The "death" of bands

[MichaelWinicki]

I don't claim to be any sort of music industry commentator or anything...but you look at top-selling lists of current music and where are the bands?

 

[MonsterD]

Welp if you look at the history probably the 70's were the pinnacle of a "rock band" then it slowly erodes through the 80's and 90's to today. I think there are a ton of bands still they are not prominent though even with the "hipster" movement 2004ish-2005 to 2010. I remember Future (I think he is 18 or 19) say that kids nowadays just like soft music, which to me includes dance and of course the over-wrought bloated manufactured pop garbage.

 

[Stash]

I don't claim to be any sort of music industry commentator or anything...but you look at top-selling lists of current music and where are the bands?

Music in general has been ruined by capitalism.

The 'M' stands for money now, not music.

Those top-selling lists have someone who can't sing, on a song they didn't write, with music played by people they don't know.

As long as it sells.

 

[blindzebra]

Music in general has been ruined by capitalism.

The 'M' stands for money now, not music.

Those top-selling lists have someone who can't sing, on a song they didn't write, with music played by people they don't know.

As long as it sells.

That is made for 13 year old girls.

 

[Wheeltax]

There are a ton of factors - mostly having to do with the idea that record companies no longer "discover" talent as much as they "manufacture" it. If they can find someone with a modicum of it, they can get that person some songs written, then use Pro Tools and make them sound great with a band they've never met, and as long as the product is bland and largely inoffensive to as many people as possible, it'll be radio-friendly, and terrestrial radio is right there to push it as hard as possible and it's a system that seems to work for them.

Why go through the trouble of sending AR guys to dive bars to try to find the next big band, when you can take a pretty, photogenic girl and make her a pop-country music star? The bands are out there, they're just not on the radio because there's no money in it for the radio stations.

Terrestrial radio stations are also just about all corporate entities now, and they all follow the same rules and play the same stuff without any regard for regional or local flavors. They don't take chances on a band that a significant number of people might hate - they would rather take a chance on a band that a few people might really like, and most people think is just mediocre and don't care about.

This is why the only bands you see who sell anymore are guys like Nickleback and Rascal Flatts - bland, radio-friendly, and all sounds the same, and it sells because that's all people really have ready access to.

 

[iceberg]

i've been running an internet radio station since 1999. you have to work to find it now cause FM is dead and CD's are on life support if not already dead. find iheartradio or some other app for your phone outside spotify and give other stations a chance on your tablet or phone. there's great music out there but you now have to go find it, it won't come to you. what does, isn't worth it.

 

[Lodeus]

^yup

 

[Future]

Hmm, I'm not sure I follow. Bands like Imagine Dragons, Mumford and Sons, Black Keys, and Fallout Boy are pretty much all in regular rotation...and bands like The Lumineers and Passenger have had huge hits lately. They aren't "rock" bands necessarily, because they all have a certain pop element, but there is far more out there than I think you're noticing. Say what you want about their styles or whatever, but they are all bands that play their own music, and they are everywhere. Of course they are shadowed a bit by some of today's major pop stars like Katy Perry and Miley, but its not like bands are gone.

 

[Hoov]

i've been running an internet radio station since 1999. you have to work to find it now cause FM is dead and CD's are on life support if not already dead. find iheartradio or some other app for your phone outside spotify and give other stations a chance on your tablet or phone. there's great music out there but you now have to go find it, it won't come to you. what does, isn't worth it.

Dr dog ?

 

[iceberg]

Dr dog ?

nah, iceberg.

 

[Hoov]

nah, iceberg.

I mean do u like dr dog

 

[iceberg]

I mean do u like dr dog

never heard of him.

iceberg is my dj name and ive been "pimping" unsigned music for over 15 years. i've turned off my yamaha, marantz and other "tuners" for how i listen to music cause they play FM. AM. Line In.

i'm disappointed that people today listen to music on a phone.

there's a reason i bought DCM/Cerwin Vega 3 way speakers.

there's a reason people used to put a ton of money into their car stereos.

people today listen to music off a ****** phone speaker and feel like they discovered something. i'm not after justifying yesterday, i'm trying to understand tomorrow. reading an album cover was cool. it got compressed to cassette. then cd.

now it's an afterthought and the art of music is "does it fit on my phone".

there is simply no direction to the music industry today cause they're still trying to figure out how to make money, not music.

but the industry today i link back to the 60s and 70s. those putting put music today do it out of love. not a superbowl appearance.

the problem is that people are lazy and they want to be told what to listen to.

then again, they did in the 80s also, but through more established means.

the IGS i coined long long ago isn't about the cowboys, it's about our culture.

we have to be willing to work for what we want or we'll forever complain we don't know what we want.

you either see the difference, or you're a ******* idiot.

