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Is listening to music even popular anymore? To me it seems these days most of my counterparts are happy with what is on the radio. Does anyone else try to even discover new music anymore? Does anyone even go back to music that precedes their birth date anymore? Does anyone in my age group even own a stereo now? Some times I feel like an old soul out of touch with my own generation. I guess what I'm asking is music even important to anyone anymore?
Follow Ups:
Another thought;
I would venture to say that most people (99%) are not into critical listening (like the rest 1% of us audiophiles).
i listen to mostly commercial progressive trance music... and indie type stuff, cant stand a lot of the plastic stuff they play on radio like Nikki minaj and tyga and lil wayne or that horrible rapper future. horrible is not the word i originally wanted to use :-(
This thread in its entirety:
Jim J.
I agree with Awe-d-o-file, what has popularity got to do with it. I was listening to Ravi Shanker when I was in high school (that was pre-Beatles) and was probably the only one in my high school class of 730 that did. So what?
There are some souls who listen to "popular" music which I never do - IMO shouting in tune (with the benefit of pitch correction) is not singing. Does that mean they don't listen to music or does it mean I don't listen to music?
I find that a lot of young people including teens listen to the Rock 'n Roll of the 50's and 60's. When you were a teen, did you listen to music that was popular 50 years before you were born?
I suspect there are many on this forum who don't listen to music but rather listen to their stereos. Hell, I'm guilty of that at times. Perhaps that is why many musicians can give a rat's ass about "Audiophile" equipment. Listening to music and being an audiophile is certainly not synonymous.
Edits: 10/30/14 10/30/14 10/30/14
What's more, my children demand that we play music every day when we get home. Our youngest won't go to sleep if we're not playing something in the living room.
I strongly believe that positive attitudes toward music enjoyment are - for the larger part - taught and learned. And we're doing our level best as a family to encourage this (and an appreciation of the Arts as a whole) in our family and circle of friends.
Big J
"... only a very few individuals understand as yet that personal salvation is a contradiction in terms."
Late response.
I haven't spent much time on this forum or our hobby these days, due to other pursuits (wife likes Fox News in our entertainment room, so I can't listen, teen studying, or she might sometimes be playing or practicing her violin, I am busy).
Kids are streaming or downloading to iTunes and listening on phones all the time. So they do listen, although Todd K and others may not like the quality of the music.
When my teen has a new piece in lessons or orchestra, she goes to YouTube and listens to several versions. When she has to learn the Mendelssohn VC, for example as she is doing, she listens to many versions. Incidentally, in general she loves Heifetz, young Stern and Perlman, also Sarah Chang (young Asian). She even loves some of the "fatter guy" as she describes David Oistrakh in his latter years. Learned from YouTube.
Anyway, their attention is split. But, when the Smetana MaVlast comes on my car, she starts humming right along (few kids can do so), as they played this here and in a 4 concert European tour last yr.
For people at your age, an example is this. Just 2 days ago, speaking to a 30 odd yr old friend who plays the piano pretty well, do you have time to listen anymore? He is a young seminary prof, has 3 young kids, etc. He downloaded all his CD's before moving to Asia, and has them, but told me he can't listen to very exciting stuff and big stuff while writing in between teaching. Instead, he has been listening to Bach violin sonatas played by Itzhak Perlman. So, the spark is still present, it's just not used much in his life, til later.
I have enjoyed everyone's responses and experiences so far. I must admit that I was wrong in believing that music isn't popular anymore. I have been proven wrong and that's okay. Keep the comments coming everyone and thank you for sharing.
Your post and thoughts are dear to my heart. I am an evangelist not just about my Lord but also about classical and good acoustic music! Thanks for your response.
There are so many perspectives one can take in trying to understand current music listening habits. I won’t go there now, but will say at 43 years of age I am still on the lookout for new music and enjoy experiencing music mindfully/attentively at home. I don’t know if this will help answer your question, but I will relate my experiences, as best I can remember them.
I guess I am a typical Gen-Xer in many ways, but unlike my friends, in my early years I was sheltered from popular music by religious doctrine. I started sneaking listens to popular music when I was about 16: at friends’ houses and using my lunch money to buy vinyl that was being sold off cheaply to make way for perfect sound forever. I hid my purchases and played them on my parents' Phillips all-in-one when they were out. As I started earning a pittance of a wage, I was able to assert a modicum of independence, purchase a used Rotel stereo and play music quietly in my bedroom – I loved that stereo and 80s music, mostly from Factory Records and 4AD labels, plus some popular... Some music I still hid.
