[Me. I Am Salman]

Originally Posted by Stu

That is what is so depressing. We have access to more music than any other generation in human history and some people still live and die by what is in their immediate bubble of ponce and have never stepped outside it. I see people debating which X Factor songs are the prettiest and I am like seriously? That is where you are putting your thought?

Originally Posted by Redway

I suppose what's also saddening is the fact that in an age where supposedly high-quality music can be achieved through little more than a laptop the mainstream stuff is increasingly bad.

And similarly, I feel sorry for your lack of acknowledgement that B'Day is one of the best albums of all time

[Mystic Mock]

I like Music in every year tbh, obviously some years are worse than others but overall there's at least one mainstream song in a year that's good.

[Z]

I think when people moan about "mainstream music" it's because subconsciously they're comparing it to 1) when they were younger and everything seemed better and 2) what passes for mainstream is now throwaway crap - plenty of one hit wonders where you'd recognise the song immediately but you couldn't name the person singing it or pick them out of a line up because the people in charge of what's delivered to your ears don't put any faith in the idea of longevity.

Radio 1 is so guilty of this. They love "breaking" new acts to appear niche and credible, but then only play certain songs on repeat so to maintain their concept of "mainstream", by causing stuff to be mainstream. How many artists have they allowed to have a 2 year/1 album shelf life before shunting them to the side unless they can miraculously provide the goods immediately to get back on there? Ellie Goulding's one such example, and she only really managed it by latching onto a trend. Where is Pixie Lott nowadays? What about Razorlight, The Kooks, Duffy? I could go on and on, and those are just from recent years. The artists didn't become any less talented; the radio stopped deeming them cool and so they were no longer cool.

It's the throwaway nature of music nowadays that makes people think it's crap. The actual is music is just fine, for the most part. When was the last time we conjured up a popstar who went into legendary territory? 30 years ago? 20 years ago? Will Young's managed to stick around for over 10 years but he never gets playlisted, when really he should be heralded for winning a talent competition and going on to show that he is actually talented and not just a faceless singer with no real identity or skills. Mutya Keisha Siobhan (more emphasis on the MK part) have been behind some of the biggest hits in pop music since 2000 and yet their new single didn't get spun on radio because they were deemed "too old". They're all still in their 20s.

You could argue it endlessly but I think the basic problem with the music industry is that the agenda of the main players in the music business doesn't make allowances for growth, creativity or experimentation. If you want to have a long, successful career in pop music, you have to be constantly churning music out (e.g. Rihanna) or risk being cast aside (e.g. any of her peers who started out at the same time, like Amerie)...

[Me. I Am Salman]

Radio 1 are scum
Also she doesn't constantly "churn" new music it's called being good to you fans and being passionate about what you do

[Z]

Originally Posted by Salman!

Radio 1 are scum
Also she doesn't constantly "churn" new music it's called being good to you fans and being passionate about what you do

I didn't mean it negatively; she works hard and puts music out like clockwork to keep the momentum going. That's how she has to work because if she gets complacent, someone else WILL take her place, and I think that's why she's constantly putting out new music. That's how the music business is now, so she's working hard to stay on top of it.

Would The Beatles have survived in this climate? Would Radio 1 have given them initial airplay but then stopped, or would they have been the juggernaut success they were? It's just so bizarre, there's no support for careers at all, you get your one shot at success and unless you know what you're doing, it'll all be taken away from you at the drop of a hat.

[Saph]

I think its a lot easier to get a #1 now than it was 10+ years ago, but its harder to keep the longevity and interest

[Z]

Originally Posted by Saph

I think its a lot easier to get a #1 now than it was 10+ years ago, but its harder to keep the longevity and interest

I think that's the problem in a nutshell really. The expectation is that you will get a #1 and if you don't, you get dropped. B*Witched are the best example of that but there are plenty of more modern examples. Whereas if you go back to the 80s and earlier; chart positions weren't the be all and end all of your career.