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What do you think about mainstream music today?

What do you think about mainstream music today?

  • I dislike it

    Votes: 15 29.4%

  • I like it

    Votes: 4 7.8%

  • It's decent

    Votes: 7 13.7%

  • Don't call it music!

    Votes: 20 39.2%

  • I only listen to talk radio

    Votes: 5 9.8%
  • Total voters
    51
I make it easy, I don't listen to music of any kind, my car radio is permanently set to talk-radio with the very rare exception of when someone like Rush is on, then I put on podcasts or something similar.

Can't tell you the last time I listened to actual music, it's been years and I don't miss it at all.
 
On my way to work today I was listening to a 40 year old track of Duane Allman's slide guitar (Dreams) and then Garcia's work on "Scarlet Begonias". Who today compares to those guys? Who drums like Bonham (other than his son). Who plays a bass like Entwistle or Felix Pappalardi?
 
I'm hooked on gospel music as of late. So I'm pretty covered Sundays and when I drive around places without many Starbucks.
 
I listen to just about any and everything,... If something doesn't agree with me one day,.. sometimes it does the next. It just depends.

That said,... there are some things I'm slower to warm up to than others.

As a guitar player,.. I don't even hear the lyrics in most songs,...

It's all for background noise, anyway.

(unless I'm playing)
 
I'm mainly a country girl, preferably '80s and '90s country, but I do like some of the newer artists that actually do sound country. Don't really like most rock/R&B/hiphop music. My husband listens to what I call his "angry music" sometimes, which really doesn't bother me, but I wouldn't put it on myself. I can stand almost anything, but have been known to complain about certain music being played by my country stations or in country bars.

Most music outside of country, I listen to specific songs, not artists or stations that play them.
 
Not a fan of today's mainstream, but mainstream from other decades is fantastic.
 
I was a big music fan when I was a teen. I knew every pop song and knew about the group.

The last time I really liked a new group was Arcade Fire. I still like them.

Might have been MTV that destroyed good music.
 
jamesrage said:
,radio stations tend to play the same **** over and over and over again.
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Agreed. I was going to Shreveport the other day and my sister wanted to listen to the radio. We only heard about 20 sounds the whole time we were there. Most of them were Justin Bieber and MileyCyrus songs. :shock:

I think they should change it to DARSTV(Dumb ass reality shows television) or maybe change the "M" in MTV to mean moron instead of music. The fact that they are even allowed to call themselves MTV as in music television is laughable. MTV was one of the reasons I got cable so that I could listen to headbangers ball and then they stopped showing that and eventually it seems like they do not show music anymore.
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Yep. Check this article out. It's sad.

R.I.P. Music Television: New MTV Logo Might As Well Say ‘Jersey Shore’ - BlackBook
 
Phantom said:
What do you think about the state of mainstream music today?

In my opinion, I think most of the stuff on the radio charts sound "flat" and dull.

1) Hip-hop. I think real hip-hop died in the 90s. Back then the genre was mostly about stuff you could relate to like growing up in a bad part of the city, being pissed at the government, getting away from trouble, or something with meaning. The beats where mixed creatively and they were smooth. Most of it was inspirational. Remember how good hip hop was when 2pac was alive? ...Now all I hear are songs about how much money you have in your pocket with auto-tune vocals. If 2pac and Biggie were still alive, Lil Wayne would be working at burger king right now.

2) R&B. The artist today have rhythm I guess, but where is the blues? The R&B I hear on the radio sounds like teen pop... I'd say this genre died in the late 70s or early 80s.

3) Rock. I think rock music died in the mid 90s. Most rock artists today don't seem to have influence from legends like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, ect. Rock has been tuned down and stripped from it's roots in my opinion to get on the pop stations. We are getting an "emo" image in the rock scene. There are still a few bands that have some rhythm like Disturbed and Slipknot but of course the mainstream only plays their slow PG songs and they are played on the radio rarely.

As for MTV, I don't think it's even fair to call it "Music TV" anymore. They play a music videos sometimes yes.. but for the most part it's full of 'reality' shows.
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I haven't paid attention to music since 1999.
 
Phantom said:
What do you think about the state of mainstream music today?

In my opinion, I think most of the stuff on the radio charts sound "flat" and dull.

1) Hip-hop. I think real hip-hop died in the 90s. Back then the genre was mostly about stuff you could relate to like growing up in a bad part of the city, being pissed at the government, getting away from trouble, or something with meaning. The beats where mixed creatively and they were smooth. Most of it was inspirational. Remember how good hip hop was when 2pac was alive? ...Now all I hear are songs about how much money you have in your pocket with auto-tune vocals. If 2pac and Biggie were still alive, Lil Wayne would be working at burger king right now.

2) R&B. The artist today have rhythm I guess, but where is the blues? The R&B I hear on the radio sounds like teen pop... I'd say this genre died in the late 70s or early 80s.

3) Rock. I think rock music died in the mid 90s. Most rock artists today don't seem to have influence from legends like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, ect. Rock has been tuned down and stripped from it's roots in my opinion to get on the pop stations. We are getting an "emo" image in the rock scene. There are still a few bands that have some rhythm like Disturbed and Slipknot but of course the mainstream only plays their slow PG songs and they are played on the radio rarely.

As for MTV, I don't think it's even fair to call it "Music TV" anymore. They play a music videos sometimes yes.. but for the most part it's full of 'reality' shows.
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About the only new bands I like are Paramore, Rise Against, Flyleaf, Metric, and Muse. Bring me the head of Justin Bieber!!! Most bands I like came out a while ago; such as, NOFX, Bad Religion, Greenday, and Pennywise.
 
