BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I know this makes me sound like the old guy who tells the kids to get off his lawn. I realize that music is subjective and art is an all-encompassed opinion and experience. I rolled my eyes at the older people in my life who rambled about the music from their younger days as being the best too. Basically I’m admitted that I’m old, therefor none of this matters.
Music sucks right now.
There I said it. I feel better now.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some artists out there putting out great work and I’m still actively seeking new music to engage my brain with. It’s just the overall scene in music is crap.
You can’t tell me it’s not. You just can’t. You can be a fan of a few artists all you want, but if you can seriously say that the state of music today is NOT horrible then you’re lieing to not just me, your buddy Mike, but you’re lieing to yourself.
We can all have different opinions about what’s wrong with the state of music, but one thing for certain is that we can all agree is sorta sucks ass right now. In this two-parter, I’m going to share my top twenty things wrong with the current state of music.
Warning: This DOES get ranty…
20. Snob Generation
Our generation is just snobby. We’re entitled and we think we’re right and everyone else is wrong. We turn our noses up to everything not exactly what we like. We don’t want to be open to anything not already accepted by the masses.
Unique little one-of-kind snowflakes that are factory made are still factory made.
19. $9 Beers and $40 Shirts
I’m all about supporting artists. They need money to live and to create. You know who else needs money? Everyone else. While the dude on the big stage is making millions the fans are paying even more to keep those millions stable in the bank. This leads to more expensive venues and higher overhead. Thus, if you want to drink a beer at arena show or festival it’s getting to the $9 mark more often than not. If you want to get a t-shirt memento from the experience you’re not going to drop the $19.99 you would at a local store, you’re dropping $35 and up on a t-shirt with more cancelled tour dates than actual ones.
The flip of this is being a fan of a band on a smaller stage. You go to support them, but they charge $15 for their shirts and the dive bar or club they’re in is only charging $4 for the beer.
When it comes down to it, the fan is penalized for their favorite artist’s success.
18. Death of Radio DJs
I’m not talking about the morning show DJ or the shock jock. The “edgy” radio DJ who drops taboo topics to get a rise and the “wacky” morning crew are their own beasts. These things are stale and tired, but people still seem to follow them and get into it. Once this generation fades out, the podcast world is really going to dominate this market. Until then, enjoy the morning drive to work where you get to hear a group of lame old classic rock white guys try to be cool by starting something called a “black list” so they can keep track of how many African American listeners they have. Yuck-Yuck-Yuck!
No, I’m talking about the real DJ. I’m talking about the people who LOVE music. The DJs who go to shows, interview artists, have random cool facts, get gossip, have obvious favorites, and have bands they have to play but by the sound of their voice you, the longtime listener, can tell if they’re shoveling shit or genuine goodness. After a while, a bond is formed.
It might just be my region and the Chicagoland, but the art of the radio DJ seems to be going away. Voices like Chris Payne, JVO, Electra, and the Manno brothers are responsible for audio palette. Who is going to bring the music to new ears? Pandora’s expert selection system? ipod commercials? Ugh.
17. No Physical Property
When you buy music you get to hear it. That’s the genuine idea of buying sound. Sadly, that’s all you’re buying now…. Just some sound contained within a digital space. It’s crazy. It’s like buying air. I want property. I want to hold the art I’m supporting. I need a physical representation to make me feel like I bought some THING. This is all my own neurosis, but there is still a huge aspect being missed.
Album art is an endangered medium.
LPS were big pieces of cool art and even CDs, in a smaller way, could contain a lot of awesome visuals. The Tool albums come to mind instantly because of how creative and groundbreaking the packaging has been. As a culture we’re moving more towards a paperless, physical property-less world. In the long run it’s better for us, but we shouldn’t shun this so easily. The album cover is an awesome piece of an artist’s release puzzle. Who can think of “Thriller” without thinking about the music, the video, and the iconic cover? All we’re doing is removing one of the more enjoyable and inspired aspects.
16. Recluses of Rock
The people we want to hear from stay quiet. The David Bowies, the Prince’s, the Zeppelins, etc. etc. etc. These people are great artists and we all love to get inside their heads to see what their creative genius is cooking up. Sadly, they the reclusive ones and keep more to themselves.
Meanwhile, the weakest of substance is what’s shoveled at us in heaps and piles.