 

[big dog cowboy]

you look at top-selling lists of current music

I'm afraid to do that. There are already enough things in this world that make me shake my head.

 

[Hoov]

never heard of him.

iceberg is my dj name and ive been "pimping" unsigned music for over 15 years. i've turned off my yamaha, marantz and other "tuners" for how i listen to music cause they play FM. AM. Line In.

i'm disappointed that people today listen to music on a phone.

there's a reason i bought DCM/Cerwin Vega 3 way speakers.

there's a reason people used to put a ton of money into their car stereos.

people today listen to music off a ****ty phone speaker and feel like they discovered something. i'm not after justifying yesterday, i'm trying to understand tomorrow. reading an album cover was cool. it got compressed to cassette. then cd.

now it's an afterthought and the art of music is "does it fit on my phone".

there is simply no direction to the music industry today cause they're still trying to figure out how to make money, not music.

but the industry today i link back to the 60s and 70s. those putting put music today do it out of love. not a superbowl appearance.

the problem is that people are lazy and they want to be told what to listen to.

then again, they did in the 80s also, but through more established means.

the IGS i coined long long ago isn't about the cowboys, it's about our culture.

we have to be willing to work for what we want or we'll forever complain we don't know what we want.

you either see the difference, or you're a ****ing idiot.

Dr dog is a band - they get more play on non-commercial listener support radio. They are from the philadelphia suburbs. They have some albums and are starting to get noticed. My daughter really likes them so i learned about the band from her then i sterted to hear them on the listener support type stations. But people throughout the northeast area seem to know about them and like them.

From what i have heard they are ok - but im a blues fan so you dont really get much of that unless you listen to old stuff.

BTW - i do listen to pandorra radio sometimes and I have been guilty of using the I-Phone at work or other places to listen - i like that you can create your own radio station on pandorra radio. I made a Buddy Guy station and i love it, nothing but serious blues music. But the sound quality does suck. Still, better than nothing at work.

 

[Reality]

people today listen to music off a ****ty phone speaker and feel like they discovered something. i'm not after justifying yesterday, i'm trying to understand tomorrow. reading an album cover was cool. it got compressed to cassette. then cd.

The biggest change that has affected every aspect of people's lives these days compared to those before the internet is that people have access to unlimited assets (songs, movies, etc.) and they have access to them everywhere they go. People listened to the same songs for weeks pre-internet because the only place you heard them were in the car, at home (only when you sat still usually) and at clubs on Friday and Saturday night. With iPods and now smartphones, people carry their entire music collection with them or stream unlimited music and movies everywhere they go. While this is awesome in many ways, it has diluted the value of sensory-based entertainment (songs, movies, etc.) to the point that most people tire of things much faster and the "instant gratification" high lasts less and less time. A lot of mainstream local radio stations have been hit so hard by satellite radio and mobile streaming that they are forced to limit their playlists severely knowing that since people are unlikely to listen to radio for hours on end these days, they can get away with playing the top 5-10 most popular songs repeatedly throughout the day.

We crave "more" and we crave it "now" and as the market shifts to give us what we want and when we want it, the market devalues itself more and more. At some point, the mainstream entertainment market will implode to where only a few major sources remain. The great thing is that when that happens, you will eventually see a real shift toward the independent movement. We have seen the formation of this movement for years now with indie bands and web-based movies and series productions getting more and more exposure through the internet and social media. I just hope that when that happens that people are not so addicted they can make the transition.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

There are a ton of factors - mostly having to do with the idea that record companies no longer "discover" talent as much as they "manufacture" it. If they can find someone with a modicum of it, they can get that person some songs written, then use Pro Tools and make them sound great with a band they've never met, and as long as the product is bland and largely inoffensive to as many people as possible, it'll be radio-friendly, and terrestrial radio is right there to push it as hard as possible and it's a system that seems to work for them.

Why go through the trouble of sending AR guys to dive bars to try to find the next big band, when you can take a pretty, photogenic girl and make her a pop-country music star? The bands are out there, they're just not on the radio because there's no money in it for the radio stations.

Terrestrial radio stations are also just about all corporate entities now, and they all follow the same rules and play the same stuff without any regard for regional or local flavors. They don't take chances on a band that a significant number of people might hate - they would rather take a chance on a band that a few people might really like, and most people think is just mediocre and don't care about.

This is why the only bands you see who sell anymore are guys like Nickleback and Rascal Flatts - bland, radio-friendly, and all sounds the same, and it sells because that's all people really have ready access to.

