? Nope. Can they give their audience something else other than New Wave? Nope. Can they attach to a more recent movement to bring it to life? Nope. Can they be more versatile, even? Nope. Within the same grouping of hacks who are attempting to capitalise on the Nu Wave movement, they rank below the likes of The Faint, Solex, British Sea Power, Ladytron (one-trick pony), Franz Ferdinand and Interpol (*shudder*), et al. Compared to the 80s New Wave and New Romantic styles, Nu Wave is bland and tasteless - boring. Most of the Nu Wave movement, which includes the killers, possess the same novelty as New Coke. It only serves to accentuate how much much better the original formula is :beatnik:

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