I'd say around the 1990s (1992 to be exact)
When do you all feel it started to go downhill?
Yeah 90’s. But there are a few exceptions, all this subjective I guess.
Shouldn’t we be asking why?
Is it that culture/society can no longer produce as many weirdos with depth as it once did?
Are you a Michael Jackson fan? I love Michael Jackson.I think it's because record companies were just playing it too safe with artists back then. Prior to the 90s there were plenty of weirdos but they didn't give a shit and made amazing music.
I think it's because record companies were just playing it too safe with artists back then.
Prior to the 90s there were plenty of weirdos but they didn't give a shit and made amazing music.
and now.
So you think there are still plenty of weirdos today ? That are of the same depth and originality as say Dylan, Bowie, Morrissey?
Nah, is dead. There hasn't been an iconic star since the 80s. Everything is too fragmented
This is interesting.
But why is that?
Regardless of the record industry,
why can’t society produce artists like that anymore?
Also, what do you mean by fragmented?
Fragmented so music isn't the main cultural force it once was between the 50s-80s, is just a part of it. It isn't the main thing now and it hasn't been for like 30 years. Is gonna take a lot more to create intentional stars.
Why can't society produce artist like back in the day? The rise of the internet killed it
and because record companies don't allow artists to have creative freedom.
I'd say around the 1990s (1992 to be exact)
When do you all feel it started to go downhill?
As soon as it went over the top.
From my perspective it’s just time moving on as we get older. My Mum was into Johnny Mathis, Charles Aznavour and Jean Michell Jarre, imagine the shock on her face when I played her Sheena is a punk rocker. I also think by theres a lot of great music around nowadays, pre pandemic and due to the Mancheter Arena attack, I went along to gigs with my youngest daughter and bands like the 1975 generated just a much excitement for my 17 year old and the other 20k people there as The Smiths did for me in my youth.
Mainstream music is chart music. Whatever's most popular.What is "mainstream music" and are you sure that whatever it is has gone downhill? As others said it's harder to get into music the same way you did as a teen, though it can happen. As far as "no iconic artists since the 80's that's not true. I got pretty sick of him but it would be hard to deny Kurt Cobain was iconic.
Staying iconic is more of a problem now. I think the career cycles move faster. One thing about the 80's is that all of these artsists started using multiple producers and attempting to do different genres so that they could have hit singles in different markets. Michael Jackson was the template but lots of people copied it. And a record might be out more than a year and still have new singles being released from it.
Now when someone releases a new record physical singles hardly exist and they might push a new song every week so that there are multiple singles competing at once. The record has to sell as much as it's going to sell almost immediately because the promotional push will be over soon.
There are also so many markets now that instead of watching MTV and waiting for something you like, you can just go online and find it and other songs like it. Instead of everyone hearing the most popular artists there are artists who are huge that are only know to those who listen to their genre. That K-Pop group that had fans buying wrappers from their specially branded McDonald's meals is kind of iconic to people that listen to that music but I don't even know their name. I think it's three letters?