Music Industry

[Mike Christ]

Music...mixed with industry.

Isn't that the exact opposite of where you would want to take music?  But I suppose, in our economy, if you can make money from it, there's no incentive not to.    I mean, it's great that musicians are making money from music.  The problem is, they can only make one kind of music, using the same batch of chords, in the same general time frame (2 minutes to 5 minutes, max 7 minutes), can't be too complex, probably needs some lyrics so people can sing along.  Otherwise, you won't be making much, and you damn well won't get any exposure, even when you're the next Mozart or Lennon.

Which is all fine and dandy, except when you don't like that one kind of music.  So what gives?  Why are so many people buying into the same rehashed song, and why is there such a divide between said song and every other artist who actually explores the spectrum of music?  Is there really something incredible about will.i.am, or GaGa, or Swift?  Beats me.  Whatever it is, I can't find it, but everyone else seems to click with it, whatever it is.

Any idea if Bitcoin will reshape the industry?  Or are we gonna see a rehash of that one pop song over and over until everyone has ear cancer and dies?

Also, here's a weird song for your listening displeasure, if you ever need to cleanse yourself of popular music

Black Eye/Burnt Thumb - Metronomy

[Rob E]

Music...mixed with industry.

Isn't that the exact opposite of where you would want to take music?  But I suppose, in our economy, if you can make money from it, there's no incentive not to.    I mean, it's great that musicians are making money from music.  The problem is, they can only make one kind of music, using the same batch of chords, in the same general time frame (2 minutes to 5 minutes, max 7 minutes), can't be too complex, probably needs some lyrics so people can sing along.  Otherwise, you won't be making much, and you damn well won't get any exposure, even when you're the next Mozart or Lennon.

Which is all fine and dandy, except when you don't like that one kind of music.  So what gives?  Why are so many people buying into the same rehashed song, and why is there such a divide between said song and every other artist who actually explores the spectrum of music?  Is there really something incredible about will.i.am, or GaGa, or Swift?  Beats me.  Whatever it is, I can't find it, but everyone else seems to click with it, whatever it is.

Any idea if Bitcoin will reshape the industry?  Or are we gonna see a rehash of that one pop song over and over until everyone has ear cancer and dies?

Also, here's a weird song for your listening displeasure, if you ever need to cleanse yourself of popular music

Black Eye/Burnt Thumb - Metronomy

Lol i like this one already. 

[Rob E]

Music has in many ways become like our food now a days, they keep advertising how healthy and great it is but we all know there's something wrong with it.
Btw that track . . was horrific. .
Check this these guys were way avant guard for their day in this track bet you wont know them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QRT1CbMN0


Oh then there's also this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzC_rGX-XyM

soo kicks arse. .

[Doctor Mushies]

I love these guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJZtIFk1Twg
They really are doing something different, and it's great.

[Mike Christ]

Music has in many ways become like our food now a days, they keep advertising how healthy and great it is but we all know there's something wrong with it.
Btw that track . . was horrific. .
Check this these guys were way avant guard for their day in this track bet you wont know them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QRT1CbMN0


Oh then there's also this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzC_rGX-XyM

soo kicks arse. .

I think you're onto something there.  I think it follows the whole reason why there are so many sequels of Shrek, or sequels of anything that turn out to be terrible--as long as people will buy it, they will make it.  Quality ceases to matter there; the iPhone I got a couple years ago is already breaking down.  Guess Apple's trying to give me a hint to get another one   So is pop music a product of capitalism?  Was it inevitable?

I love these guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJZtIFk1Twg
They really are doing something different, and it's great.

That's pretty unique    Or did the rhythm guitarist wake up late and forget his guitar?  Just kidding

Anamanaguchi - Helix Nebula  Here's an odd band who's mixing chiptune and electric guitar.  AFAIK, they're the first and only to do this, though they've been around for a little while now.

[SgtSpike]

Music...mixed with industry.

