The truth about why modern music is so awful.

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. 

I agree that music is getting worse. But I couldn't keep watching the video because so many of the reasons he gives and the science behind them are not valid. There is huge selection bias. There are unsupportable assumptions: There is no law or dictum that dictates that timbral variety is a measure of what makes music good. Also, as much as I despise the result of the loudness wars (which is going on stronger than ever), that is not necessarily an ultimate measure of what constitutes a good song or piece of music. There is a long list of great new super talented artists releasing well written, well played and well sung songs that some idiot engineer ruins in production. There are many symphonic works of the romantic masterpieces that are recorded and produced poorly. That is not Mr. Brahms' fault.

Then there is the argument that all this new millenial pop sounds the same. Well, I hate to break it to you, but by that measure all rock and pop music sound the same. That's what our parents were saying in the 60's and 70's too. The truth is all popular music sounds very much the same if you are looking for certain elements. As someone mentioned in another thread even classical and romantic era music followed fairly set segments and most used the same instruments in about the same proportions. And let's be honest, during the Beatles' rise there were countless bands that sounded, intentionally, just like them.

I also don't think he accounted fairly for the tremendous variety of music available now in the digital/streaming era.

Again, I didn't finish watching the video. I didn't see any reason. So maybe I missed something. 

But I think the reality is that most purely pop music stinks. I would also contend that Sgt. Pepper was never pop in the true sense anyway.

I think the problem now is that if you listen to the radio or watch TV you'd think that pop, country pop and hip-hop were all there was. Across all three of those genres you'd think there were maybe 30 artists at the most.

And therein lies the real issue. Its the kids. They have lots of money and tiny attention spans and are mindless consumers all of which has been cultivated by the culture since the 1990s. If all they want is the millenial whoop and three repeated bass notes there will be an industry ready and willing to sell it to them over and over again.