Posted on 01/23/2022 3:42:55 PM PST by Yardstick
Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market, according to the latest numbers from MRC Data, a music-analytics firm. Those who make a living from new music—especially that endangered species known as the working musician—should look at these figures with fear and trembling. But the news gets worse: The new-music market is actually shrinking. All the growth in the market is coming from old songs.
The 200 most popular new tracks now regularly account for less than 5 percent of total streams. That rate was twice as high just three years ago. The mix of songs actually purchased by consumers is even more tilted toward older music. The current list of most-downloaded tracks on iTunes is filled with the names of bands from the previous century, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Police.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Good new music has to carve its own territory. So nobody is doing the things in your last paragraph worth listening to, because that would be just a rehash, and that’s not good. You basically made an unachievable desire. You want them to have that old sound but not imitate... That music has been allowed to develop and flourish. And change. Because that’s what happens.
I consider anything after 1900 to be “New Music”. So yeah.
Being a Generation Xer, I find it hilarious young people prefer the music I grew up with.
As the population trends older, sales of music will also trend older. Also creativity declines and openness to new ideas declines with age so as societies age new innovation decline. We are not having enough kids.
Music listeners are getting older as are music producers. New music is crap because the gate keepers are dirty old men who have a life experience of getting more attention by being more and more vulgar.
There is also a divergence between the culture of the music production industry and parents. The type of people who have kids skew toward moral and traditional worldviews. Liberals don’t have their own children, they influence other people’s children who are not paying attention. This is why they are so threatened by homeschooling and cord cutting and are desperate to control the internet.
My older kids are teenagers now and are exploring their own tastes in music, but they don’t listen to anything you will find on the radio. I listen to more current pop music than they do. They were insulated from the coarseness and vulgarity of pop culture growing up so it just doesn’t interest them.
“ I have recently been listening to music from the 20s and 30s. Some of that is pretty good.”
What kind? Delta blues?
Not imitations or covers, but what that music would be if it had been allowed to develop and flourish? That's what I would call good music.
The music we hear today is not a creative progression from the best of what went before, but rather formulaic autotune angst pop which seems to have its origins in the early 2000’s and seems stuck there.
Depends on what you’re listening to. Big label is a prisoner of the formula. Get away from the big labels and lots of stuff is progressed from what came before. Rival Sons, Lucifer, Pretty Reckless, Porcupine Tree. Plenty of acts acknowledge the past and have built something new with it, though none I know really trace from your list but that’s not my wheelhouse. But none of them are on major labels, none are getting radio play.
Most post-Rachmaninoff music sucks.
Rap and the promotion of rap by woke media, woke Hollywood, woke companies killed the music industry around the early 90’s. Thee are still good musicians and groups, but there is a reason “old” music still is king. There are hundreds of top performers from the 70’s people have forgotten, that’s how large a group to pick from there was.
That time spawned thousands of “groups”, which is why so many great ones emerged. Now it’s computer stuff and talking lyrics, talented musicians are a small handful.
That would have been cool! They were playing "Peggy Sue."
I like to go on Youtube and check out "reaction videos" the younger folk are making...especially to the first time they listen to Boston albums.
Thanks for the recommendations, which I did give a listen too. Rival Sons wasn’t bad. Reminded somewhat of Aerosmith. Lucifer and The Pretty Reckless (from what I sampled) are some pretty satanic stuff. Not my cup of tea.
That wasn’t the point of Beatos show.....he was retelling the article with the stats it presented which surprised him
I get from Beato that he likes precious little new music
I recall one.stat ....the aggregate of music plays and sales...streams, downloads, purchases, shows, BMI, ascap and so on
70% is music at least 30 years old
Further while the top ten artists today who are all pop drivel
Manage large monthly users on Spotify ....they are dwarfed by scores of bands from the 60s onwards who are right on their heels and much larger in total volume
He and the article have a point
No question
People still listen to fifty year old music.....a lot
Even kids
Very little is any music made since grunge will have that staying. Power
We didn’t listen to Jolson or ragtime or 20s music in my youth...we knew it but that was music my grandma would entertain us doing the Charleston
Now Beato has his flaws......even though he’s in Atlanta he’s a bonafide north easterner who straddles boomer and Xer and his tastes reflect that
He’s all Boston, Journey, Van Halen, and of course Aerosmith and Queen ....he’s Beatles not Stones
He pays zero attention to southern influences and players and thinks Rock is blues plus never mentioning otjer influences which are white southern
I tuning he’s likesly woke but I’d like to be wrong
Im a subscriber....my leftist cousin who is a lifelong player and music major in San Fran thinks he’s full of it..lol
Beato blames the death of blues influence as the death of rock
He thinks new metal is mostly crap
As is most pop to him and I agree
He blames record companies for what he calls the urbanization and urban homogenizing of popular music which is way over produced
That’s a safe what to say it’s once again black influence made safe for white kids ...lol
I think the death of rock is many things but he touches on some causes
He’s worth watching
But if you’re southern or Stones first ...he’ll aggravated you
On other point Beato is spot on
If older artists block content on YouTube and streamers they are signing their own death warrant of being forgotten
Jimi Hendrix has a fraction the sales and play of his peers because his estate holds back video content
Queen...a decent band but in my opinion not a tier one band .....is running the tables due to so much exposure from movies and commercials
That matters
The Peter Jackson Beatles work has kicked them back up a lot
It’s really fascinating isn’t it
We boomers hit the lottery on music no doubt of that...
I am very grateful
Last gripe....on arrowsmith and I liked their first 2-3 albums....Train...of course didn’t know it was Dick and Steve.....and Beato has never mentioned them far as I can tell....which is blasphemy
Arrowsmith is to me a Britt band style wise especially early on....Savoy Brown meets Bad Co meets F&F foghat and foreigner
I confess I have a difficult time looking past Steven Tyler’s past....his actions towards women if true are prison worthy ....truly despicable
I knew your thread would do decent ....boomers love this stuff
I recommend Beato on YouTube ....no question....overall despite his anti southern players bias....he’s entertaining
New music suffers from invisibility and already been done
Beato talks about this
He and Sting and Dominic his guitar player recently while chatting with Beato stated everyone is praying and hoping for the next big thing to bust thru the malaise and doldrums of staid creativity
The next
Ike Turner
Buddy holly
Little Richard
Beach boys
Beatles
Stones
Clapton,
Duane Allman
Floyd
Zep
Sex Pistols
Van Halen
Police
Guns and roses
Nirvana Pearl jam sound garden
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Waiting
Best post so far as I scan
Yep and Beato says this
Expanding it to 1970-74 is reasonable — even all the way back to 1965. What I’m finding is that I hear fewer songs from that era — probably due to demographic changes.
Good post. I think you’re right about that.
Like Hank Hill said, "You aren't making Christianity better, you're just making rock and roll worse."
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