More specifically it’s all “Produced” music anymore where the record producer dictates to the artist what’s they think will sell. While the musicians do create and write, sometimes they buy from a songwriter, what ultimately gets recorded with the producers input, many times strays far away from the musicians original idea.
It's even worse than that. It's the bean counters who dictate to the producers what they want. "Hat singers are hot right now. Turn him into a hat singer". "Trios are selling. Make him a trio".
We had a fabulous kid with real talent that they turned into a "trio" and produced the life out of his music. Full disclosure.... we and 2 other guys produced the demo on him. The label needed their producer on it ('cause then they'll push it don'tchaknow ) and the bean counters said trio. That's when we bailed. Two highly mediocre albums and the kid went home to Kentucky.
Yes. Produced formulaicly. Nothing organic or spontaneous.