Modern music is getting sadder

[hatcheckgirl]

Triple J is a radio station in Australia by the government sponsored radio ABC, that caters to non-mainstream youth culture.  It has had a Hottest 100 song list collated since the early 1990's.  Crunching the numbers, there is a definite trend towards sadder songs.  (We don't have to guess why).

 

In the last decade, songs with this type of negative vibe have become more common in the Hottest 100. Since 2012, songs that feel depressing, sad or angry have outweighed positive tracks.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-29/listen-to-the-changing-sound-of-triple-js-hottest-100/10742150

[Fiona]

Absolutely!!!
There is no doubt the world is spiraling. I suppose it makes sense that music will too. I dont listen to the radio anymore. I choose all my songs on spotify and ONLY listen to that and original songs from jw.org

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[Thesauron]

There is happy music, but it usually doesn’t sell.

[tuntun]

i don't understand why do a lot of people love k-pop so much

since they just selling the appearance

[JennyM]

11 hours ago, hatcheckgirl said:

In the last decade, songs with this type of negative vibe have become more common in the Hottest 100. Since 2012, songs that feel depressing, sad or angry have outweighed positive tracks.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-29/listen-to-the-changing-sound-of-triple-js-hottest-100/10742150

It reflects the society as groaning.. 

 

‘There is no peace,’ my God has said, ‘for the wicked ones.’”—ISAIAH 57:21

 

 

 

 

 

[Thesauron]

I figured, we could offset it a bit with some happy music. Please help out by posting the music that makes you happy at the link below.

https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/39666-happy-music/

[EccentricM]

Cycle effect. And there are multiple layers to this .

 

1. People buy what they empathise with. So the best selling music reveals the mindset of the masses

 

2. People don't have the emotional wisdom of our ancestors, even as far back as just a couple of generations, and so people wallow in emotions, rather than seeking to change them

 

3.Because of 1 & 2, people listen to sad music, and then become more sad, pouring fuel on the fire, and then listen to more sad music, and so artists create what sells...

 

4.The music industry has become centralised, rather than individual artists having the reign on their own products, music styles and song writing, it's all done via computerised algorithms to try and find "what sound" sells the best, and then it puts it together, and then they write either meaingless, depressing or crude lyrics, because it gets the most attention. It takes out the "human part" of music making, which is why all music now sounds the same. This is also why all singers have begun to "sound" the same, for example, British singers are now taught to sing with an "Amercian accented sound", because it sells more in the US (as they have more control/influence over the mass entertainment media).

Edited April 21, 2019 by EccentricM

[Nirex]

A lot of people like songs they can relate to or that inspire them. I know when I'm depressed or in moods I listen to songs to relate or songs that I can picture in for vent art. Like after grandma died I found myself listening to One More Light by Linkin Park, Words by Skylar Grey, Life is Beautiful by Styxx, and several other death songs, just to feel since I was basically numb for a while.

Edited April 21, 2019 by Nirex

[Dages]

I like instrumental/ambient music now.

The common pop music lyrics are just awful now.

[Friends just call me Ross]

I purchased a few Chill albums.

Lyrics have been safe and the music is great.  Just listen first before you buy, because some Chill tunes are nothing but HEAVY bass.  Bleh!!!

Here is a sample of Chill music:

 

[Norbro]

17 hours ago, EccentricM said:

4.The music industry has become centralised, rather than individual artists having the reign on their own products, music styles and song writing, it's all done via computerised algorithms to try and find "what sound" sells the best, and then it puts it together, and then they write either meaingless, depressing or crude lyrics, because it gets the most attention. It takes out the "human part" of music making, which is why all music now sounds the same. This is also why all singers have begun to "sound" the same, for example, British singers are now taught to sing with an "Amercian accented sound", because it sells more in the US (as they have more control/influence over the mass entertainment media).

It's a bit of a paradox, isn't it. With computer technology enabling quality production and mix engineering at home, it has never been easier for budding artists to get their sound out there. In this sense the music business is a lot more "democratic" than it used to be. At the same time, quality control has dissolved as outlets like Spotify and iTunes will accept pretty much anything.

