Is there still hope in pop music?

[sonnymadler]

Even though it's a year old, I've just recently listened to Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" (for some reason it avoided my radar up until now), and I have to say for a pop song that took the charts by storm last year and sold over several million copies, it's actually a really good song. And Pharrell Williams can surprisingly sing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBJ9RnbK8G4

It's a rarity for a quality pop song to smash the charts like "Get Lucky" did these days. But I suspect the song would've been nothing without the legendary Nile Rodgers' signature Strat in it. Now I'm a guy in my 20's who grew up listening to good music, and I mean GOOD music. Like Queen, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Gary Moore, Joe Cocker, Jamiroquai (British funk group) etc (the list is long, I've listened to almost everything). I like good pop music as well, but I mostly surf around 80s pop. And my dad's a big jazz nut, so I guess my love for jazz comes from him. But I'm not a musical snob or anything. I'm always open for recommendations, good and/or bad.

So my point is: what's your take on today's pop music? With overproduced mediocrity dominating the airwaves for more than 10 years now, and songs like "Get Lucky" being the few chart-topping miracles, is there still hope for pop music "resurrection" (for the lack of a better term)?

PS: please no trolling, be respectful.

 

[Captain Satan]

It's hard to say what's really popular these days because everyone's tastes have become far more varied since the explosion of Internet downloading. The musical underground has never been as ripe, and everyone on the Internet seems to have nothing but venom to spew at some of the more mainstream acts, so it's hard to tell.

Have a look at that new Avril Lavigne track on Youtube. I think Youtube comments boxes can tell us a lot about pop culture, even if they make you want to weep into your keyboard.

 

[C.A.B.]

kinna got dat late 70's Funk goin on

 

[kopfhorer]

kinna got dat late 70's Funk goin on

P-Funk rules!!!

Anyway, the reason we're getting so much mediocre crap on the radio is Sturgeon's Law - "90% of everything is crud!". Everyone thinks it was nothing but back to back Beatles, Stones, and Who hits in the sixties. There were stinkers on the top-40 charts then too, though nowhere near as many as there are now.

I think the main reason for the current situation is the fact that massive conglomerates like Clear Channel now dominate the radio market, owning hundreds of stations nationwide. Recording companies must now dance to whatever tune these corporations call.

Back in the day, when Elvis, The Beatles and the Stones were coming up, many radio stations were independently owned and operated. DJs and program directors controlled what got played (payola scandals notwithstanding). One station in my locality used to formulate its playlists by going to local record shops and asking their proprietors what was selling. Now that Clear Channel, Citadel, et.al. dominate the radio market, and now that the Frankenstein monster known as scientific management has been loosed upon the world, it's focus groups and consultants, who know squat about music, that decide what we hear.

 

[DontAskJusTckle]

I haven't listened to pop radio stations since 1972. That was the year I grew my hair long and started listening to album rock.

 

[chicago]

I think so. Beyonce, Alicia Keys, P!NK, John Legend, and Adele have all proved they can saaaaang. Whether you enjoy their music or not doesnt negate their talent. Lady Gaga is an amazing songwriter - listen to her tune "Speechless" and tell me you dont hear bits of Elton in his prime, and she can play the hell out of the piano.
Pharell and Daft Punk do a great job of mixing new and old sounds together. The Black Keys are popular and a solid blues rock band as well.

And personally, Im appreciating the influx of more "real" artists like Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, and Lorde who are singing / spitting lyrics that have more substance than money, cars, clothes, and hoes.

Its always easy to miss the good stuff when youre focused on the shit but theres stillmuch hope for pop music. Im sure there were people having this same conversation in the 60s and 70s. I mean we got through disco and the 80s so I'm sure we'll be fine lol

 

[sonnymadler]

I think so. Beyonce, Alicia Keys, P!NK, John Legend, and Adele have all proved they can saaaaang. Whether you enjoy their music or not doesnt negate their talent. Lady Gaga is an amazing songwriter - listen to her tune "Speechless" and tell me you dont hear bits of Elton in his prime, and she can play the hell out of the piano.
Pharell and Daft Punk do a great job of mixing new and old sounds together. The Black Keys are popular and a solid blues rock band as well.

