dannyd5050 said:

AGEISM. It's sad that no matter how great of a singer or performer you are if you're not 20-something or younger you have no hope of getting played on the radio or supported by a major label. Exceptions, of course, being if you started young and are making some sort of comeback. But if you're 40-something and finaly decide that you have time to devote to your music you might as well forget about it. You're already way too old.

I missed this post.You said it better.

thesoulbrother said:

How much time do I have to bitch? I hate how black/urban radio has reduced itself to bullshit music! There is no diversity of artists whatsoever. In a perfect world, I could hear some Eric Roberson, Angela Johnson, or Omar on my local station. It's like program and music directors are afraid to branch out and I get so tired of hearing the same 5-10 artists on a daily basis! Not to mention, can black/urban radio dig a bit deeper? George Clinton had more songs than "Atomic Dog" and "Flash Light!"

When was black urban radio ever diverse? What like 1985?

BlackSweat86 said:

SoulAlive said:

The whole idea of having a rapper appear with a singer a track.This is something that R&B artists began doing in the late 80s,but by now,it's played out! EVERY FREAKIN' SONG DOES NOT NEED A RAP ON IT! There are some artists (Mariah Carey comes to mind) who seem to be obesessed with doing this.

Very true. It smacks of a simple lack of songcraft. Instead of composing an actual "BRIDGE" for a song, or some kind of interesting change, they hire a crapper to add a verse.

[Edited 8/30/14 12:58pm]

Can't remember the last time I heard a decent bridge to a song.They were so common in the 80s.Prince had some killer ones like "Computer Blue".

Cinny said:

MotownSubdivision said:

missfee said: Not to mention the severe overrating of artists who would've been fodder from the 60s-80s to the point that they are supposedly our current top stars. The bar has been so insultingly lowered for what makes a "star" these days.

You both said it perfectly. e.g. In my mind, Maroon 5/Adam Levine should have been "here today gone tomorrow" ten years ago.

How i wish that were true

dannyd5050 said:

AGEISM. It's sad that no matter how great of a singer or performer you are if you're not 20-something or younger you have no hope of getting played on the radio or supported by a major label. Exceptions, of course, being if you started young and are making some sort of comeback. But if you're 40-something and finaly decide that you have time to devote to your music you might as well forget about it. You're already way too old.

I think the industry is to be blamed only partly for ageism. After all it is human nature to look for the fresh and new, there are youngsters growing up all the time who don't know about "music history". People get bored of artists and move on, the media just rides this wave. There is no conspiracy against 40+ year olds, it's just how it is. Not many people stick with the same artist for decade. Some of the most enduring bands are those who were producing music for a short period of time like Beatles or Nirvana...

LiveToTell86 said:

dannyd5050 said:

AGEISM. It's sad that no matter how great of a singer or performer you are if you're not 20-something or younger you have no hope of getting played on the radio or supported by a major label. Exceptions, of course, being if you started young and are making some sort of comeback. But if you're 40-something and finaly decide that you have time to devote to your music you might as well forget about it. You're already way too old.

I think the industry is to be blamed only partly for ageism. After all it is human nature to look for the fresh and new, there are youngsters growing up all the time who don't know about "music history". People get bored of artists and move on, the media just rides this wave. There is no conspiracy against 40+ year olds, it's just how it is. Not many people stick with the same artist for decade. Some of the most enduring bands are those who were producing music for a short period of time like Beatles or Nirvana...

...and I think that some of the most enduring artists are those who are not too trendy or make trendy music. Also artists who knows how to re-invent themselves, and keep up with the times. Certain artists are just plain timeless, and certain ones fade.

...but I agree with dannyd5050 that if you're over an certain age, like your twenties, don't expect to win a new artist of the year award. Well, the chances of that is very slim because many record labels today aren't signing them.

Video

The birth and insistence of video pretty much sums up a major problem with the industry.

CynicKill said:

MotownSubdivision said:

CynicKill said:

Video

The birth and insistence of video pretty much sums up a major problem with the industry.

Music videos are borderline irrelevant nowadays. Their introduction and popularization of the medium was revolutionary and shouldn't be held accountable for what it has become.

>

Video puts the focus on youth, aesthetic beauty and disconnected narrative. Video may not be as relevant today, but the children it's spawned stubbornly live on.

CynicKill said:

MotownSubdivision said:

