Is old music killing new music?

[Family_Dog]

This makes for some very interesting reading.

https://www.ecoustics.com/articles/old-music-killing-new-music/

I always suspected I was in the minority sharing this view, but apparently it is a widely supported viewpoint.


-F_D

[chrisc]

I'm also of the opinion that today's musicians rely too much on computers to help them out with new songs and arrangements

There are undoubtedly some really talented musicians out there, visit the Barleycorn Club in Claremont, Cape Town and you will hear some outstanding stuff.  But these musicians are not marketable.  It obviously costs to bring a new musician to the market and a studio will have millions of Rand invested in his equipment from which he has to earn a living and pay staff and stuff

In 2017 the CT Hi-Fi Club visited a Recording Studio in Cape Town.  Magnificently turned out.  We asked him what his bread and butter was.  The answer:  Shallow pop music which would be played on local FM stations and generate enough interest to generate sales

A friend's son lives in Birmingham in England and works in a Sound and TV studio  His report is exactly the same.  If a musician showed a modicum of promise, the studio will, with the aid of software like Logic ProX, even Garage Band to provide accompaniment

His boss, now 71 years old, sighs with nostalgia for the "old days".  He means prior to digital recording in 1980 which he says has ruined music

[legro]

All fair points, but imagine our kids having the same discussion - about current music -  in 50 years.

And they will.

Not all or even most old music is good, and not all or even most new music is bad.

Contrary to the OP, many ( on this forum anyway ) seem to believe this.

You may be missing a lot...

Just imagine the Bach folks looking down on the " poppy " new Haydn and Mozart grooves.

[JonnyP]

I got the feeling that the writer of the piece had his own bias in place already.  Yes, someone is singing along to ‘Message In a Bottle’ a hit from 1979 (which was an international number one single and launched the Police to stadium tour status in the US), maybe the next track was a newer number by a Grammy winner? Or a ‘bubbling under’ pop song that just met the airwaves in the US.  If you listened to virtually any radio station back in the 00s, there would be an 80s or 70s banger every ten songs or less.  Same is true even now.  All it is is changing tastes and styles.

As for ability? Many artists I love are very able, some literally used one or two chords.  The Beatles generally used three, Sex Pistols three, Eminem’s music is far more complex by that standard, or even Ed Sheeran

[DustinG]

I just find it difficult to really appreciate the newer content. I think I'm just a nostalgic person who gravitates to older music, movies, etc

[Family_Dog]

I am listening to Forest Gold Classic Hits on Internet Radio, must say I was tickled pink to hear music that I haven't heard for decades! Good to hear good music instead of the groaning constipated sounds from people like Ed Sheeran 


-F_D

[2wice]

There has never been a time of more musical discovery for me than the last 5 years.
This includes current releases and all the way back to the 30's, good music I was not aware of.

The pool of good music is vast and deep, and some pools are bigger than others.

[Trompie67]

There has never been a time of more musical discovery for me than the last 5 years.
This includes current releases and all the way back to the 30's, good music I was not aware of.

The pool of good music is vast and deep, and some pools are bigger than others.

Absolutely  - the pool of quantity is massive compared to the pool of quality.

Unfortunately the streaming services punt quantity - so it takes some digging and tweaking to achieve quality.