Quote:
Originally Posted by Frownland
Traditionally, more complex circumstances influence a rise in simple and accessible popular music. That concept could just be a reductionist view of the relationship between pre-WWII and post-WWII music, but are there any modern factors that you have in mind with this prediction? I think that the more that people rely on art as a distraction from their lives, the less patience they have for something that challenges them and it sure seems like most people find noise pretty challenging.
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I believe the group-focused camaraderie of the Vietnam war-era (which was sort of one of the more complex international conflicts we've been involved in) gave rise to a lot of simple music, as simple music attracts the widest audience. However, I also think that the "Internet recluse" will become a more widespread phenomenon if wartime ultimately comes. This is both caused by the obvious allure of the internet and also the general unhappiness of the youth. It's kind of like escapism.
What then happens is that individuals consume music less through group-based participation and more through personalized, solo listening. I think that, in this particular listening climate, the individual will find themselves craving challenging music as opposed to the more simple kind. This is all a giant hunch though- I'm not a psychologist nor a sociologist so it could, for all I know, mirror the wartime patterns that you described.