Someone recently noted that they wondered if a certain male singer could hold his own live. They even wondered about his abilities on record. (I noted that he could.)

However, the statement brought to mind a bigger subject. There's one big thing that is killing the music industry. There's one big thing that causing me, you, and others, to download music, rather than seeing it worthy of actually putting money on it. There's one big thing that has made us all pessimists when it comes to music.

DOUBT

I'll explain, and try not to be too windy (no promises though. LOL)

We are so used to being scammed as consumers and listeners by big shot producers (and those who think they're big shots) with a big sound and no real talent behind it. We are suckered by ProTools, and Auto-Tune. While ProTools is a standard in the industry, and is used for good, there are those that know how to manipulate it to the point where music isn't music anymore. Producers try to pull the wool over our eyes by damn near pulling Milli Vanilli tactics in order to spoon feed the "next hot thing" to the masses of ignorant, hungry (and blind) listeners.

I find on the Org, and other forums, that more people are magnifying the short comings of an artist, rather than the talent of a truly great artist. Almost like the sun coming up, someone is bound to mention Britney lip syncing her tours to the bewilderment of those of us who know good music and a good show when we see one. I for one want to shake every 12 year old girl I can find and tell her "IT'S NOT REAL!" Now that's not a complaint on my part, about the short comings. There's just SO MUCH of it, it begs to NOT be ignored. Yes, the BAD stuff NEEDS attention, too. I realize that sometimes it seems there are more poser acts out there than true musicians and great artists.

By the way, a "great" artist isn't always one who sells a gazillion records and fills stadiums for four or five months straight. It's an artist who could pick up a guitar (or sit at a piano, or whatever), play it, sing with it, and write a song that is strong enough to permanently nest itself in our brains, our souls, and our hearts, to whatever degree. It's someone who could sing a-cappella to a comb banging on a bottle of bleach, and still come out sounding like an angel.

It seems we're all so conditioned to expect the worst from an artist, that when someone like Maxwell, or Jill Scott, or even Prince gets onstage and sings, plays, and performs like it's life or death...we doubt it from the get go. Now whether you LIKE one of the better artists is another show. Christian Aguilera can sing, but does everyone like her? Probably not. I do for the most part. Hell, I still like "What A Girl Wants" (the original version, not that heavier radio-pop-friendly version that was created later) on occasion.

We'd be up in arms if someone doubted Prince could play a guitar solo and not "play" it to a backing track. We'd be pissed if anyone doubted his singing abilities live and alleged that he had a bit of "help" from time to time. (Let's be real...if for no other reason than him forgetting lyrics at times is proof enough that he's not lip syncing it.)

The music industry, as sad as it is right now, is more about a producer making a statement rather than an artist's integrity. We liked Janet's new song, but immediately people asked if it was Jam/Lewis, or Rodney Jerkins, etc. We wonder if Justin would have any success at all w/ his last album had it not been for Timbaland. (He probably would.)

It's obvious when you have scabs like Heidi Montag, Paris Hilton, and the like making "music", something is horribly wrong in the industry. Technology has helped artists get their music made, and out there. Yet the same technology has given pipe dreams to the likes of Heidi, etc knowing that with some auto-tune, and a good producer, anyone can have a record out. I can't help but think that these scabs go home feeling empty on the inside knowing they're total fakes. It's that same technology that has created a huge amount of doubt in the world.

The best thing about Macy Gray when she hit the scene in 1999 was that whether you liked her or not, you KNEW that voice was her own. She held her own live too, and quite well. (I still have an SNL performance of "Sexual Revolution" in my iTunes to listen to.) You NEVER doubted that girl as being anything but the real thing.

In the end, I wonder when, and if, we'll ever get back to expecting the best from an artist rather than doubting their best is the real thing. When will we get back to knowing a record is a record, and not a producer job with a nobody? No one ever doubted a Tower of Power record. No one ever doubted an Earth, Wind & Fire record. No one ever doubted a James Brown record. We've lost our musical heroes, our musical saviours, our music staples. We're still trying to find those in the junk draw of the music industry.

In short, the biggest downfall is along your lines of "anyone can do it." There is mass production and too much out there. You have to sift through the rubble to find a gem or too.

Why did I ever start downloading from soulseek? Because there were certain house / dance tracks I wanted. I didn't want to buy a whole cd I didn't enjoy just for two songs. Finding good music became hard because there was so much junk thrown at you and you would just buy and buy and never listen again. That's when I discovered soulseek. At least for dance music. Current modern day artists often bring out a good track but consistency is lacking severely.

Because as you say...anyone can buy this techical equipment and put a track together. Mass production problem.

It is sad that technology has "progressed" from being a crutch to some to downright life support for other "artists". and I think that as time goes on, technology will even do more damage as far as leveling the playing field, that truly talented artists will have to work even extra harder to stand out from the wannabes with money...

Bohemian67 said:

I agree about the mass production thing, for sure. I have to say that technology has helped me put my songs into a more permanent form (I used garageband, a mixing board, and my keyboards, transforming my bedroom into my own little studio - let it be known I know I'm NOT a singer, just a writer).

