Where Did All the Good Music Go?

In order to understand the current state of the music industry, it is important to know its past. Music in America really started to become popular in the 1920s. With orchestras, jazz and love ballads, there really wasn't much variety in music styles. Music was more laid back, with fast tunes reserved mainly for dancing.

But when the Fifties came around, another explosive new sound came out. Rock and Roll. Parents hated it, teenagers loved it. More importantly though, came the great hits from that period. It was the custom back then for the performers or the singers to write the lyrics of their songs. As well as play all the musical instruments if they were in a band. The range of a singers voice in this period was very wide. It could go deep and very high. Doo-Wop was popular as well. This was basically singing a capella, or with very little instruments. Songs stayed on the charts for months and months if they were really popular. Songs were sung from the heart, and you could hear it in the singers voices. Tunes stayed with you, and you always remembered the chorus.

In the Sixties, the pop sound was added to rock and roll, blues, and country. This decade saw a creative explosion of sounds, and talent was even coming overseas. This is arguably the best decade of music in the history of American music. The talent for music was everywhere, great lyrics to great songs; and even more feeling was put into each song. Now different radio stations played different songs. Country was on certain radio stations, rock and roll on another and classics on yet another station. A lot of people respected talented musicians back then, because they connected through the songs. If you liked a certain music style, all you had to do was tune your dial on the radio and sit back to listen. It really wasn't necessary to switch stations.

The Seventies and Eighties saw a lot of experimentation in music. Dance music started to become popular, adding to the list of genres. Synthesizers were used for many songs, replacing two to four instruments normally played by a person. As a result, a lot feeling got lost in the music. A new type of rock and roll came out, called rock. This was a louder, faster version. And then a new, completely distinctive sound emerged. Rap. This took the music industry by surprise. All of a sudden, it seemed that music got a new life. With chart toppers on the rise, it looked like music was on the rise to something great. More feeling became injected into the musical consciousness. A new generation started to understand the power of music.

This is the decade when music started to get bad. The Nineties. With artists eager to make a hit, not a quality album, production of a song got sped up. This resulted in a lot corners getting cut, like hiring someone else to write your song. Instruments largely started to turn electronic. A singers voice could even get cleaned up with the aid of a computer. Sampling became common. Sampling is taking snippets from previous songs, or even the whole chorus. Even though this started in the Seventies, it was very limited. Vocal ranges also were not very high, compared to past decades. So now, the easy way to make money in music was to dress nice, name your band, and let your manager do the rest. What a shame. Even though this method made the performers millions, this was only on singles. Making a quality album with good music was a thing of the past. Also a new sound came out. Rhythm and Blues. It's like blues, but with a mix of pop and love ballad. This saved music a little bit, along with the return of country.

So here we are, in the 2000's. If you can think of a music category, there most likely is one. I have heard rap/country, ambient, classical pop, classical music with rock, death metal, speed metal, old school, drum and bass. The list is endless now. My point is, most of these artist out there now don't perform like they use to, in the Fifties. There is no feeling in their music. If there was, singles as well as albums would be one the charts for MONTHS, not weeks. See for yourself how long an artist will stay on top. Look at the Billboard Charts in certain categories and count how many weeks they stay in the number one slot. You will see what I mean. I'm not saying that all the music is horrible. It's just not what it use to be. Now when you really want to listen to a certain type of music you have to pay extra, via satellite radio.

It's rare that you find an artist nowadays that writes their own music, plays their own instruments, and sings. Computers can sing for you now, digitally. Lip-syncing is common now. So is it possible to save the music industry? (It use to be called music business) Sure, get rid of greedy managers and producers. Then, get REAL talent. People that can sing and play instruments. Train singers so that their voices have a wider range. And then put their mind and soul into each recording. It's not easy, but in the long run they'll be on the charts for months. Not for singles, for quality albums. Lyrics also have to mean something and say something as well. The more work you put into a song, the more respect you get.

Gecko Joe, Where did all the good music go? Associated Press