Study Finds New Pop Music Does All Sound the Same

[Sam I Am]

Don't even get me started on how terrible much of (not all) hip-hop and rap lyrics are. Today, most (considered) artist can't rhyme at all. Instead, they have to mispronounce words to get them to sound similar and sometimes not even then. Or they do say something that rhymes, but is it beyond lame. It's embarrassing yet people accept it. :confused:

Kanya West's Stronger is perfect example of really ****ty lyrics. Sometimes he doesn't even try to rhyme. He just keeps ending the each lyric with the same word so it *sounds* like he is rhyming. He rhymes stronger with "wronger"!?!? That isn't even a freaking word. Lets not even get into the fact that he repeats the same lyrics 500x in that song. Why is he talking about Isotoners? :facepalm:

================================

A study of music from the '50 to the present (http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/07/science-music) using the Million Song Dataset has concluded that modern music has less variation than older music and songs today are, on average, 9dB louder than 50 years ago. Almost all music uses just 10 chords, but the way these are used together has changed, leading to fewer types of transitions being used (http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/120726/srep00521/full/srep00521.html). Variation in timbre has also reduced over the past decades.

[tupperware]

In short, people like bad music.

Yeah I know, subjective, art. Spare me, please.

[CashMan]

Don't even get me started on how terrible much of (not all) hip-hop and rap lyrics are. Today, most (considered) artist can't rhyme at all. Instead, they have to mispronounce words to get them to sound similar and sometimes not even then. Or they do say something that rhymes, but is it beyond lame. It's embarrassing yet people accept it. :confused:

Kanya West's Stronger is perfect example of really ****ty lyrics. Sometimes he doesn't even try to rhyme. He just keeps ending the each lyric with the same word so it *sounds* like he is rhyming. He rhymes stronger with "wronger"!?!? That isn't even a freaking word. Lets not even get into the fact that he repeats the same lyrics 500x in that song. Why is he talking about Isotoners? :facepalm:

================================

A study of music from the '50 to the present (http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/07/science-music) using the Million Song Dataset has concluded that modern music has less variation than older music and songs today are, on average, 9dB louder than 50 years ago. Almost all music uses just 10 chords, but the way these are used together has changed, leading to fewer types of transitions being used (http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/120726/srep00521/full/srep00521.html). Variation in timbre has also reduced over the past decades.

Out of curiosity, what do you consider good music?

[tupperware]

Out of curiosity, what do you consider good music?
Probably music which is the exact opposite of what is described :)

[CashMan]

Probably music which is the exact opposite of what is described :)


I am not defending that music, I agree. But if he comes back and says stuff like Metallica, I will laugh.

[Sam I Am]

Out of curiosity, what do you consider good music?

Real music of course!

K6_zsJ8KPP0

[Sam I Am]

I am not defending that music, I agree. But if he comes back and says stuff like Metallica, I will laugh.

It's funny you should say Metallica. One thing Metallica definitely has going for them is lyrical content. I would put their lyrics up against any rap/hip-hop of today. They makes sense, rhyme when needed and don't use the same words for 60% of the lyrical content of the song.

That was a bad choice to offer up and say you would laugh.

[CashMan]

That was a bad choice to offer up and say you would laugh.


I don't think so. I did not say pop music was the be all end all. You seem to be the one who thinks metal is. I am open to all types of music, but in no way would I say Metallica is better in any way.

[burmafrd]

Rap is not music. Never has been never will be. Its noise.

[Sam I Am]

I don't think so. I did not say pop music was the be all end all. You seem to be the one who thinks metal is. I am open to all types of music, but in no way would I say Metallica is better in any way.

Actually, I'm pretty eclectic in my music listening, I just prefer rock over most others. I used to listen to rap too, until the quality went down the toilet. I would say my second favorite is at the complete other end of the spectrum. I own about 35+ different symphony CDs.

I wouldn't expect someone who doesn't listen to metal to really have any idea about the quality of lyrics from a metal band. If I were to guess, I wouldn't know if you could actually name a single Metallica song without Googling them first.

[iceberg]

axis of awesome - 4 chord song.

i'd post the video but they do drop some f-bombs.

[CashMan]

Actually, I'm pretty eclectic in my music listening, I just prefer rock over most others. I used to listen to rap too, until the quality went down the toilet. I would say my second favorite is at the complete other end of the spectrum. I own about 35+ different symphony CDs.

I wouldn't expect someone who doesn't listen to metal to really have any idea about the quality of lyrics from a metal band. If I were to guess, I wouldn't know if you could actually name a single Metallica song without Googling them first.