15. Are Festivals Killing the Rock Clubs?
I like festivals. Why wouldn’t I? A whole bunch of bands go to one location for one big celebration for one big ticket price. It’s a smart marketing idea in theory, but it’s becoming an oversaturated market. There are TONS of festivals these days with the same headlining acts and the same general supporting cast. Bands don’t tour in the summer they “do the festival circuit”.
What happens here is that bands aren’t touring much on their own. Instead of being able to see a band I like for like $20 at a smaller club in November I have to wait until May to see them and 30 bands I hate for $200. The bigger ones have a restriction where acts can perform within a certain radius of the festival for a certain amount of time. So basically if you don’t go to Lollapalooza in Chicago to see Nine Inch Nails, you’re screwed because come the tour to follow you’re not seeing them in Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana, etc. It’s at least a good chunk of the Midwest and it’s at least for a few months.
It’s not just my own bitching. The smaller clubs and venues are being hurt by this. The bigger and medium name bands aren’t stopping in to play the 1000 fan standing room only clubs anymore. Going to concerts used to be an all year occasion. It’s slowly and surely becoming a seasonal event.
14. Video Outlets(or Lack There Of)
I miss TRL. As hateful as my teenage self would be to me right now for saying that, it’s true. I don’t even care what videos would be on TRL, it’s just the idea of it. There seems to not be any demand or desire for any network to put on a music video show. We don’t get to see videos anymore because channels like MTV and VH1 aren’t putting them in front of us unless we’re up at a strange hour on a weekday for like 2 hours a month.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if making music videos was an inspired medium that artists would creatively compete over and push forward? I think the product of this shifted more toward the live production. The days of Yo MTV Raps, TRL, and of course Headbanger’s Ball are gone. Even Beavis and Butthead was a music video show in general terms. This has been replaced by reality shows and reruns. So apparently people aren’t clamoring for it or the powers that be don’t think it’s worth it. It would be great if a chance was taken and it was brought back.
13. Young Pop Stars are the New Rockstars?
Rockstars are pussies now. It’s not a bad thing for them as humans. People are eating better, working out, keeping clean, and just being good people. But dammit, rockstars gotsta be rockstars. Where are the destroyed hotel rooms? Bar fights? And undefinable chaos? It’s on the pop star tours! Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus are running amuck and making the rock bands look like obedient little ass-kissers.
The days of crazy Rockstar stories are now replaced by tearful reality show appearances with Dr. Drew. The lifestyle of being a Rockstar was glamourized for so long that it’s generally taken as just being part of the gig. Some people paid the ultimate price and some got clean. That happens in any career field, but they’re just under a microscope. I don’t want ANYONE to be hurt or die, but some edge and some balls would be nice. At least punch a camera man. If Alec Baldwin can do it, so can Corey Taylor.
12. Jaded Ears
This sucks, but I think we’re all victim to this. I think it’s all about expectations. It’s really hard to have a genuinely opened mind. There is a certain characteristic that a lot of us seem to have taken on. We seek the negative. Unless it’s a band or artist we blindly love, we listen with the intention to find something bad about it.
I know there’s optimism out there, but the general census of people who are vocal about these things are negative. I know I’ve been guilty of listening to a new album, expect it to disappoint me, and then spend the time listening with that little bird in the back of my brain pecking at the parts that make me question everything.
11. History Envy Division
This is a tradition that won’t go away but should. Each generation is told by the generations before them that “THEIR” music was the best. Once they’re old enough to talk to the next generation they find themselves repeating the process.
I often hear that we love the music we hear when we’re a certain teenage/young 20’s age. It’s the music genre that we’ll relate to the most and always go back to fondly. Some of us are blessed with awesome eras and some with embarrassing ones, but regardless we embrace it and own it. There’s always the rapping granny and metal dad examples, but most grandmas aren’t giving the Foo Fighter’s a chance. Middle aged businessmen aren’t exactly going out of their way to listen to stuff outside of their comfort zone.
I think that’s what it comes down to, people’s comfort zones. We divide ourselves with comfort zones. We get used to something and instead of taking chances and listening to new music we just accept whatever is given to us, whatever we’re used to, and whatever we’re comfortable with.
History is that annoying kid in the backseat repeating itself over and over again. Sometimes you just have to tell the kids to shut up and turn up the dial. Why not explore the unknown?
What do YOU think is wrong with the current state of music?
Next week I get down to the nitty gritty and bitch some more about why the music industry and it’s fans suck! Stay tuned for more!
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