MusicNewb1981

This isn't a rant thread, I see things getting better in the future. I just wanted to throw this out there to see if people have concluded the same thing and for feedback.

In doing an online search there are several Youtube videos and online articles basically arguing mainstream music has gone downhill. I think a few even referred to Academic and Scientific articles basically arguing the same point. So, a lot of people agree mainstream music has gone downhill. While I've read quite a few different reasons people have postulated as to why this is the case, the reason I haven't seen is the Economic reason i.e. good music is expensive to make with the risk of not reaping ideal returns.

Ever since Napster in the late nineties people in the internet age have been demanding free music. Prior to Napster and the internet age it was difficult to pirate music; going back to Vinyl, tape, and CD each medium of music required a physical medium. With the internet age you could get any song free from home without any effort or expense and many people largely did. The demand for free music started by Napster culminated in the streaming free music model of Spotify.

Now, now the downside of the free music model is, essentially, you get what you pay for. Meaning, you are going to get record companies producing the most inexpensive music and trying to sell it strictly on volume--number of plays. So, it is not that the public demands electronic drum kits, autotune, synthesized bass, appealing lyrics; it's that percussionists and drummers, qualified singers, bassists and horn parts, lyricists actually cost quite a bit of money to use. Under the free streaming model, where no on is paying, the record company can't make money on expensive music.

Another drawback, is the Economic model of the record company has inverted. Before the internet age, the artist would create music and the record company would distribute it and promote it. But that model is too expensive and risky. So now, the record company is charged of putting producers, writers on salary to make music and the goal of the, "artist," is just to sell it; the artist now is a commissioned salesman putting a face and charisma on the record companies music. Again, the danger in this is the record company has making and selling cheap music down to a science and, and, and they are also the gatekeepers keeping other artists out whose music is too expensive to produce.

In this model, the radio station isn't independent. It used to be radio was just funded by advertisement. Now, radio is solely advertisement...for the record companies, which share media parent companies. So, whereas the goal of the radio station was to discover and expose new music now there whole goal is to promote the cookie cutter music the record companies make.

I'll stop there for now, but I see a silver lining or hope. I'll post that later because this getting too long as it is. Please do read and give feedback.