I do not know why, you are quoting me. I never said I did not listen to metal. I listen to some, and no I can not name a Metallica song, since I do not listen to them. I think rap is crap, btw.
You had the perfect opportunity to name a rock band, when I asked, and you named a metal band.

Queen, now there is a good rock band.

Pop music has one goal, make money.

[Sam I Am]

I do not know why, you are quoting me. I never said I did not listen to metal. I listen to some, and no I can not name a Metallica song, since I do not listen to them. I think rap is crap, btw.
You had the perfect opportunity to name a rock band, when I asked, and you named a metal band.

Queen, now there is a good rock band.

Pop music has one goal, make money.

I named Slayer. I really like Slayer. (well, I really like 3 of their albums, Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons in the Abyss) After Dave Lombardo left I pretty much no longer cared for their music as they changed styles and musical quality. Metal is a form of rock btw.

I like Queen too. Zepplin, AC/DC, ZZ Top. Other music types? George Straight, Brad Pasley, etc. More? I used to be a big NWA fan, Fat boys, LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys. (though their lyrics were kind of dumb too, but at least they didn't screw them up) I used to listen to UTFO too, but now when I listen to it, hah I have to turn it off.

I told you I'm eclectic in my musical taste, but rock is definitely where it's at for me. Though, I can listen to *almost* any 80s and 90s music.

[Denim Chicken]

Don't even get me started on how terrible much of (not all) hip-hop and rap lyrics are. Today, most (considered) artist can't rhyme at all. Instead, they have to mispronounce words to get them to sound similar and sometimes not even then. Or they do say something that rhymes, but is it beyond lame. It's embarrassing yet people accept it.


OK, not saying JZ is bad lyrically or anything, but perfect example of what he's talking about from 'Big Pimping'

"Then sit back and peep my sce-nawr-e-oh
Oops, my bad, that's my scenario
No I can't **** a scary hoe"

:lmao2:

[Lodeus]

A pop music world with Nicki Manhaj and Ke$ha at the top is a doomed one. Kanye seemed to be alright when I bought his first record but went down hill from there. Artist like Wocka Flocka and LMFAO are an embarrassment to the rap/hip-hop(if that's what they are even considered) genre. Good party music, nothing more.

-----

wHyalVRUXrA

ni7XyYdXYx8

DT-dxG4WWf4

Artist like this should be popular than they are. All pretty easy accessible and I have hard time wondering why they aren't more popular.

[Rynie]

Real music of course!

K6_zsJ8KPP0

Psssh. I'd rather slide down a razor-blade slide into a pool of rubbing alcohol than listen to this crap.

[wittenacious]

Psssh. I'd rather slide down a razor-blade slide into a pool of rubbing alcohol than listen to this crap.
Slayer's music moved me though. Started uncontrollably head-bangin'. Hurt my neck right off the bat. I quit. Went back to music that's a lot less prone to cause self-inflicted pain.

Gimme a song that makes me wanna beat on someone else, any day. :laugh2:

I kid, I kid.

[RS12]

Much pop music has sounded the same for the last twenty to thirty years, I think it is because computer programs make so much of it, and computers filter voices etc. Prior to that musicians and singers needed talent to succeed, now they just need to be properly marketed. Computers killing both music and movies IMO.

[arglebargle]

Steak is a better meal than popcorn, but you still get popcorn when going to the movies.

There's fluff, there's deeper stuff. Always has been. Probably always will be. We are just less aware of the fluff from bygone eras, because it has been scraped off by time. Believe me, I had to deal with my father's 6000 plus disc record collection (1920's-50's), and there was a ton of junk in there. And that's from a time when it was much more difficult to produce the discs. Nowadays, anyone with $2k in a computer set up can reliably produce better sound quality than the Beatles recordings. Musical quality?

Well, there's fluff, and then there's deeper stuff....

[arglebargle]

Much pop music has sounded the same for the last twenty to thirty years, I think it is because computer programs make so much of it, and computers filter voices etc. Prior to that musicians and singers needed talent to succeed, now they just need to be properly marketed. Computers killing both music and movies IMO.

Paul Anka? Fabian?

[Boys122]

Slayer, Metallica, Tool, Motley Crue, just to name some. ;)

[Achilleslastand]

A lot of popular music has been dumbed down to appeal to the lowest common denominator.......with success.

