Is music becoming more homogenized?

**Janszoon** · 10-14-2014, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oriphiel

A tiny sliver of all music being created, yes, but the majority of all music being heard. Most people in America aren't rich, meaning that the very wealthy are a tiny percentage. By your logic, that means that the very wealthy, being such a small percentage, must likewise have little to no influence on the lives of the American population.

How is that my logic? My point is simply that the state of music as a whole is not accurately described by limiting one's focus to pop music. To steal a bit from your metaphor, that would be like saying that, because wealthy celebrities are so noticeable, they comprise an accurate picture of the lives of all people.

Oriphiel · 10-14-2014, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

How is that my logic? My point is simply that the state of music as a whole is not accurately described by limiting one's focus to pop music.

Instead of going back and forth over the same thing, let's talk about something else.

What exactly defines the genre of "pop"? Is it even a definite genre at all? Does every generation have a specific sound in regards to it? For instance, would the pop of the 1950s, if it were released today, be considered pop at all, or does it rely on the context of when it was released to have such a definition?

And lastly, which decade had your favorite pop? Even if you dislike all pop, regardless of the year, you must have some instinctual preference, even if very small, for one over the others.

**Janszoon** · 10-14-2014, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oriphiel

Instead of going back and forth over the same thing, let's talk about something else.

What exactly defines the genre of "pop"? Is it even a definite genre at all? Does every generation have a specific sound in regards to it? For instance, would the pop of the 1950s, if it were released today, be considered pop at all, or does it rely on the context of when it was released to have such a definition?

And lastly, which decade had your favorite pop? Even if you dislike all pop, regardless of the year, you must have some instinctual preference, even if very small, for one over the others.

It's not a clearly defined genre. In the context of this conversation, I'm using using the word "pop" simply to refer to popular music, which is what that study is about.

I think pop does rely on context to a large extent. Even when an old song becomes popular again it's generally because of something going on in the culture of the time. I like a lot of pop but I don't think I have a particular favorite decade of it at this point in my life, though when I was younger I loved 80s pop due to the nostalgia factor of having grown up during that decade.

Forward To Death · 10-14-2014, 06:41 PM

There are certain recurring elements to almost all popular music that tend to make songs more popular than others, but other than that I've never seen it as a genre so much as a label for "popular music".

All music has a popular branch that tends to evolve more to keep up with modern trends. Popular country (now known as "traditional") from the 1940s sounds almost nothing like the popular country of today, and the same can be said of many other genres.

neardeathexperience · 10-14-2014, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oriphiel

I read an interesting article that brought up many points about music, and the science behind it. One point that was brought up was that music is becoming more standard, meaning that less artists are seperating themselves from each other. More artists than ever are using the same chord progressions, vocal patterns, etc. Do you all think the article is flawed, and missed something vital? Or is music really becoming more, to put it bluntly, "boring"?

Also, apparently the years of mid 1960s were the time of greatest musical variety. Makes sense, considering the garage and psych movements kicked off punk and metal, funk and motown went mainstream, and new genres from abroad like ska hit their stride. The Beatles championed the merseybeat, the Rolling Stones kept the blues kicking, Ohio Express kept pop interesting and just a little dirty, etc.

Here is the article: 5 Ways Your Taste in Music is Scientifically Programmed | Cracked.com

And here is the website that collected the data used to analyze the trends of music: Million Song Dataset | scaling MIR research

Well to be honest I have been banging on about the 60s and 70s being the best 2 decades of music forever on here.

**Frownland** · 10-14-2014, 08:27 PM

We're well aware.

Oriphiel · 10-15-2014, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forward To Death

There are certain recurring elements to almost all popular music that tend to make songs more popular than others, but other than that I've never seen it as a genre so much as a label for "popular music".

All music has a popular branch that tends to evolve more to keep up with modern trends. Popular country (now known as "traditional") from the 1940s sounds almost nothing like the popular country of today, and the same can be said of many other genres.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

It's not a clearly defined genre. In the context of this conversation, I'm using using the word "pop" simply to refer to popular music, which is what that study is about.

I think pop does rely on context to a large extent. Even when an old song becomes popular again it's generally because of something going on in the culture of the time. I like a lot of pop but I don't think I have a particular favorite decade of it at this point in my life, though when I was younger I loved 80s pop due to the nostalgia factor of having grown up during that decade.

I agree with both of you. If you took a lot of pop from years past and released them today, they'd probably be seen as songs from seperate genres. Rock, Country, Funk, etc. And yet, in a way, almost every pop song is distinguished from those genres by having a certain sensibility. Similar beats, patterns, the need for a hook, light-hearted themes, and so on. There is a kind of method to it that has existed for a long time.

