I’m not trying to make any point. The author of the article quotes research that looked at streaming, downloads, and physical media purchase numbers. What other markets for new music should one focus on?
A close look at the study will show that catalog music is defined as being only released 18 months ago. The several articles based on this study are tripping over themselves to make it seem like there is something really alarming going on. It is just a strange definition of "new" and "catalog." The two most recent Taylor Swift albums, released during the pandemic are considered catalog. The most recent Pearl Jam album, the one they are touring to promote right now, is also not "new." It is a "catalog" album already. In one month's time, the 2021 Grammy best album of the year will also be a catalog release. Let that sink in. By the metric that is used in the study, in less than 4 weeks, the current best album of the year will not be seen as, "new music." Also, the article the OP posted is gobbledygook. Far too many numbers thrown around as to be purposefully unclear. The only case that could be made is compared to last year, and it seems that new sales/streams are down. By how much? A whopping 1.4% This whole thing is about 1.4% That can be easily explained that this year, there was the unexpected Kate Bush/ Metallica revival due to Stranger Things. That alone could cause a 1.4% fluke variation.
So record sales are down. This does not prove that all "new music" is less popular. That is a ludicrous gemeralization.
I like new music I only like old music You're old and boring You don't appreciate how much better the classics are Broaden your horizons I know what's good Oasis suck What's that got to do with it? Nothing, I just figured we could agree on something I love Oasis I like new music I like old music. Taylor Swift is amazing Taylor Swift doesn't even write her own songs Taylor Swift does write her own songs Taylor Swift doesn't even write her own songs Taylor Swift does write her own songs Taylor Swift doesn't even write her own songs Taylor Swift does write her own songs Taylor Swift doesn't even write her own songs Taylor Swift does write her own songs *Thread locked*
Ok? Do you guys base your opinions on new music around easily manipulated "facts" and statistics? Nostalgia is a hell of a drug isn't it?
This. There is still great new music coming out every day. The problem is that there is no filter like there was with MTV or radio before it became too compartmentalized and reliant on strict formats.
1) Lack of tolerance 2) Lack of artistic curiosity 3) Lack of patience 4) Prevalence of options where the user can choose what they know, and avoid being offered a chance to sample something unfamiliar. All the usual resentment of the radio medium aside, back when it was the one option in your car, the only way you could get to a song you wanted to hear, was to wait while you were exposed to fresh material. And, you accepted that the same way you accepted advertising in your face. Today, every unfamiliar song, or every song targeted towards somebody you are not, is seen as an immediate judgement call by the user, apparently requiring you to not only hate the exposure...but to make judgements about the sort of person who would like that song. It's the same dynamic we fall into with social media (don't like the content, "that person must be woke/evil/stupid/etc"): This is the first culture we have lived in where, instead of just rejecting the music, we automatically ascribe judgment on whomever would like it as well. We've trained ourselves to do that now ("get off my lawn"). I know why most of my music is new and unfamiliar, while I have lots of older, familiar music in the house. Your motivations may not be the same. But I'm always on the lookout for the fresh. I'm also just as discriminating as anybody, so I'll discard choices offered by metrics and audience research.
To be fair I think ascribing judgement has always been part of music identities. Parents condemning their teenage children's music as loud and noisy, different factions at school who might like rock vs rap vs something 20 yrs old etc etc. I think we're living in a world where social media has really exposed those differences and somehow made them life or death to people.
Interesting insights. I just think that there is a real lack of curation nowadays. There used to be radio stations and DJs (still a few left) that would sort through the new stuff and point you to the good stuff. Now it’s what the streaming platforms are pushing, it’s like the new payola. Plus I keep on reading that it’s close to impossible to start off as a working musician these days financially.
Back in the day the curation we had was the charts. i.e what people were buying. Now you can ... look at the charts of what people are listening to. Radio stations just ... play what is popular. If you need more, there are spotify lists by the bucketload.
That's probably as accurate as anything else. I was just more focused on the "judgement/shaming" angle of it all.
As a traditionally-minded musician, I agree. They ain't making no more minstrel shows for the minstrels to work in. But there's a lot of croudsourcing going on in social media, so somebody's getting heard... Out of my last five albums, two are by Youtub artists who finally got around to releasing "debut" albums on physical media after years of marketing themselves online...and two of them I discovered through that platform, and are not my first purchases from them. The fifth...is an established artist I follow because I learned about her new album from, well, here.
Interesting, but I would wait for year end numbers, plus the declines thus far seem within margin of error.
If new music is falling in popularity compared with the past, it's only because there's more of the past than there used to be.
Yeah but music of the past is less popular than it used to be in the past too. Unless Mozart, Grieg and Mussorgsky have gained a bunch of fans in the last 18 months.