Isn't that the exact opposite of where you would want to take music?  But I suppose, in our economy, if you can make money from it, there's no incentive not to.    I mean, it's great that musicians are making money from music.  The problem is, they can only make one kind of music, using the same batch of chords, in the same general time frame (2 minutes to 5 minutes, max 7 minutes), can't be too complex, probably needs some lyrics so people can sing along.  Otherwise, you won't be making much, and you damn well won't get any exposure, even when you're the next Mozart or Lennon.

Which is all fine and dandy, except when you don't like that one kind of music.  So what gives?  Why are so many people buying into the same rehashed song, and why is there such a divide between said song and every other artist who actually explores the spectrum of music?  Is there really something incredible about will.i.am, or GaGa, or Swift?  Beats me.  Whatever it is, I can't find it, but everyone else seems to click with it, whatever it is.

Any idea if Bitcoin will reshape the industry?  Or are we gonna see a rehash of that one pop song over and over until everyone has ear cancer and dies?

Also, here's a weird song for your listening displeasure, if you ever need to cleanse yourself of popular music

Black Eye/Burnt Thumb - Metronomy

*shrug*

Few things here:
- Why mess with a formula that works and most people like?  Especially when the alternative music geared towards minority crowds can easily be distributed through other channels?
- Music is constantly changing.  If you look at the top songs in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, vs now, they're all quite different.
- You're complaining about the top songs because they are the top songs.  Isn't that inevitable in a free market?  People choose to listen to what they like, so if a song is at the top, it's because a lot of people like it.  It may be bad music to your ears, but good music to a lot of people's ears.
- If music isn't meant to be mixed with industry, then why do you care about what the music+industry mix decides is the best music to play?  Shouldn't you only care about music that you yourself like?  In other words, what are you really asking to happen?  That the top charts are filled with music that doesn't make any money somehow?
- That song you linked to was awful, but I'm no Taylor Swift fan either!  I'll give just about everything a chance at a listen though, so I appreciate you posting it anyhow.
- If you need some light piano listening, this is me: www.justinbporter.com

[Rob E]

Music has in many ways become like our food now a days, they keep advertising how healthy and great it is but we all know there's something wrong with it.
Btw that track . . was horrific. .
Check this these guys were way avant guard for their day in this track bet you wont know them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QRT1CbMN0


Oh then there's also this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzC_rGX-XyM

soo kicks arse. .

I think you're onto something there.  I think it follows the whole reason why there are so many sequels of Shrek, or sequels of anything that turn out to be terrible--as long as people will buy it, they will make it.  Quality ceases to matter there; the iPhone I got a couple years ago is already breaking down.  Guess Apple's trying to give me a hint to get another one   So is pop music a product of capitalism?  Was it inevitable?

I love these guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJZtIFk1Twg
They really are doing something different, and it's great.

That's pretty unique    Or did the rhythm guitarist wake up late and forget his guitar?  Just kidding

Anamanaguchi - Helix Nebula  Here's an odd band who's mixing chiptune and electric guitar.  AFAIK, they're the first and only to do this, though they've been around for a little while now.

Well i think you got an interesting idea about it being a capitalistic market i never thought of that. That  would definitely explain something. It would have to be. It's actually pretty teary eye invoking. Because there are musicians out there keeping their musical integrity and not getting signed because some fkng exec decides it's not good for business. And these are good musicians. They bring something.

[Mike Christ]

*shrug*

Few things here:
- Why mess with a formula that works and most people like?  Especially when the alternative music geared towards minority crowds can easily be distributed through other channels?
- Music is constantly changing.  If you look at the top songs in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, vs now, they're all quite different.
- You're complaining about the top songs because they are the top songs.  Isn't that inevitable in a free market?  People choose to listen to what they like, so if a song is at the top, it's because a lot of people like it.  It may be bad music to your ears, but good music to a lot of people's ears.
- If music isn't meant to be mixed with industry, then why do you care about what the music+industry mix decides is the best music to play?  Shouldn't you only care about music that you yourself like?  In other words, what are you really asking to happen?  That the top charts are filled with music that doesn't make any money somehow?
- That song you linked to was awful, but I'm no Taylor Swift fan either!  I'll give just about everything a chance at a listen though, so I appreciate you posting it anyhow.
- If you need some light piano listening, this is me: www.justinbporter.com

