Today's Music Industry...
I may be wrong, but I believe the reason why today's music is so bland compared with that of let's say, twenty-five years ago, is that there is too much corporate control of industry anymore. Before, you had many independent record lables with their own distinctive sounds, even if there were various artists recording on those lablels. The independent record companies had their own house bands giving them their signature sound. For example, take a close listen to the old Motown recordings, and you will find that the background instruments always had a distinct sound, unlike any other recording from other labels. That also holds true for old records from the Atlantic label. But now since Motown and Atlantic are now owned by two of five major media corporations that control all the mainstream labels(Motown by Universal, and Atlantic by TimeWarner), you don't have that distinctive independent sound anymore. Also, you have today's artists and their producers taking the melodies from older records from the 70s and early 80s and coming up with their own banal lyrics. This is what I call "artistic laziness". The industry term for what I described is "sampling" which was primarily used in rap records, but is now prevalent in many pop and R&B songs, or what passes for R&B. What you have to look for if you want new and original music is either an alternative or college underground radio stations, or from the remaining independent labels online. So that is my two cents on the subject. I am very welcome to any response.
Mark
a.k.a. MAJ0718