Out of the many scruples I have with today's music scene, my most hated element of it is the marketing and promoting of new artists as the second coming of the legends and icons from music past. -Justin Timberlake is the new Michael Jackson! -Ariana Grande is the new Mariah Carey! -Robin Thicke is the new Marvin Gaye! ...simply due to similarities in style or careers. It displays a complete and utter lack of originality/ creativity and a display of laziness as the industry relies on the star power of the older artists to put over the newer artists and failing miserably when people see that the "reincarnations" are nowhere near the level of the stars they're being compared to and thus, garner a dislike feom many people who don't drink the properly made Kool Aid that the industry hands out. Not only that but the constant and exaggerated comparisons simply make people want to listen to the older artists more, disenfranchising more people with today's music scene. What grinds your gears the most about the music industry today? EDIT:I'd like to change my original pet peeve. What pisses me off even more than what I originally touched on is the overall lowering of the bar for everybody today who make music possible. The bulk of today's top stars would have been one hit wonders at best and not even have a career at worst if this were the 60s-80s (as much as I love the 90s, they did really begin to open the door for anybody being able to make music). If you dared to compare Timberlake and Beyonce to Michael and Whitney respectively, you'd be laughed out of whatever establishment you were in when you uttered those words. If you actually tried to assert that Coldplay was the greatest rock band in the world in the 1960s with The Beatles around you could expect the same result. And even Bruno Mars, people would be calling him Prince-lite if this were the 80s. John Legend would be forced to play in bars if he were around during the Wonderful 70s. I could go on and on here... The bottom line is, as big as the media wants to make today's stars seem, no matter how much they so desperately want to make them seem like they're the next big thing, they're all really no bigger than each other. Sure, some may sell faster or more than others but overall, almost everybody now is so interchangeable regardless of their own individual styles and genres. Their work still comes off as mass produced, manufactured, and at times sanitized catchy noise that artificially takes up the top spots on the radio and every mainstream music outlet. Social media has a hand in the homogenization of today's talent; killing the megastar image. So now we have a music scene with no auras, no cult of personalities, no flair, no intrigue, no charm, no diversity, no variety, no fun, and at times it feels like no talent. I don't appreciate being given a hot dog and told it's a steak and while I do like hot dogs, I don't like this desperate act of trying to cover up the flaws of today's stars by comparing them to the stars of the past because it only makes them look that much worse. [Edited 8/29/14 19:16pm]

Mmmm!! I was gonna say:

Black Music - White Faces

I can't stand the "ratchet" culture of The Breakfast Club (Charlamagne The God), Hot 97, Love and Hip Hop, Housewives shows promote disgusting behaviors by "hot" artists and rap and r&b has-beens. No matter what you watch, there's commercials for this drivel. On one show they showed these strippers in a recording studio, bouncing up and down with glee like they are really doing something. Back in the day, for musicians making it to the recording studio was like an NFL player going to the Combines to show scouts that you could throw, catch, block, run or tackle or an NBA player getting drafted. It was when you learned you're talent and chops was worthy of being recorded.

Musicians performed at talent shows, showcases and other gigs. Honed their chops and stagecraft to the point that it was undeniable you were going to be successful or at least a producer figured it would be a worthy investment of time and resources to let you record. Now you got any and everybody with their own studios, and scared to death to perform because either they're not ready or it aint the right time.

bashraka said:

I can't stand the "ratchet" culture of The Breakfast Club (Charlamagne The God), Hot 97, Love and Hip Hop, Housewives shows promote disgusting behaviors by "hot" artists and rap and r&b has-beens. No matter what you watch, there's commercials for this drivel. On one show they showed these strippers in a recording studio, bouncing up and down with glee like they are really doing something. Back in the day, for musicians making it to the recording studio was like an NFL player going to the Combines to show scouts that you could throw, catch, block, run or tackle or an NBA player getting drafted. It was when you learned you're talent and chops was worthy of being recorded.

Musicians performed at talent shows, showcases and other gigs. Honed their chops and stagecraft to the point that it was undeniable you were going to be successful or at least a producer figured it would be a worthy investment of time and resources to let you record. Now you got any and everybody with their own studios, and scared to death to perform because either they're not ready or it aint the right time.

>

Yep.

All the spawn of video.

CynicKill said:

bashraka said:

I can't stand the "ratchet" culture of The Breakfast Club (Charlamagne The God), Hot 97, Love and Hip Hop, Housewives shows promote disgusting behaviors by "hot" artists and rap and r&b has-beens. No matter what you watch, there's commercials for this drivel. On one show they showed these strippers in a recording studio, bouncing up and down with glee like they are really doing something. Back in the day, for musicians making it to the recording studio was like an NFL player going to the Combines to show scouts that you could throw, catch, block, run or tackle or an NBA player getting drafted. It was when you learned you're talent and chops was worthy of being recorded.

Musicians performed at talent shows, showcases and other gigs. Honed their chops and stagecraft to the point that it was undeniable you were going to be successful or at least a producer figured it would be a worthy investment of time and resources to let you record. Now you got any and everybody with their own studios, and scared to death to perform because either they're not ready or it aint the right time.

>

Yep.

All the spawn of video.

Imagine if the NFL and NBA drafted prospects just because they could walk and talk at the same time. Those leagues are the closest to an meritocracy; your aptitude, drive and determination is responsible for your success. As many people have mentioned, guest appearances by rappers gas me. It seems like 5 out of 10 songs popular got either Chris Brown, Drake or Nicki Minaj on it.

I can't listen to artists I don't respect. Social media has enabled these marginal artists to have their every tweet, Instagram post the news of the day. When the barriers of entry was lowered via the digital revolution of music, unfortunately, it removed several walls that artists had to climb to make it. Soulja Boy a few years, uploaded his crappy casio made beats and lame raps on YouTube, became a sensation and was on the radio. I'm happy that today's music industry wasn't created in the '70s and '80s because there would have been a lot of watered down music and mediocre artists.