i dont want to sound like my parents as im only 27 but over the last 12 years i think the music scene has went from great to bad.all we have now are plastic pop bands and carbon copys of some of the greatest acts from yesteryear.we have shows like pop idol that suck and pretty people instead of good musicians that may not be 100% beautiful but at least can play an instrument.what are the thoughts of prince fans like myself and where does the music scene go from here?.the greed of the industry is killing it.

True!... where is the real funk???

DIAMONDGEEZA said:

I agree,today's music sucks! R&B and hip-hop consists of samples,heavy bass and very little originality.And pop isn't that much better.
[This message was edited Fri Nov 22 4:03:43 PST 2002 by DavidEye]

Of course its downhill...its all about marketing and money...while the art has been shafted!!!!. Remember the days where u had to be good to get radio play or win awards? IMO in this contrived climated where all u have to do is show tits and ass or sing about bling bling etc has made it impossibe for unique artists to get signed or obtain proper exposure. Artists from Bob Dylan to Aretha Franklin if they were starting right now wouldn't even get signed! R'n'B/Hip Hop has almost sold out (except for gems like The Roots and India Irie) to the point that they act like minstrals and every so-called alternative band's lead singer sounds like Pearl Jam. So the only thing that is full-proof saleswise is greatest hits albums...but how many times does Sony re-issued Earth, Wind & Fire's greatest hits or RCA with Elvis Presley?...the songs are the same, the only thing different is the packaging!
[This message was edited Fri Nov 22 4:18:20 PST 2002 by fonkywonder]
[This message was edited Fri Nov 22 4:19:03 PST 2002 by fonkywonder]

DIAMONDGEEZA said:

Is music going down hill? YES and YES again.

USA TODAY and Billboard ran major articles on the sad state of the music industry this year. It's getting pretty serious NOW!!!

sure music is dead, thanks 2 none creative non instrument playing rappers. a coroner should toe tag those rappers cause there music is dead

What's amusing to me is record company execs are saying that the reason why CDs cost what they cost (nearly $20 dollars) is because they have to cover the costs of scouting,recording,and marketing of new TALENT on.their roster.

TALENT...could've fooled me.

i think the reason music fans resort to internet piracy is linked to the music quality at the moment.if something sounds good then i will go to a record shop and purchase it but if its average then members of the public will just steal it.if they get the music scene fixed then sales will improve and piracy will drop.say no to pretty faces and yes 2 music.

easily yes.Payola is Very legal nowadays.Music today is just like Profesional Sports:in that Parity or CLonning a Act is the Norm nowadays.there are some Talents out here but the Majors have a Lock Down over everything.they tell you who too work with&how it's gonna go down.they make there Artists nowadays.back in the day if you were a Hit&Miss Act you would have 3-5 Albums too Prove yourself nowadays you get only 3-5 Singles.take someone as Great as Stevie Wonder:He wasn't Hitting back in 1965&He almost got dropped.but He bounced back&Motown Believe in Him.same thing happen too the Jacksons Almost.if the "Destiny" Album hadn't Hit they would have been Bounced from CBS before it became Sony/Epic.Prince almost was down after He dropped "Dirty Mind" but the Cat knew how too Bring what they wanted.nowadays A Stevie,MJ&Prince might not have been allowed too Bring Great Music.where is the Marvin Gaye FIght from any Act nowadays?Marvin stood up too Berry Gordy too release "What's Going On" what Act today has those Balls??

I work as an analyst and is currently writing a report on the international music industry for a nordic music research project. in my job i have interviewed the CEO's of many of the major record companies. They all agree that the music industry has been too concerned with the short term thinking recently. This is mainly because of the ever changing climate in the music industry. the marketing campaigns have grown and become more expensive which in result leads to fewer artists being released. the marketing campaigns don't have the same impact they used to have either. Most of the releases are losses. roughly counted, only about 10 percent of all releases generates money for the company. the others are losses. this, and the fact that the internet has opened a new market for the music consumers has created a bigger competition between the major record companies (EMI, Warner, Universal, BMG and Sony). to generate the money the parenting company asks for the music departments have to release music that will sell. and apparantely boy- and girlbands sell a lot, but their lifetime is short. consequently, the "real" talents are not given a chance to develop. if their first record don't sell they're out. this is the sad but true story of the music industry todey.

Okay... so we all agree that nowadays music suck..


but what can we do about it???

Popular Music is globally going down since the 50's thanks to the music industry.
But i'm just talking about "Popular Music".

Of course it's been going down hill since at least the late 90s- but, there is a light in the darkness...

The growing ambivalence towards boy bands and pop princesses!! May they disappear forever...

jtgillia said:

Yes and no. Sure the kiddies are getting wiser to the boyband bullshit, but now we're faced with even wiser marketing strategies for someone like Justin Timberdork who appears to be breaking from his bubble gum schtick to "his own" type of music...which are rip-off's from MJ and Prince almost 20 yrs later.
The masses are starving, but at this point, the kids have no clue what a good song is. Where do you do go with someone who has no idea a beautiful song sounds like. My niece and nephew look at me like i'm nuts when i say Will Smith doesn't hold a candle to Prince musically-they think WS is a great musician(??). I just shake my head when i hear shi like that.

Says Mistermaxxx:

there are some Talents out here but the Majors have a Lock Down over everything.they tell you who too work with&how it's gonna go down.they make there Artists nowadays.

***

So true, what ever happened to groups practicing in their garage hoping to play gigs in clubs and all, nowadays all you have to do is get a boob job and be able to half ass sing .

I saw a special on some evening news show kind of like 48 hours and they interviewed this guy that works for the majors and all he does is hunt people down and turn them into manufactured pop, his #1 protege 'Britney Smears' opps I mean Spears, and he makes more money than the people that he preps for the spotlite, take him away and miss Spears will be taking your order at the nearest McDonalds down the street.

Oh and I didn't see mention about the pitiful radio stations that keep shoving the same five damn songs down peoples throat every 15 effin minutes.

I live in south Louisiana and make trips to Houston Texas regularly and always enjoy the stations that fade in and out along the way because where I live there is no flavor, it just sucks sometimes.

Thierry said:

Here's a solution, hear for yourself:
www.chewymusic.com/equati...vemp3.html

Thierry said:

:I: anticipate starting a musical revolution and storming the buildings of "EMI", "SONY", "WARNER" among others, first by flaming them with fly-posters about the state of music, then recording each and every telephone conversation :I: have where :I: will speak 2 some talentless schmuck no doubt then eventually...

Storm in2 the premises myself and demand respect 4 real musicians...

this could lead 2 a potential criminal record if :I: do this a few times, but :I;'m ready 2 make that stand 4 what :I: believe in... what about U?

'dre

Yes, its very rare to find something good these days.