I think we must first assume music is as simple as "Oh, I like this, let's get some more of it."  I think the reasons people love some songs almost universally is different than the reason people love the songs they usually enjoy.  For example, PSY's Gangnam Style has to be one of the most popular songs in all of music history (I'm just basing this on YouTube views so don't sue me )  However, most can agree, the song is simplistic, repetitive, and, more than anything, catchy.  It follows a distinct formula that all pop songs follow, yet somehow, someway, Gangnam proved to be several times more liked than most top songs  (Assuming people who watched the video liked the music.)

In this case, I believe it was more so the humor of the song's video, as the lyrics make no sense to the average listener (unless you speak Korean, of course!  In which case, the lyrics are goofy anyway.)  But humor isn't a standard quality of music; normally, when dissecting a song, "Is this song funny?" doesn't normally get factored in.  All of this, inevitably, mixes into whether or not people will impulsively purchase the song for listening.  The industry sees this, says, "Wow, we need us some of that!", and so the cycle continues.  The problem I'm having is how little musicians can diversify their music when the industry needs more Gangnam style to reel in more money, as the point isn't to make amazing music, but to make what sells.

And yes, that song is quite atrocious  I like weird music like that, and I don't know why.  There's no industry for it, so I don't find a lot of music like it, as there's no incentive to make more music like that.  It's horrible, but it's one of a kind--bad news for me   But the point I'd like to make is this: if a child is exposed to certain music while growing up, they'll have a tendency to like it.  My brother and sister enjoy rap and hip-hop, because they went to a very urban school where that was the in-thing.  Not the good kind of hip hop, either.  Stuff like T-Pain, Lil' Wayne.  There's no MF Doom on their platter, nor do you find Nujabes or Aesop.  It's simply unusual, that people seem to have a love/hate relationship with top musicians, when 'hidden gems' as they're called remain loved by all their listeners.  It's disproportionate.  I love all the music I love, yet I still hear about music I don't love, and it's always a popular song everyone else falls in love with and I die a little bit because I know it's awful and took very little effort to compose.

Also, you're an excellent pianist!  I've been playing for a year or two now, but I'm still nowhere near your level.  Must practice.

You might enjoy this...  Hauschka - Freibad

[Rob E]

the business men does't really understand the artist the business men sees how much money he can make the artist looks at how much smiles or inspiration or influence of thought or emotion he can create.

[SgtSpike]

*shrug*

Few things here:
- Why mess with a formula that works and most people like?  Especially when the alternative music geared towards minority crowds can easily be distributed through other channels?
- Music is constantly changing.  If you look at the top songs in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, vs now, they're all quite different.
- You're complaining about the top songs because they are the top songs.  Isn't that inevitable in a free market?  People choose to listen to what they like, so if a song is at the top, it's because a lot of people like it.  It may be bad music to your ears, but good music to a lot of people's ears.
- If music isn't meant to be mixed with industry, then why do you care about what the music+industry mix decides is the best music to play?  Shouldn't you only care about music that you yourself like?  In other words, what are you really asking to happen?  That the top charts are filled with music that doesn't make any money somehow?
- That song you linked to was awful, but I'm no Taylor Swift fan either!  I'll give just about everything a chance at a listen though, so I appreciate you posting it anyhow.
- If you need some light piano listening, this is me: www.justinbporter.com

I think we must first assume music is as simple as "Oh, I like this, let's get some more of it."  I think the reasons people love some songs almost universally is different than the reason people love the songs they usually enjoy.  For example, PSY's Gangnam Style has to be one of the most popular songs in all of music history (I'm just basing this on YouTube views so don't sue me )  However, most can agree, the song is simplistic, repetitive, and, more than anything, catchy.  It follows a distinct formula that all pop songs follow, yet somehow, someway, Gangnam proved to be several times more liked than most top songs  (Assuming people who watched the video liked the music.)

