Is it me, or do other people not listen to much "mainstream" music now?

[Ferryman]

I find I'm spending so much time listening to great stuff posted on this site, then linking to people's other sites on Soundclick, Reverbnation, MySpace et al (I'm just listening to Super 8's fab stuff on MySpace) that I don't really listen to any mainstream music at all now. Is it just me?

I really like this because even though I'm a suit now, I was into the punk ethos of DIY music in my youth, and it seems like that we are really there now. And the quality of the stuff we are all producing is as good as, if not better, than much mainstream stuff.

What do you all think?

Nigel

[guitarron]

i have satelite radio in my car-i can never go back

[StevieM]

I don't get much time to go on Myspace etc, going to have to try a bit more.
I agree, there's some great stuff around, especially on here. I think it's 'cos it's people getting together and doing what they feel like doing at the time, not some 'hit factory' crap, written to a formula by a commitee ( DON'T get me started on that!), but by real musicians!!!

I only tend to listen to the the radio in the workshop, then I always have Planet Rock on. Sometimes I might have Radio 2 if I'm out there in an evening, but that's only when there's a 'special' on, like a blues or folk programme or something.

[Ferryman]

Sadly I know I'm old because my Radio only ever plays Radio 4  But I work mainly from home and have music on but it's all mp3s on the PC and the new stuff is pretty much from here and other sites. Or I'll be playing stuff in the background on the PC when I'm hooked up to a MySpace link or something like that.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Flash Harry]

Nigel,

I know the feeling. Radio 4 all the way, Today program and PM. You know you're really old when you start listening to radio 2.

I don't like much mainstream. Like you, punk was when I really discovered music and that brought me into the whole awareness thing. Bowie and Talking Heads, I abhor the mainstream stuff produced now. It's just not what I want to listen to.

Sufjan Stevens, mentioned by Snow Patrol I think, now there's an artist, or Martin Grech. Not mainstream but infinitely listenable.

Sugababes? Can't even spell their own name. Says it all really.

[StevieM]

Oi Flash, you calling me old then?



Suppose I am really.Born in 54, my mum was only 17, so had music from the word go, brought up on stuff from the early 60's on. Probably stopped listening too much to 'popular' stuff from mid/late eighties on, apart from the few odd things that really stand out.
Boy/Girl so called bands??  Manufactured boll*cks must of it. One tune occaisionly changed a little bit, a few lyrics changed round here and there, but most of it you could listen to a whole album and think it's one long track. The same goes for if they manage to get more than 1 out!!!
There's the VERY odd thing ( or group) that's any good, but few and far between.
It'll be interesting to see how many are still around in 5 or 10 years, let alone 20,30 or 40yrs.
See, told you not to get me started on this. Want any more??

[64Guitars]

I believe that the internet and personal multitrack recorders like the BR series are the future of music. The commercial recording industry is dying and I say "good riddance". Some people worry about this. They say "what will our lives be like without music". But statements like that are ridiculous. We've been buying recorded music for less than a century, yet people have enjoyed music since the dawn of man. Before greedy businessmen started telling us what to listen to, people would entertain themselves by gathering around a piano and having a sing-song. Or they'd play guitar, banjo, ukelele, accordian, or whatever to entertain each other. So music was a big part of our lives before the recording industry ever existed and it will be an even bigger part after it's gone. Multitrack recorders like the BR series and new technologies yet to be invented will make it easy for anyone to make high quality recordings of their own music, and the internet allows us to share that music with each other. We've already heard some great examples of the quality of music that can be produced on these inexpensive machines. That will only get better as more amateur musicians discover personal multitrack recording and get comfortable with it. And, as many of you here have already discovered, recording your own music and collaborating with others greatly improves your playing and songwriting, so I believe we can expect the overall quality of musicianship and songwriting to improve too.

Music was shared freely before greedy businessmen conspired to seize control of it and make us pay them to hear it. I believe we are now experiencing the dawn of a new era in music which is returning to the free sharing of music, but on a much bigger scale, thanks to the internet and inexpensive, high-quality, personal multitrack recorders like the BR series, making commercial music superfluous.

[Tony]

You guys sound like my Dad who is still waiting for this rock 'n' roll fad to end.

All music is made for an audience, you just might not be the audience for contemporary mainstream music.  I am certainly not the audience for Britney Spears but I wasn't the audience for Smokie either, back in the day.  I saw Al Green on his first UK tour and the room was half empty.  Let's not pretend that there was a good time and a bad time for music.  There's music that we like and there's music that we don't like.  Just live as long as my Dad and you will have the equivalent of Joe Loss coming out on CD happen to you, too.

Thankfully we have things like internet radio come along just before we lost the habit of listening to the radio.  Remember, there's a lot more music out there now.  Exercise your choice and be tolerant. 

I can't agree that the music industry is dying.  They're just switching their product from selling discs to licensing music instead.  BMI are returning more roylaties to writers and composers than they have ever done.  Downloads are beginning to sell more than CDs.  Discs are over, maybe, but the download has reinvented the single.  This is like 1955 all over again. Except that you can record yourself on an MBR.  Now if I only knew how to play better, or what to sing, or that little dweeb next door hadn't sold his trumpet ...

[Greeny]

I'm listening to a lot less new stuff these days. It's mainly a time thing for me though - I spend too much time playing guitar and writing my own songs. When I do listen, I just tend to go backwards to my old favourites - Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, Doors, Beatles, Small Faces, Bowie etc etc. I generally dislike a lot of new stuff because (working in advertising and marketing) I can hear straight away that it's just a sales excercise, and who that 'brand' of music is being aimed at. It's totally cynical, corporate business for a lot of 'music' out there. But the same goes for Hollywood films - I'm sick of the rash of quirky comedies (Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin...), that use the same typeface on the posters, the same voiceover on the trailer, and market themselves in exactly the same way. Everything is just a product now. That said, you only have to listen to the stuff on this site and soundclick etc to know that there is talent everywhere, and people who will continue to make great music no matter what. There are some good 'commercial' bands too... I heard the Fleet Foxes recently, and they're great.

Or maybe we're just at the age when we can see through all the sh*t?

[guitarron]

Nigel,

I know the feeling. Radio 4 all the way, Today program and PM. You know you're really old when you start listening to radio 2.

Those are UK stations is presume?