Modern "pop" music is scientifically proven as crap.

[Bricktop]

[Anonymous]

No breaking news here.

[Bricktop]

No...none at all.

[Angry White Male]

Music has always been this way, at least for the last many decades anyhow...  The producer will tell the artist what to do, and he/she really hasn't much choice, if he/she wants a paycheck.



The Sex Pistols are a great example of a "fabricated" band also, don't forget...



True artists are very rarely given much freedom to do what they want.  A small handful could demand artistic control, other didn't give a shit and did what they wanted to (Nirvana), but most just dance to the tune of whatever label is issuing them cheques.

[Anonymous]

I rarely listen to new  stuff.

[Bricktop]

The Sex Pistols were just one of a large number of "contrived" band or performer. Some were in fact real bands and artists that simply got "hired" by studios and producers to perform songs guaranteed to sell. The original contrived band was The Monkees, of course, but others include The Sweet, Mudd, Susie Quattro, New Kids On The Block, Milli Vanilli, Kylie Minogue, Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler and many more.



That does not make them "bad" as artists, but it shows that the idea of producers, rather then artists, creating music with the artists being the front man or woman has been going on for years. Now the cycle is complete and producers own the entire industry. Artists either play the record labels songs, or go nowhere.

[Angry White Male]

There may be exceptions, but they are few and far between.  Even most radio stations are told what to play, so to even get airplay would be near impossible for the 'non-connected.'

[Anonymous]

The Sex Pistols were just one of a large number of "contrived" band or performer. Some were in fact real bands and artists that simply got "hired" by studios and producers to perform songs guaranteed to sell. The original contrived band was The Monkees, of course, but others include The Sweet, Mudd, Susie Quattro, New Kids On The Block, Milli Vanilli, Kylie Minogue, Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler and many more.



That does not make them "bad" as artists, but it shows that the idea of producers, rather then artists, creating music with the artists being the front man or woman has been going on for years. Now the cycle is complete and producers own the entire industry. Artists either play the record labels songs, or go nowhere.

I didn't know all those  artists were contrived.

[Aryan]

Crap and full of propaganda......



Their current favourite being Feminism.

[Frood]

There may be exceptions, but they are few and far between.  Even most radio stations are told what to play, so to even get airplay would be near impossible for the 'non-connected.'

No so. There are loads of great musicians out there cutting albums, touring, and making an average or better living by doing what they want on their own terms. You won't hear them on traditional top FM type stations though.

[Angry White Male]

One thing that's certainly a plus now...  World Wide Web.



We now have more power to listen to whomever we want to, than we ever did.  I remember, as a kid, going into a "record" store, and wondering if they even stocked the album/cassette/CD that I wanted.  Often times they did not.  Sometimes they could 'order it in' for me...  Sometimes they could not, or the dunce behind the counter didn't even know what I was talking about.

[Frood]

One thing that's certainly a plus now...  World Wide Web.



We now have more power to listen to whomever we want to, than we ever did.  I remember, as a kid, going into a "record" store, and wondering if they even stocked the album/cassette/CD that I wanted.  Often times they did not.  Sometimes they could 'order it in' for me...  Sometimes they could not, or the dunce behind the counter didn't even know what I was talking about.

Digital radio too. When they widen up the radio spectrum it encourages more diversity.

[Angry White Male]

Ya, Satellite radio was certainly a breath of fresh air when I had it, but I'm not in my car for long enough to generally enjoy it to the point of paying for it, so I didn't.



Certainly something that may be useful in my old Kenworth, but then I'd have to get the hardware to make that work.

[Bricktop]

The Sex Pistols were just one of a large number of "contrived" band or performer. Some were in fact real bands and artists that simply got "hired" by studios and producers to perform songs guaranteed to sell. The original contrived band was The Monkees, of course, but others include The Sweet, Mudd, Susie Quattro, New Kids On The Block, Milli Vanilli, Kylie Minogue, Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler and many more.



That does not make them "bad" as artists, but it shows that the idea of producers, rather then artists, creating music with the artists being the front man or woman has been going on for years. Now the cycle is complete and producers own the entire industry. Artists either play the record labels songs, or go nowhere.

I didn't know all those  artists were contrived.

There was a British production team called Stock, Aitken and Waterman. They wrote and produced most of the major hits for The Sweet, Mudd, Susie Quattro and Kylie Minogue in her earlier days.



Meatloaf and Bonnie Tyler were engaged by Jim Steinman to do vocals on albums he wrote and produced.



New Kids and Milli Vanilli were worse; they were simply mimers to original songs produced and recorded by a production company, but the singers were session players who could not perform on stage. They were, in effect, actors.



The Monkees did not even play on their early songs until they rebelled and threatened to quit unless allowed to write and play their own music (after at least one had to learn to play). Their early hits were written and produced by Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond and Carole King.

[Angry White Male]

Some couldn't even play the instruments they were given to play...