Totally feeling you on the "junk thrown at you" too. I very much covered that as you know. I'm not familiar with soulseek. I find music by chance it seems. I think the whole "doubt" thing has really made me a music snob. My friends, who are very close to my age, tell me constantly to "turn on a fucking radio!" when I ask who or what some song/artist is. I usually know in about 10 seconds if I'm going to like a song or not. 90% of the time, I don't. Again, it all goes back to doubt I guess. It's odd that you and I are ones to find certain tracks (singles), yet the singles market has changed SO much in the past 20 years. People rely on a single, yet how much does a single really sell anymore? Sure it can be the top song on iTunes, but what is "top"? 50K? 25K? 100K? Let's not forget LotusFlow3r was #2 the week of its release, and it pulled what.....360,000 or so? Something like that. That's low compared to what it could have been 10 or 12 years ago before downloading was SO prevalent.

I like VainAndy's sig file that said (paraphrasing) "Record companies ruined music with computers, now computers are killing the record companies.....what goes around..."

kenlacam said:

I wonder about the further damage it could do. Let's face it, the vast majority (I'd dare to say 90% of the stuff out) is already vapid and soulless music. It's here and gone faster than a $3000 check from Nigeria.

I wonder also if there won't be a backlash against the technology. As I stated in the last paragraph of my original post,

I hope that happens. I think with artists like Maxwell and others who are making their own music with a band, and real musicians and real efforts...they are the ones who are keeping music alive. But again, it's the exception, not the rule anymore. I hope that somehow, technology takes us full circle again, and brings us back to music as we all knew it....as we all knew/know how good it can be.

ernestsewell said:

True. I'd say 95% of the music I listen to is mid-60s to late 90s. I tried getting into the new stuff, but I can't. Most of it sounds like himbos/bimbos wailing over beats I heard in high school and college anyway. Whatever happened to singing, song-writing and musicianship? And don't get me started on the demise of R&B.

uPtoWnNY said:

I'm with ya. I've often joked w/ friends that if it were not for 80's music, Will Smith and Sean Combs wouldn't have a career at all. The occasional fun sampling of a song here and there is fine, but to depend on it 80% of the time is ridiculous. Even Mary J Blige singing over "Nadia's Theme" was cheap to me. Mariah's sampled "Genius of Love" like what.....2 or 3 times? Ridiculous.

I've often joked that the way the new dance crazes are becoming more and more simple (for example: Lean Back, Do the Stanky Leg, et), pretty soon the new dance is going to be simply called "Blink"-all you have to do for this dance is stand there and blink. The same could possibly be said for music in the future. I look at Swizz Beats, who acknowledged that he has an expensive baby grand piano in his house and doesn't even know how to play it. How sad is that? It is coming to the point to where the talented ones are using Auto-tune. (a good example-Jamie Foxx. He is a talented singer, but his new song "Blame it on the Alcohol" you can't tell when it's him singing or that nuissance T-Pain singing). I think that Auto-tune is just the beginning of the slow painful death of the music industry.

please what's a kid these days going to know about real music? if it sounds good then it sounds good to them talent doesn't matter to them only the adults complain about that shit and no matter what they say it still sells more than all the other artists you mentioned I personally find maxwell Macy Gary etc boring but what does it matter anyway? CDs are becoming dinosaur and no body buys anything these days rather the talent is there or not

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

I agree with you. However, as an adult who is beyond the shit-kickers like Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, etc, it would be refreshing to see some REAL talent perform and record without a zillion effects.

kenlacam said:

about the auto tune thing weren't they using that back in the 80s as well? esp in the early electro hip hop music or Roger & Zapp music didn't they use that as well?

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

No that was the talk box. People were also using vocoders. Even Cher was using a vocoder on "Believe". Autotune didn't become commonplace until Akon and T-Pain kept doing it, lol

Timmy84 said:

Exactly. People confuse a talk box and vocoders (which Bootsy, Sly, and others used in the 70's, as well as Bon Jovi) with AutoTune.

Cher, Kid Rock, etc are using a talk box and/or a vocoder, which is an effect on the voice; an almost robotic or space-age type sound.

With an AutoTune, you have to have some level of singing ability with, corrects your pitch when you're flat or sharp.

There's a HUGE difference. One is just a stunt, the other is a big fat lie to consumers.

i'm a 22 year old that listens to old school music I must be a alien to people my age lol I listen to the new stuff but I'm not a fan of alot of music out right now .A couple years ago I was all suck into that 106 &park crap

babybugz said:

but oh my goodness dont even get me started on that bet mtv and radioplay garbage yes now that shit is pretty bad I mean you have some good stuff but the majority of it is I don't even listen to the radio nor tv anymore stuff is just not good quality any more it's just the same old thing

I've always wondered what the source of all this stuff that we have now came from such as NWA and Snoop Dogg in the early 90s opening the door for gangster rap music of today or 80s 90s pop the source of today?

but anyway it's almost 2010 I've heard enough and I want to hear something new even though I think Black Eyed Peas Lady GaGa and LMFAO is pretty good

Doubt was always there, but we didn't have the internet in the past to express it outside of our immediate circle. Plenty of folks doubted the Beatles in their day.

By the way, it appears to me that mainstream music now is much better than it was five years ago. I don't follow it closely, but it seems there are more tunes out there now.

I'm particularly digging The Kings of Leon and Bat For Lashes.

like VainAndy's sig file that said (paraphrasing) "Record companies ruined music with computers, now computers are killing the record companies.....what goes around..."

That quote does indeed hit the nail on the head.
This is with the youth and new music. In the beginning that's all they know so they enjoy. Who knows how much worse it will be in 30 years time and they actually consider retro, going back to "now" music.

Still the real classics, in jazz, bossa and pure vocals never die. Pop, house, mainstream etc does.

Bohemian67 said:

I never get tired of the classics. I enjoy 'Innervisions' now as much as I did in 1973.