And personally, Im appreciating the influx of more "real" artists like Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, and Lorde who are singing / spitting lyrics that have more substance than money, cars, clothes, and hoes.

Its always easy to miss the good stuff when youre focused on the shit but theres stillmuch hope for pop music. Im sure there were people having this same conversation in the 60s and 70s. I mean we got through disco and the 80s so I'm sure we'll be fine lol

That's kind of the point. They probably did have discussions on this even back in the '60s, and they probably saw the Beatles, the Stones and others back then as we see Beyonce, Rihanna, Miley, Bieber etc today. But the difference is even in the '80s, when music presumably stalled and stopped evolving, as crap as some of the '80s pop was, artists still tried to keep substance, quality in it. Artists still had a say at the creative table. Less so now. It didn't seem as industry-controlled as today, although what do I know? I was born after the '80s.

I do know for a fact that today music is overproduced, kind of machine-like. There doesn't seem to be too many popular female singers who stand out, all the good ones are overlooked. Same goes for rock bands. It's as if I'm hearing either Whitney or Mariah wannabes on the air, with bad attempts at melisma oversinging. And it's a shame that the likes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, P!nk, Katy Perry don't get to show their full potential. They really can sing, I've heard it in their less poppy collaborations. Hell even Nicki Minaj has a voice, just listen to her sing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".

I have to admit that Adele, even though I'd like to hear her evolve, is a breath of fresh air. And her success shows. It's evidence that the public is getting increasingly tired of the mediocrity (Get Lucky evidence of it as well). We need more singers like her, and new artists, new styles in general. Indie music and the hipster scene have outstayed their welcome, that's probably why many have given up on rock music. Things seem to be slowly changing in the UK and Europe, but the American industry's problem is they stick to a popular formula for too long.

 

[chicago]

I see what youre saying but I think you glossed over a lot, were pretty vague and I dont think you can lump artists like Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, Beiber, and Adele in the same category, talent-wise. You asked if theres hope in pop music. There is and its not too hard to find. Yes, its different now in that it seems more cookie cutter and almost manufactured like there's a factory churning out Disney stars somewhere, but there's always two sides and I think there are artists that are embracing their weirdness and pushing themselves and others to be more creative and I do think there is a lot of talent still in pop music but you'll always hear Miley and Beibers name as if they are what represent all pop music today. Personally, I dont subscribe to that notion.

That's kind of the point. They probably did have discussions on this even back in the '60s, and they probably saw the Beatles, the Stones and others back then as we see Beyonce, Rihanna, Miley, Bieber etc today. But the difference is even in the '80s, when music presumably stalled and stopped evolving, as crap as some of the '80s pop was, artists still tried to keep substance, quality in it. Artists still had a say at the creative table. Less so now. It didn't seem as industry-controlled as today, although what do I know? I was born after the '80s.

I do know for a fact that today music is overproduced, kind of machine-like. There doesn't seem to be too many popular female singers who stand out, all the good ones are overlooked. Same goes for rock bands. It's as if I'm hearing either Whitney or Mariah wannabes on the air, with bad attempts at melisma oversinging. And it's a shame that the likes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, P!nk, Katy Perry don't get to show their full potential. They really can sing, I've heard it in their less poppy collaborations. Hell even Nicki Minaj has a voice, just listen to her sing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".

I have to admit that Adele, even though I'd like to hear her evolve, is a breath of fresh air. And her success shows. It's evidence that the public is getting increasingly tired of the mediocrity (Get Lucky evidence of it as well). We need more singers like her, and new artists, new styles in general. Indie music and the hipster scene have outstayed their welcome, that's probably why many have given up on rock music. Things seem to be slowly changing in the UK and Europe, but the American industry's problem is they stick to a popular formula for too long.

 

[sonnymadler]

I see what youre saying but I think you glossed over a lot, were pretty vague and I dont think you can lump artists like Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, Beiber, and Adele in the same category, talent-wise. You asked if theres hope in pop music. There is and its not too hard to find. Yes, its different now in that it seems more cookie cutter and almost manufactured like there's a factory churning out Disney stars somewhere, but there's always two sides and I think there are artists that are embracing their weirdness and pushing themselves and others to be more creative and I do think there is a lot of talent still in pop music but you'll always hear Miley and Beibers name as if they are what represent all pop music today. Personally, I dont subscribe to that notion.