Also, I too loved the 80s when I was younger, even though I didn't live through them (probably because I loved bad horror movies, and the 80s always had the most fun b-movies, so I ended up getting exposed to a lot of 80s music, fashion, etc.). Even though my musical tastes have changed, occasional I find myself Rockin' like Dokken.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neardeathexperience

Well to be honest I have been banging on about the 60s and 70s being the best 2 decades of music forever on here.

I wouldn't say they were the best, even if they are my favorite. They were a very diverse and interesting time, but every other decade is just as fascinating if you dig into them. The 80s, for example, had some pretty painful chart toppers, but they also had the strange and unique Post-Punk movement. Not to mention the merging of Pop and Punk that led to interesting bands like Blondie making waves. With Hip-Hop coming unto the scene (pun intended) and Metal branching out into a million sub-genres, there was no shortage of interesting music.

Neapolitan · 10-15-2014, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oriphiel

I agree with both of you. If you took a lot of pop from years past and released them today, they'd probably be seen as songs from seperate genres. Rock, Country, Funk, etc. And yet, in a way, almost every pop song is distinguished from those genres by having a certain sensibility. Similar beats, patterns, the need for a hook, light-hearted themes, and so on. There is a kind of method to it that has existed for a long time.

Also, I too loved the 80s when I was younger, even though I didn't live through them (probably because I loved bad horror movies, and the 80s always had the most fun b-movies, so I ended up getting exposed to a lot of 80s music, fashion, etc.). Even though my musical tastes have changed, occasional I find myself Rockin' like Dokken.

I wouldn't say they were the best, even if they are my favorite. They were a very diverse and interesting time, but every other decade is just as fascinating if you dig into them. The 80s, for example, had some pretty painful chart toppers, but they also had the strange and unique Post-Punk movement. Not to mention the merging of Pop and Punk that led to interesting bands like Blondie making waves. With Hip-Hop coming unto the scene (pun intended) and Metal branching out into a million sub-genres, there was no shortage of interesting music.

Wrong decade. Albums like 154 and entertainment! were released in the late 70s. The 80s saw the demise of Post-Punk. "The man had to ruin that too with a little thing called MTV!"

Blondie had hits in the 70s.
2 Blondie Denis Feb 1978
10 Blondie (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear May 1978
12 Blondie Picture This Aug 1978
5 Blondie Hanging On The Telephone Nov 1978
1 Blondie Heart Of Glass Jan 1979
1 Blondie Sunday Girl May 1979
2 Blondie Dreaming Sep 1979
everyHit.com - UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts

Yeah Metal branched in different directions in the 80s, but most of it took it's cue from other genres like Hair Metal (from Pop) or Thrash (from Hardcore Punk). And despite the crocodile tears over "Grunge killed Metal" Heavy Metal came into its own in the 90s when its branches branched with all its sub-sub-genres. Sure there was some different styles before then but not as Anorakly stressed as different.

Oriphiel · 10-16-2014, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

Wrong decade. Albums like 154 and entertainment! were released in the late 70s. The 80s saw the demise of Post-Punk. "The man had to ruin that too with a little thing called MTV!"

Blondie had hits in the 70s.
2 Blondie Denis Feb 1978
10 Blondie (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear May 1978
12 Blondie Picture This Aug 1978
5 Blondie Hanging On The Telephone Nov 1978
1 Blondie Heart Of Glass Jan 1979
1 Blondie Sunday Girl May 1979
2 Blondie Dreaming Sep 1979
everyHit.com - UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts

Yeah Metal branched in different directions in the 80s, but most of it took it's cue from other genres like Hair Metal (from Pop) or Thrash (from Hardcore Punk). And despite the crocodile tears over "Grunge killed Metal" Heavy Metal came into its own in the 90s when its branches branched with all its sub-sub-genres. Sure there was some different styles before then but not as Anorakly stressed as different.

Look at me, mixing up the late 70s with the early 80s! I should have known all those songs/bands weren't from the 80s, because they don't have that clunky echo effect on the drum sets. However, I wouldn't say that post punk died off in the 80s, it just became the underground sound that defined the counter culture of that decade.

DwnWthVwls · 10-16-2014, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oriphiel

Instead of going back and forth over the same thing, let's talk about something else.

What exactly defines the genre of "pop"? Is it even a definite genre at all

I feel like pop is a genre and a term used to include all popular music. When I think of pop I think of music made to sound catchy and palatable to a large audience but there are definitely pop artists who are not popular.

Example:

10-14-2014, 08:27 PM	#46 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	We're well aware. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

10-14-2014, 06:41 PM	#44 (permalink)
Forward To Death Trolier Than Thou Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,336	There are certain recurring elements to almost all popular music that tend to make songs more popular than others, but other than that I've never seen it as a genre so much as a label for "popular music". All music has a popular branch that tends to evolve more to keep up with modern trends. Popular country (now known as "traditional") from the 1940s sounds almost nothing like the popular country of today, and the same can be said of many other genres.