[Rynie]

If you think about it...pop music isn't made to be popular for an extended period of time. All pop-music has a shelf-life. It's made to be used up and thrown away. I find the social aspect of music pretty interesting. This could be a whole new thread. We use music, especially at an early age, to identify ourselves. Many groups, or cliques, form by a shared love of a type of music. Think about high school: you have your goths, your punks, (we had ropers/cowboys), your thugs, etc. Each group has its own type of music they listen to. Kind of interesting to me. #sociologynerd

[Rynie]

Sam I Am...I can't really talk crap. I bang my head to this...1:27 is where the fun begins!
9bOfe-KBeVE

[Heisenberg]

There's good music still coming out today, but most of it isn't something you'd hear on the radio.

[Ultimategamer5567]

Slayer, Metallica, Tool, Motley Crue, just to name some. ;)

This. But also AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Kansas, Atreyu, and Pantera. *just me*

[wittenacious]

This. But also AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Kansas, Atreyu, and Pantera. *just me*
Dust in the wind, my friend. All they are is dust in the wind. ;)

tH2w6Oxx0kQ

[Ultimategamer5567]

Dust in the wind, my friend. All they are is dust in the wind. ;)

tH2w6Oxx0kQ

You need to carry on, my wayward son.

[wittenacious]

You need to carry on, my wayward son.
:laugh2:... A most excellent of all possible comebacks. Love it!

[Ultimategamer5567]

:laugh2: Most excellent of all possible comebacks. Love it!

Don't be sad, Wittenacious. There'll be peace when you are done. ;)

[wittenacious]

Don't be sad, Wittenacious. There will be peace when you are done. ;)
One-upped and done. I am now at peace.


Make that two-upped. http://www.happyhippie.com/vb/images/smilies/hippie.gif (http://www.happyhippie.com/vb/images/smilies/hippie.gif)

[Ultimategamer5567]

One-upped and done. I am now at peace.


Make that two-upped. http://www.happyhippie.com/vb/images/smilies/hippie.gif (http://www.happyhippie.com/vb/images/smilies/hippie.gif)

Gotta love some Kansas - and I'm only 19! :star:

[rkell87]

I think it is funny that all these people complain about rap and pop music and say it is just noise when almost certainly your parents said the same about music you enjoy. I even posted an article about the science behind enjoying music more when you are younger and why people stop liking new stuff coming out citing it isn't as good as the stuff they grew up with but most people decided to disregard the science and continue to believe that there crap is beeter tha our crap and their parents crap.


oh you like the beatles? tell more about how awesome yellow submarine is and how the lyrics make seanse when you aren't high:rolleyes:

[wittenacious]

Gotta love some Kansas - and I'm only 19! :star:
Kinda thought you were younger than your stated musical tastes would have suggested. Loved the choices. Many your age, and thereabouts, have a strong willingness to like good music... wherever they find it.

Good back 'n' forth, proving you knew you some Kansas. The lil hippie guy is my, "peace (at peace, lol), love and harmony" go-to .gif ... appropriate for the generation of most of the bands you called out, too.

Bands from back in the day, for me.

[Ultimategamer5567]

Kinda thought you were younger than your stated musical tastes would have suggested. Loved the choices. Many your age, and thereabouts, have a strong willingness to like good music... wherever they find it.

Good back 'n' forth, proving you knew you some Kansas. The lil hippie guy is my, "peace (at peace, lol), love and harmony" go-to .gif ... appropriate for the generation of most of the bands you called out, too. Bands from back in the day, for me.

Good music is good music, brah. And music never ages. The only difference is, some songs are remembered as very nice to the ears, and others are...less than satisfactory.

[Lonestar94]

Same goes for today's "country". Utter trash.

Does anyone else find it sickening that Keith Urban is in the HOF yet the late great Keith Whitley isn't?

[Ultimategamer5567]

Same goes for today's "country". Utter trash.

Does anyone else find it sickening that Keith Urban is in the HOF yet the late great Keith Whitley isn't?

Whitley was a great one. But I've always been a huge George Strait fan.

[MichaelWinicki]

We use music, especially at an early age, to identify ourselves. Many groups, or cliques, form by a shared love of a type of music. Think about high school: you have your goths, your punks, (we had ropers/cowboys), your thugs, etc. Each group has its own type of music they listen to. Kind of interesting to me. #sociologynerd

I don't think that happened (much) until the middle-late 70's. About the time of disco. I think for pop music's first 20 years, most listened to the same stuff and the Billboard Top 100 ruled the day.

One of the mods here, Juke, told me once that it was about this time period, the late 70's, when music execs began to more forcefully "fit" or "mold" groups. The result was a more homogenius sound, which I really think took hold in the late 80's.

Bands and groups that didn't fit into that same-same mold were cast aside, but they found an audience.

"Splintering" was the result.

The result is you get a lot of groups with a very loyal following but the it's a much smaller following.

