Interesting reading. Typical 'feature', a bit too 'sensational'. But this is the journalism itself...

Is Old Music Killing New Music?

Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market. Even worse: The new-music market is actually shrinking.

By Ted Gioia​

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/old-music-killing-new-music/621339/​

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 22, 2022

whats an "old" song? do the notes fade?

 

As an official Old Fart I'd say yeah, if we're lucky!

But truth is quality music will endure, new and old. The cool new stuff is mostly under the radar and will not be damaged by 50 and 60 year olds who insist on hearing More Than a Feeling and Slow Ride on the radio or Spotify for literally the 10,000th time because it's all making zero money either way. But a lot of new music is stunningly mediocre- as is probably most of the old stuff too!

To sum up: get off my lawn.

 

Last edited: Feb 22, 2022

New music is killing itself all on its very own.

 

Is old music killing new music ? No, if there was more quality and more talent it would be about 50% old and 50% new.
I would say the medium of internet and YouTube has already changed the society.

The age of new music styles is long gone. In the beginning there was only classical music then came the rock bands, folk bands
rock and rollers, teds, punks, poppers and metallers. Last there was RnB and Electro Trance Techno and Hip-Hop. That's it!!!

Everything has already been invented and played and there is little new. The new ones are not new but mostly just a copy of what we already had. For older radio listeners young autotune and hip-hop are not reasonable, the listener then turns on the station until he finds something that does not disturb him at work and is pleasant to listen to.

What music do you want to hear from the radio when you are at work or lying on the beach ?
Music taste is as different as people themselves.

Commercial radio stations want and need to make money, the more listeners the higher the advertising revenue.
Today, everyone can individually compose their own music or radio program.

 

Last edited: Feb 22, 2022

It takes a long time to learn to play an instrument, those that do so well, will always be valued. Not so sure about cut&paste production and stock samples ... fingers crossed dj's will stop 'headlining' festivals too.

 

"Only songs released in the past 18 months get classified as “new” in the MRC database, so people could conceivably be listening to a lot of two-year-old songs, rather than 60-year-old ones. But I doubt these old playlists consist of songs from the year before last"

Bru

 

Yes, the question is if new music is able to become old. Will it survive in future, even the nearest one? Or will it disappear and be forgoten?

 

Depends on the quality and the spirit of the times. Only the best survives. Bad music is not heard and that's why it disappears. No one wants to have so off into the trash can. One consumes only good music. Whereby the individual taste is different.

 

Hope so.

 

LAPTOP MUSIC VS BANDS
Why Do Bands Use Laptops For Live Performance

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 22, 2022

We've been here before.

 

Because they haven't learned to play an instrument and can just about operate a computer.

 

They categorically stopped looking for talent a long time ago. Same with movies.
Super hero movies, shitty drill rap and tik tok idiots.

 

These days, music is not as important to younger people as it used to to my generation, at least. It's considered just a shallow entertainment, a kind of a circus, a freak show. What people find important is who is the performer, performer's personality and looks [not necessarily in that order], gossips and other shit not related to music, and music publishers know that. In a way, they've known that since the 50s or so, so the quality of music started going downwards, but all the crap surrounding it started going upwards in popularity.

The meaning of music has changed.The importance of it in people's lives.

Old music will not kill new music, and a lot of great music is being made, it's just that the focus is not on it and it's harder to find. The focus is on marketed, heavily paid for, shit. There is a good band that I like called "Pop Will Eat Itself". Well, that's what's been happening for decades and it's become the aforementioned "circus" with no musical value at all, but the value is measured in money earned, in whatever way.

Cheers!

 

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Exactly, moreover there're whole Antares bundle available on sister site for free including all the resources...

 

The group initially called itself From Eden, changed names several times, and eventually sent three identical demo recordings under different band names to three different record labels. For the name Pop will Eat Itself, the group received feedback that although no record deal would be offered, the band name would appeal. The band name was inspired by an article David Quantick wrote in the New Musical Express about the band Jamie Wednesday, in which it was noted that pop music always recycles its ideas and that ultimately "pop will eat itself".

Pop Will Eat Itself - Can U Dig It? (Extended 12" Mix)

 

That's a phenomena known since the Middle Ages. A good example is Farinelli, a castrati from the XVIII century, he was a public figure, a celebrity in Europe known for his virtuose singing and personality (there's even a film about him) although people considered his music (mainly made by his brother) to be utter crap.

This idea that music "starts to go downwards" from a set point in time is also a known statement throughout the whole story of music. When the Camerata Bardi promoted the Second Pratica, basically "creating" tonal music, a bunch of renaissance boomer people stated similar. When polyphony first entered the church as part of the liturgy, priests said the same thing (and one pope almost banned it from the catholic rites). Today we worship Palestrina and classic tonal pieces of music. Ironic isn't it?

Gossip, marketing, cult of personality, boomer culture... it's always been present. The difference is that now we have a much more saturated market than before (cuz "westernization" and technology). Saturated with things we like and things we dislike. With all that being said, it's easy to fall into contradictory arguments and nonsense statements (like the one I previously cited from the article). I think we have much more to gain reading about our history instead of just making quick assumptions based on our personal tastes and immediate social circles.

PS: SineWave, I just quoted you to kickstart my reply, I don't mean to imply anything about yourself.

 

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I don't need to like a piece of music to understand that it's good...new music, old music or everything in between. Personal taste does not enter into it, not at all.

This is new music. I like it and it's awesome.

This is old music which is awesome though I cringe to listen to it.

 

Well 10% still isn't that big, why not ask why the number is so small to begin with?
Just accept that the listening habits of most people are sorta autistic. Useless manufactured article lol

Thats such a twisted sense of reality. New music that hasn't been established yet takes it's time while the old ones have the privilege of standing the test of time. Imagine being a new band starting from scratch, having to compete against industry giants and... let's call them indie giants, people who did this networking thing before you were born and all that.

It's all marketing, or at least 99%.

Always remember:
- "Their applause can't buy me food" Mozart quote
- Jaco died because he became homeless and a bouncer punched him to death, our society provides no safety nets for legends but rather feed parasites like Bezos
- Allan Holdsworth "i.o.u." - seriously? One of the top guitarists worldwide was apparently not good at self advertising.

Today I learned that Fleetwood Mac's Rumors album and the entire Glam Rock genre are just shallow trash.
Man if you only knew how much 19th century composers disregarded Italian operas as cheesy crap and while fanatically rooting for good ol' JS Bach - seeing any similarities? :D

Most Classical composers had to compose for higher-ups to get their salaries, not for a vague notion of "societal contribution".
Beethoven could only develop his style with the help of countless patrons.
There was never a good ol' day, not even centuries ago lol

 

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