 

Radio still seems to be served mainly by record companies with a sharp sense of trend riding, which is not a new thing, as they have always tried steering their artists to make them more marketable. Few artists have had freedom over what they put out. The internet changed this, but it's not easy getting exposure without a professional support "machine", and that machine (label) has terms...so the freedom is generally limited to those who aren't making a sustainable income from their music.

 

Like you say it's a cycle effect; a provocative artist gets a hit song because morality has declined enough for it to be liked by many, in turn fuelling music makers and labels to top it.

 

A big part of everything sounding the same is also that everyone is using the same tools now. Abbey Road studios recorded The Beatles on a custom built mixing console that EMI made for them. Today you can get that console as a piece of software for $29. Everybody uses Melodyne or Auto-Tune or similar pitch correction software because the consumers' ears have gotten so used to perfectly pitched vocals that an unprocessed vocal would sound "wrong" to them. Previously, the recording and mixing gear depended on your location. Location is almost out of the equation now.

 

I actually make a point of using studio equipment which is not currently trending because it is cheap and has the significant added benefit of helping me attain a less generic sonic fingerprint. It's crazy how boxes that were expensive studio workhorses in the '90s are almost given away these days. The quality is still there. 

 

Sorry for sliding off topic! 

[JayMusicGirl]

On 3/6/2019 at 2:11 AM, tuntun said:

i don't understand why do a lot of people love k-pop so much

since they just selling the appearance

I agree. I think kpop is extremely superficial and manufactured, even more so than American pop music which is typically pretty fake itself. The Korean record/production companies pretty much own their artists and control these people's appearances (often forcing them to get plastic surgery, dye their hair etc), teach them how to sing/dance if they can't (or just adjust their pitch in the studio), control their love lives (korean artists typically can't have public SOs), run their schedules, control their creative output and image etc etc all to make them the next big "idol" for the moment to make lots of money for the company until they start the whole process over again once they get too old. Not to mention many of the males have to look very feminine (not even boyish good looks, they often wear makeup so it leans towards girlish) to be a big "idol" for the young female fans. I definitely believe it's apart of the whole movement to blur genders, and if you mention it to fans they'll say it's "apart of the culture" though most everyday Korean males don't look/dress like this... 

 

Overall I think it's popular because it's like musical fast food, looks good, quick, catchy and convenient but no substance. Sorry for my mini rant. Just something I wanted to get out ha

[tuntun]

12 minutes ago, JayMusicGirl said:

I agree. I think kpop is extremely superficial and manufactured, even more so than American pop music which is typically pretty fake itself. The Korean record/production companies pretty much own their artists and control these people's appearances (often forcing them to get plastic surgery, dye their hair etc), teach them how to sing/dance if they can't (or just adjust their pitch in the studio), control their love lives (korean artists typically can't have public SOs), run their schedules, control their creative output and image etc etc all to make them the next big "idol" for the moment to make lots of money for the company until they start the whole process over again once they get too old. Not to mention many of the males have to look very feminine (not even boyish good looks, they often wear makeup so it leans towards girlish) to be a big "idol" for the young female fans. I definitely believe it's apart of the whole movement to blur genders, and if you mention it to fans they'll say it's "apart of the culture" though most everyday Korean males don't look/dress like this... 

I often read about these 'prospective' idols at the beginning of the year they had to sign a contract that for the first few years they were not paid at all (even though) they were already very popular). And have spend a lot of time and effort for singing and dancing. There for many young men and young girs resigned in the middle of the road because they were unable to afford the high cost of living while at the same time not earning income at all. 

 

Some choose to continued their efforts but with very high sacrifice. Many of them borrowed money from their parents to pay for their living expenses while in the dormitory because they barely have no penny at all to achieve their goals.

[well]

2 hours ago, JayMusicGirl said:

 

 

Overall I think it's popular because it's like musical fast food, looks good, quick, catchy and convenient but no substance. Sorry for my mini rant. Just something I wanted to get out ha

I like how you compare it with fast food... Couldn't agree more...

 

Hey, seldom seeing you here now?

[JayMusicGirl]

8 hours ago, ivy said:

I like how you compare it with fast food... Couldn't agree more...

 

Hey, seldom seeing you here now?

Thank you! And thanks for noticing my absence, I've been so busy lately so I can only pop in here and there