[Ntegrase96]

As a musician (and son of 2 musicians) who has been taught from birth what constitutes 'good music', I can say with confidence that pop music has gotten better these last few years. It's still bad in my opinion, but not as bad as the Backstreet Boys and Nsync at the height of their popularity.

It's a pretty general statement, but on the average, pop music utilizes musical devices more than it has over the last 15-20 years. Typically the lyrical content is completely poor, but pop music has been that way for quite some time now, of course.

[Lodeus]

As a musician (and son of 2 musicians) who has been taught from birth what constitutes 'good music', I can say with confidence that pop music has gotten better these last few years. It's still bad in my opinion, but not as bad as the Backstreet Boys and Nsync at the height of their popularity.

It's a pretty general statement, but on the average, pop music utilizes musical devices more than it has over the last 15-20 years. Typically the lyrical content is completely poor, but pop music has been that way for quite some time now, of course.
The thing about that is, they were around when MTV still played music videos. There are a couple popular boy bands around still, One Direction and some other one I cant think of the name right now. If MTV still had TRL and other shows like it, it would be torture to watch.

[MichaelWinicki]

It's a pretty general statement, but on the average, pop music utilizes musical devices more than it has over the last 15-20 years. Typically the lyrical content is completely poor, but pop music has been that way for quite some time now, of course.

:laugh2:

Someone mentioned Fabian, who I do like... I mean the lyrics to "Turn Me Loose" aren't exactly complicated, but I like the song anyway. :)

[Ultimategamer5567]

The thing about that is, they were around when MTV still played music videos. There are a couple popular boy bands around still, One Direction and some other one I cant think of the name right now. If MTV still had TRL and other shows like it, it would be torture to watch.

Those musical groups (Backstreet Boys and Nsync) were more aimed towards ten-year-old girls. You shouldn't even care.

[MichaelWinicki]

Those musical groups (Backstreet Boys and Nsync) were more aimed towards ten-year-old girls. You shouldn't even care.

Good point about the "targeting". I think that's what Juke was getting at, i.e. what the music industry was trying to do as early as the 70's.

Not that there wasn't "targeting" that went on early in the Rock era, I mean Barry Gordy Jr, "molded" groups for white audiences, but it wasn't like he was molding them for say teenage girls from 14 to 17. It wasn't that precise.

I think it's that "targeting" that has helped made popular music, not so popular outside of narrow groups.

[Lodeus]

Those musical groups (Backstreet Boys and Nsync) were more aimed towards ten-year-old girls. You shouldn't even care.
I was like a 12 year boy who went to school dances and skate rinks when those bands were popular. Hard to avoid back then.

[Sam I Am]

Psssh. I'd rather slide down a razor-blade slide into a pool of rubbing alcohol than listen to this crap.

I would rather you die a nasty death than hear you disrespect the all-mighty-Slayer! ;)

[Sam I Am]

Slayer's music moved me though. Started uncontrollably head-bangin'. Hurt my neck right off the bat. I quit. Went back to music that's a lot less prone to cause self-inflicted pain.

Gimme a song that makes me wanna beat on someone else, any day. :laugh2:

I kid, I kid.

That is Slayer. Slam Dance Started! :yourock:

[Boys122]

This. But also AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Kansas, Atreyu, and Pantera. *just me*

Oh, yeah, my kind of music.

[Lodeus]

I would rather you die a nasty death than hear you disrespect the all-mighty-Slayer! ;)

Love me some Slayer.

-7rpoZE8X8Y

[Ultimategamer5567]

Oh, yeah, my kind of music.

If it isn't rock, if it isn't quality country, or if It isn't metal, it's probably awful. (Now, there are somse exceptions...but that's a different discussion. :D)

[wittenacious]

That is Slayer. Slam Dance Started! :yourock:
:laugh2:

[rkell87]

I think it is funny that all these people complain about rap and pop music and say it is just noise when almost certainly your parents said the same about music you enjoy. I even posted an article about the science behind enjoying music more when you are younger and why people stop liking new stuff coming out citing it isn't as good as the stuff they grew up with but most people decided to disregard the science and continue to believe that there crap is beeter tha our crap and their parents crap.


oh you like the beatles? tell more about how awesome yellow submarine is and how the lyrics make seanse when you aren't high:rolleyes:

I freaking hate that my computer crapped out and i'm posting from my phone, what a terrible abortion of a post this ended up being

[davidyee]

Out of curiosity, what do you consider good music?

...if this is a solid test for "good" music, but I have always told my kids that an acceptable test for a song is:

...can you go to the cabin and sit around a camp fire singing the song a capella or with only a guitar.

I feel this is as good a test for the accessibility of a song as any.