Yeah, you're right about my "lumping" today's headliners in one category. My bad. I just wanted to hear yous all's opinions on this issue really. No doubt there is talent out there, even among headliners like Bey (not sure yet about Miley or Bieber). Just a shame that the beancounters won't let them show it. And rubbish has stayed on the air for a bit too long.

 

[kopfhorer]

I haven't listened to pop radio stations since 1972. That was the year I grew my hair long and started listening to album rock.

Same here (my year was 1970, when I discovered progressive FM radio). Trouble was, by 1980 a lot of (former) album rock stations started to sound like the top-40 AM stations we'd abandoned years before.

 

[chicago]

The Beatles were just like Miley and Beiber when they started out. Teenybopper music has always been around because teens are such a big chunk of consumers. Its nothing new.

Yeah, you're right about my "lumping" today's headliners in one category. My bad. I just wanted to hear yous all's opinions on this issue really. No doubt there is talent out there, even among headliners like Bey (not sure yet about Miley or Bieber). Just a shame that the beancounters won't let them show it. And rubbish has stayed on the air for a bit too long.

 

[FeatherEndeavor]

Lately when I'm in elevators, walking through shopping malls, or in clothing stores I've noticed that they're starting to play more and more older songs (Lionel Richie, Pat Benetar, Duran Duran, etc.) and the current songs are being played less and less. Of course these are places where you often hear older songs played but in the past couple of years I've noticed that the balance is leaning even more towards 70's and 80's. Even on iTunes top 200 purchased songs a lot more older songs are starting to pop in there lately. Sometimes I wonder if that's a sign that people are slowly starting to get tired of the overproduced sound of today's pop music. So is there still hope in pop music? As far as what's pop right now maybe not, but of course some other sound will take over.

 

[Bohemianne]

Of course there is! But if in the near future they begin to call it Poop Music... then that's it.
As someone said: "The only thing permanent is change."

 

[Sodahead]

Of course there is! But if in the near future they begin to call it Poop Music... then that's it.
As someone said: "The only thing permanent is change."

Poop music....I think that would just be recordings of different farts 😛

 

[zen_in_fiction]

If you want quality music there are some fantastic current artist from the past 10-14 years that may not be in the Top 40 or even in the pop world but are well established

Tame Impala, Laura Marling, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Vintage Trouble, The Black Keys, etc. So while there may be a sea of generic pop that dominate the charts, I feel that there is hope for music in general because quality stuff is still being made by quality musicians. At least in the pop world people like Pharrell, Adele, Janelle Monae, etc. exist to carry the torch of musical talent


So all in all screw the pop charts - look for the real stuff 😉

 

[chicago]

If you want quality music there are some fantastic current artist from the past 10-14 years that may not be in the Top 40 or even in the pop world but are well established

Tame Impala, Laura Marling, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Vintage Trouble, The Black Keys, etc. So while there may be a sea of generic pop that dominate the charts, I feel that there is hope for music in general because quality stuff is still being made by quality musicians. At least in the pop world people like Pharrell, Adele, Janelle Monae, etc. exist to carry the torch of musical talent


So all in all screw the pop charts - look for the real stuff 😉

THIS! I love almost all of those artists you listed, many underrated or overlooked, and the others I haven't heard of, but be sure I'll check em out. Thanks.

 

[zen_in_fiction]

Anytime! 🙂

I have discovered many, many artists and bands from the past decade or so that are just incredible, even if they aren't getting the kind of fame and publicity people in the pop world like Pittbull get.

 

[kopfhorer]

Lately when I'm in elevators, walking through shopping malls, or in clothing stores I've noticed that they're starting to play more and more older songs (Lionel Richie, Pat Benetar, Duran Duran, etc.) and the current songs are being played less and less. Of course these are places where you often hear older songs played but in the past couple of years I've noticed that the balance is leaning even more towards 70's and 80's. Even on iTunes top 200 purchased songs a lot more older songs are starting to pop in there lately. Sometimes I wonder if that's a sign that people are slowly starting to get tired of the overproduced sound of today's pop music. So is there still hope in pop music? As far as what's pop right now maybe not, but of course some other sound will take over.

I'm thinking it's simple demographics. People who came up in the seventies and eighties are the ones with the money now, right?