Changing Music

When it comes to music, I prefer songs that were produced before the year 2002. I enjoy Hip Hop, but I also like to listen to music from all genres. All one has to do is read through my Spotify playlist and my diverse selection will be evident! ***I didn’t bother downloading too many rap songs because I own all of the albums that I enjoy!*** (The list can be found in my previous post: Writing Through Writer’s Block.)

The main reason I prefer older music is the fact that I feel the music industry, especially rap, is completely watered down. There are too many studios and too many record companies. An artist can put out three songs a day, which causes the material to be less than stellar. I enjoyed having to wait two years to listen to a new song by your favorite artist, but in today’s fast pace world, it is almost impossible to keep up with the latest song. People can download entire albums months before the scheduled release dates. (It is a shame that artists losing their songs to hackers!)

I also feel that there are too many untalented people in the music industry. Just because you love to rap, doesn’t mean you should be allowed to. There has to be a way for artist to go through a screening process, in order for them to produce music. It is fine for people to fool around in their homemade studios and produce their own music, but the professional musicians should be forced to walk around with some kind of license. (I think the talented musicians are being overlooked because people with more money are gaining access to the much needed resources!)

I know this is extreme, but it’s time for us to break away from the little league baseball, “everyone is a winner” mentality; some people create the worst music ever imagined and we need to help them find something else to do. Honestly, the family members and friends of these so called “artists” are to blame for the downward spiral that the music industry is on. Do us all a favor and tell your buddy that he or she lacks the necessary talents to be an artist. (Tough love is the only way we can change the music industry!)

Conversely, if you know of an artist who is indeed blessed with talent, please do the world’s collective eardrums a favor and encourage the individual to put forth their best effort. It is time for the public to demand better from the music industry.

***I have a solution to the problem!***

What I propose, is for artists to create a small sample of their work, which is to be played for free over the internet. If the musician receives five million positive responses, they are cleared to produce an album. If the album flops, the artist will be banned from creating music, until his or her dying day.

Agents, managers and producers will also be held accountable in my system. If an album flops, the entire production staff will be banned from working in the industry.

I know this method sounds harsh, but people should be forced to work hard and only send out quality material. In my system, an artist will think twice before claiming that the song is finished. Managers and producers will also be forced to only work with artists who have a natural talent and unmatched determination to succeed. Creating an album is a task which should be taken seriously, the current trend of releasing a new decent song, every single day, has to be stopped!

I am sure there are a select few artists who have the ability to create a hit song in a short period of time, but in my system, the artist will at least sit on a track for a week or so, before sharing it with the world.

The current state of the music industry is the reason we no longer have top ten video shows on television. There is 106 and Park, but they only show snippets of the songs. There is too much garbage being produced and the artists are forced to meet an unnecessary deadline which causes the material to be watered down.

I don’t know about everyone else, but I want to go back to living in a world that has top ten countdown shows which are relevant. There is no more excitement over the release of a new music video. YouTube is not the proper medium for enjoying the latest hit song. We need to get our CD stores back up and running. The internet and its ability to speed up the production process is killing the music industry!

A couple years ago, I was actually laughed at by a “hip” sales associate, because I ask where they kept the CD singles. The children of the new millennium have no idea what they are missing!

I WILL NEVER DOWNLOAD AN ALBUM!

Long live the classic albums of the past!

CERTIFIED CLASSIC