In this case, I believe it was more so the humor of the song's video, as the lyrics make no sense to the average listener (unless you speak Korean, of course!  In which case, the lyrics are goofy anyway.)  But humor isn't a standard quality of music; normally, when dissecting a song, "Is this song funny?" doesn't normally get factored in.  All of this, inevitably, mixes into whether or not people will impulsively purchase the song for listening.  The industry sees this, says, "Wow, we need us some of that!", and so the cycle continues.  The problem I'm having is how little musicians can diversify their music when the industry needs more Gangnam style to reel in more money, as the point isn't to make amazing music, but to make what sells.

And yes, that song is quite atrocious  I like weird music like that, and I don't know why.  There's no industry for it, so I don't find a lot of music like it, as there's no incentive to make more music like that.  It's horrible, but it's one of a kind--bad news for me   But the point I'd like to make is this: if a child is exposed to certain music while growing up, they'll have a tendency to like it.  My brother and sister enjoy rap and hip-hop, because they went to a very urban school where that was the in-thing.  Not the good kind of hip hop, either.  Stuff like T-Pain, Lil' Wayne.  There's no MF Doom on their platter, nor do you find Nujabes or Aesop.  It's simply unusual, that people seem to have a love/hate relationship with top musicians, when 'hidden gems' as they're called remain loved by all their listeners.  It's disproportionate.  I love all the music I love, yet I still hear about music I don't love, and it's always a popular song everyone else falls in love with and I die a little bit because I know it's awful and took very little effort to compose.

Also, you're an excellent pianist!  I've been playing for a year or two now, but I'm still nowhere near your level.  Must practice.

You might enjoy this...  Hauschka - Freibad

In my experience, there's always a ton of variety of music to choose from, so I guess I am not concerned with musicians trying to ride the waves of various trends.  Some people are musical connoisseurs, while most people are not.  To me, that's just fine.  Those who like the music that the "hidden gems" produce can listen to that music.  Those who like the more popular stuff can listen to the more popular stuff.  I guess I just feel like the free market takes care of itself, because no matter what music you like, you can always find SOMETHING to listen to that fits your musical tastes.

I certainly agree about growing up with certain musical styles influencing a person's likes and dislikes, which does make trending musical styles more difficult to change.  That might not be such an awful thing - musical styles do tend to help define the eras of humanity.

Regarding the lack of selection of atrocious music - I think there's a reason for that. 

[herzmeister]

The bad taste in mainstream music today, as in music being fast food, a mindless consumption thing, is of course, like anything consumption-mania-related, rooted in our central bankster monetary system encouraging constant inflation encouraging never-ending mindless consumption. 

Of course BTC will change all that!

Here's an odd band who's mixing chiptune and electric guitar.  AFAIK, they're the first and only to do this

nah... Machinae Supremacy!

[sounds]

Youtube has done more to change the music industry than bitcoin ever will.

Apples and Oranges. Bitcoin is about money. Music, like the OP said, shouldn't be (but if there's a profit to be made someone will do it).

[Lethn]

Isn't that the exact opposite of where you would want to take music?  But I suppose, in our economy, if you can make money from it, there's no incentive not to.  Tongue  I mean, it's great that musicians are making money from music.  The problem is, they can only make one kind of music, using the same batch of chords, in the same general time frame (2 minutes to 5 minutes, max 7 minutes), can't be too complex, probably needs some lyrics so people can sing along.  Otherwise, you won't be making much, and you damn well won't get any exposure, even when you're the next Mozart or Lennon.

Two Steps From Hell go against all of this, they're clearly making quite a bit of money from their music otherwise they wouldn't be appearing in big budget trailers etc. they even did music for the Mass Effect 3 trailer which was how I found out about them, it's like with anything to do with digital stuff now, if you make something good, people are going to buy it regardless of filesharing, if people aren't buying it, chances are it's not because of filesharing by itself, it's probably because they tried it and it was shit.

If anyone from these now fairly digital based industries like music, games and movies are reading this, take some fucking pride in your work because with games in particular I can't even be bothered downloading the stupid AAA titles that get churned out every year because they're so poorly coded even by games industry standards.