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I'd have to go back to the eighties to find mainstream music that was both popular and good, with the likes of Talking Heads, R.E.M., etc. Of course, the decade also produced Flock of Seagulls and Human League, so the cream didn't necessarily all rise to the top.

There is plenty of great stuff out there today, but it is all on smaller labels so doesn't receive same sort promotion like the prepackaged crap. What, with the industry by marketing marketing like it is, I doubt whether that will ever change.
 
Every generation "thinks" they invented "great music" and every generation "thinks" that "great music" died when their brand isn't the frontrunner any longer. And of course, we're all mistaken.

Music these days is so fragmented, I don't really know "mainstream" actually is.
 
Phantom said:
What do you think about the state of mainstream music today?

In my opinion, I think most of the stuff on the radio charts sound "flat" and dull.

1) Hip-hop. I think real hip-hop died in the 90s. Back then the genre was mostly about stuff you could relate to like growing up in a bad part of the city, being pissed at the government, getting away from trouble, or something with meaning. The beats where mixed creatively and they were smooth. Most of it was inspirational. Remember how good hip hop was when 2pac was alive? ...Now all I hear are songs about how much money you have in your pocket with auto-tune vocals. If 2pac and Biggie were still alive, Lil Wayne would be working at burger king right now.

2) R&B. The artist today have rhythm I guess, but where is the blues? The R&B I hear on the radio sounds like teen pop... I'd say this genre died in the late 70s or early 80s.

3) Rock. I think rock music died in the mid 90s. Most rock artists today don't seem to have influence from legends like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, ect. Rock has been tuned down and stripped from it's roots in my opinion to get on the pop stations. We are getting an "emo" image in the rock scene. There are still a few bands that have some rhythm like Disturbed and Slipknot but of course the mainstream only plays their slow PG songs and they are played on the radio rarely.

As for MTV, I don't think it's even fair to call it "Music TV" anymore. They play a music videos sometimes yes.. but for the most part it's full of 'reality' shows.
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What is mainstream? I don't think there's any one particular dominating music-genre that the majority listen too. But I've heard that country's taking an upper hand.

I think it's more specialized, now - DJ's on the radio aren't being paid to play. . . so what's 'mainstream' to one person is nonexistent to someone else.

for me - my mainstream is the kind I've been listening to since I was 12 - techno/metal/alternative: Rollins Band, Nine Inch Nails, Type O Negative, Stabbing Westward, etc.
 
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Gardener said:
I'd have to go back to the eighties to find mainstream music that was both popular and good, with the likes of Talking Heads, R.E.M., etc. Of course, the decade also produced Flock of Seagulls and Human League, so the cream didn't necessarily all rise to the top.

There is plenty of great stuff out there today, but it is all on smaller labels so doesn't receive same sort promotion like the prepackaged crap. What, with the industry by marketing marketing like it is, I doubt whether that will ever change.
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I like most of the 60's & 70's mainstream, aka classic rock, as well as alternative from the late 80's through the 90's. Oh, and I like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin. I think they were mainstream at some point.
 
TurtleDude said:
On my way to work today I was listening to a 40 year old track of Duane Allman's slide guitar (Dreams) and then Garcia's work on "Scarlet Begonias". Who today compares to those guys? Who drums like Bonham (other than his son). Who plays a bass like Entwistle or Felix Pappalardi?
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You should try to listen to joe bonamassa or kenny wayne shepherd for guitar. Black stone cherry has a pretty ridiculous drummer and I can hear some zeppelin influence in their music.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRHC-plTxz8&NR=1"]YouTube- Guitar Center Sessions: Joe Bonamassa, Slide[/nomedia]

This guy is in his 30's now, but he was like 19 when he played this:
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF4f9NdCFUU"]YouTube- Kenny Wayne Shepherd - "Deja Voodoo" Live '96[/nomedia]
 
reefedjib said:
What is some good folk to listen to?
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Try some B Dylan or J Baez from 50 years ago.
Karen Carpenter - what a beautiful voice....
What "passes" for "music" today is simply noise.
But, can it be as bad as imagined?
I have not listened to any for 30-40 years.
The real stuff is from the old masters, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, may others.
 
Nymphetamine said:
I like most of the 60's & 70's mainstream, aka classic rock, as well as alternative from the late 80's through the 90's. Oh, and I like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin. I think they were mainstream at some point.
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Don't forget Elvis Presley and "Love me Tender".:mrgreen:
What happened with todays music? Are the men afraid to sing like men?
The poll responses are surprising, not what I would expect.
 
I don't really know anything about mainstream music today.
I don't watch tv or listen to the radio.
Around the age of 25, all music just began to annoy me.
On the rare occasions I listen to music these days, it's 80s or early 90s punk music, or occasionally some sort of old goth music like Joy Division or Bauhaus.
 
Phantom said:
What do you think about the state of mainstream music today?--
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If we're talking Simon Cowell type manufactured mainstream bands, I really despair for the future. Yes Cowell's shows have got people going back into record shops but all the singers seem to have to perform "vocal gymnastics" that most of my favourite singers and bands would never have managed.

Mind you, for all the performing arts students desperate to make it big - there will be kids practising in garages and bedrooms with stuff that will hopefully keep the real spirit of rock going.
 
Nymphetamine said:
Gordon Lightfoot
Jim Croce
Jerry Jeff Walker
Harry Chapin
Bob Dylan
Cass Elliot
James Taylor
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Fairport Convention
Steeleye Span
Richard Thompson
Tim Hardin
 
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