You really nailed it dead on.

I think most of it has to do with Generation Y and the millenials. From the 50's to the 90's there was always a strong current of rebellious music acts. There was mainstream and then a strong fan following of that which rebels against mainstream. In the 90's (god bless that decade), the rebellious music acts became the mainstream. Since then, Generation Y and the millenials just seem to enjoy nothing more than safe, pop music. There's still rebellious music acts out there, but they are typically well underground.

As Doug Stanhope said 'never has a generation been unable to scare the previous generation until now.'

I think there's something about a band that lends way to it being more rebellious in nature than a solo act. Even Neil Young was part of CSNY and Buffalo Springfield. And with hip hop, the most rebellious acts tend to have been the groups like NWA and Public Enemy.

It's a really sad state of music because now we have so much more technology to not only produce and listen to music, but to discover new artists. I vividly remember going to the record store my friend was a manager of and getting there before the mall opened and getting Metallica's Black album and Snoop Dogg's first album right out of the shipping truck.

Obviously, the technology has changed so that's not necessary anymore. But, I have no real ambition to do any of that with 99.9% of the music going on today.






YR

 

[Stash]

Dr dog is a band - they get more play on non-commercial listener support radio. They are from the philadelphia suburbs. They have some albums and are starting to get noticed. My daughter really likes them so i learned about the band from her then i sterted to hear them on the listener support type stations. But people throughout the northeast area seem to know about them and like them.

From what i have heard they are ok - but im a blues fan so you dont really get much of that unless you listen to old stuff.

BTW - i do listen to pandorra radio sometimes and I have been guilty of using the I-Phone at work or other places to listen - i like that you can create your own radio station on pandorra radio. I made a Buddy Guy station and i love it, nothing but serious blues music. But the sound quality does suck. Still, better than nothing at work.

I'm wondering if you have a Sirius/XM satellite subscription?

I do, and I'm hooked on Tom Petty's Buried Treasure show.

The very best in rock, rhythm, and blues.

Truly the Last DJ.

Judging by your aforementioned tastes, I think you'd like it.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Some great replies in this thread...

How much do you think shows like "American Idol", "The Voice" and "The X-Factor" have contributed to the decline of bands since they focus on the lone individual?

I would think folks with aspiring talent would think, "Well if I'm going to strike it big it has to be just me... so no hooking up with a band."

 

[Future]

You really nailed it dead on.

I think most of it has to do with Generation Y and the millenials. From the 50's to the 90's there was always a strong current of rebellious music acts. There was mainstream and then a strong fan following of that which rebels against mainstream. In the 90's (god bless that decade), the rebellious music acts became the mainstream. Since then, Generation Y and the millenials just seem to enjoy nothing more than safe, pop music. There's still rebellious music acts out there, but they are typically well underground.

That's a massive misconception. Its no different than it ever was before. The only difference now is that the "rebellious music acts"....whatever that actually means, haven't transitioned to the mainstream as visibly. But I actually think you could make the argument that Lady Gaga is rebellious in the same way that Madonna was, songs with folk backgrounds are hitting the tops of the charts (Mumford), and guys like Avicii are doing stuff that has never really been done before. The only difference now is that a lot of stuff is less angry, unlike the 90's grunge and 80's punk.

Now you could make the argument that some of those acts are manufactured, and Lady Gaga definitely is, but to act like young people only listen to pop and/or have no interest in anything else is pretty off-base I think.

 

[Teren_Kanan]

never heard of him.

iceberg is my dj name and ive been "pimping" unsigned music for over 15 years. i've turned off my yamaha, marantz and other "tuners" for how i listen to music cause they play FM. AM. Line In.

i'm disappointed that people today listen to music on a phone.

there's a reason i bought DCM/Cerwin Vega 3 way speakers.

there's a reason people used to put a ton of money into their car stereos.

people today listen to music off a ****ty phone speaker and feel like they discovered something. i'm not after justifying yesterday, i'm trying to understand tomorrow. reading an album cover was cool. it got compressed to cassette. then cd.

now it's an afterthought and the art of music is "does it fit on my phone".

there is simply no direction to the music industry today cause they're still trying to figure out how to make money, not music.

Music sounds so god awful coming from a phone (without a headset obviously), I don't understand how anyone can listen to it.

As for the bold, that's pretty much the case with.. well, everything. The Movie Industry suffers massively from this as well. The gaming industry is well on that path also.

People used to set out to make something amazing, and would hope they got money for it. Now people set out to make money, and hope it's good enough.