For the next ten years or so I explored what was an interesting period of music. Through my 30s and early 40s I have struggled; my exploration and purchasing of music has been limited. I have explored ambient (not New Age); modern composition/neo-classical; dabbled in a couple of other styles; and maintained a passing interest in quality independent and popular music. Most of what I have been listening to is quiet and slow and probably not "motivating" me towards...
But, summer is on the way and I have started looking for melodic indie with a nice groove and will have some longevity. I am finding it very difficult! Much indie is evolved 80s/electro, but to me seems like cold noise (Sterolab or Ladytron it is not!). Maybe I need to join a streaming service to help me uncover some new music? Internet radio? I’d need a greater broadband allowance! That said, I recently ordered a few albums from new (to me) artists that are promising: San Fermin, Future Islands, James Blake, Tennis, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Eluvium, Luluc, Warpaint, Trentmoller, Fka Twigs... also purchased some albums from faves like Loscil, Firpp & Eno, Harold Budd, Thievery Corporation and Dustin O’Halloran. I’d like to have found more new tunes though...
Anyhoo, that is where I am at... starting the search for fulfilling upbeat summer tunes.
Cheers,
Ray
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." Shunryo Suzuki
Your story and experience is very fascinating! I love stories about how folks got into music and what they listen to. I love it! The 4AD label is awesome! Wish I could talk to some of you folks in person because I love talking to other folks who are passionate about listening to music. It's kind of hard to do that on a forum.
For me, YES!
...in case you haven't noticed everyone is listening to more music than ever before - on their smartphones, in their cars and in their houses.
People who love music listen to streaming services or internet radio to discover new music.
Then they download it or even buy the CD.
Turntable sales are higher than ever because millennials are buying them and LPs.
Music is only important if it's important to YOU...and your friends.
I took the OP comment to be about Critical(sit in a chair, eyes closed, full concentration ... etc) vs Passive (musical wallpaper) listening. Otherwise, I would agree with you.
If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.
--Zen Proverb
...sit and listen to music like most people watch TV.
Fewer audiophiles all the time...
I've never been into passive listening ... as far back as I can remember.
If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.
--Zen Proverb
I feel like I'm riding in an elevator!
What to do, what to do??
...or get earbuds for your own music.
"Turntable sales are higher than ever because millennials are buying them and LPs."
Higher than ever? Doesn't sound right to me. Otherwise I couldn't have made the point better. Thanks!
Give me rhythm or give me death!
I listen to music everyday. And in front of my music system. In fact I can not wait to listen, my system sounds excellent. That's why we love music.
After hitting all time high in the late 90s, the music revenue is down.
Indeed, I wonder why.
Music revenue in real terms didn't peak in the mid 90's.
63 million in 1978 adjusted for inflation would be around 243 million dollars today, or 151 million dollars in 1996.
Music revenue has been spiraling downward for 35 years - Nothing new or semi new under the sun.
I was a vegetarian for 15 minutes, until the main course.......Meat; It's the right thing to do. Romans 14:2
until one realizes that it is per CAPITA, so that population has roughly doubled since then, so revenue is barely holding steady.
Still, so many people are NOW spending soo much time online, that they just don't have time to go out and purchase CDs nor listen to music much anymore.
The problem, if there is one, seems pervasive.
Music everywhere, yet nowhere!
S-t-r-e-a-m-i-n-g.
It appears the graph is limited to purchases . If you were to include subscriptions to the many music services, the graph would look different.
But what was the event that lead to such a steep decline prior.
I've seen a chart streaming is juuuust about surpassing the downloading a few years back.
It's been a gradual shift.
Unauthorized downloading started to become a factor in the late 1990s, and really exploded in 1999 with Napster.
And in addition to the subscription services that E-Stat mentioned, a lot of people stream music legally for free using YouTube, Last.fm, SoundCloud, etc.
Also, the economy peaked in the late 1990s and when people have more disposable income they're probably more likely to buy music.
It could also be associated with the decline of album oriented rock.
I certainly don't think the decline in sales indicates a declining interest in music.
The answer is yes, they've been listening to music since they were quite young. In fact, their musical preferences - early indie music - reignited my own interest in music, after a number of "quiet" years.
We've been to many concerts together, both in the US (Portland, Seattle, DC) and, here, in Copenhagen.
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
You make a very good point Frihed89. I stand chastened and rebuked. I will definitely be more observant in future and think about it before I post. It is good to hear music does still matter for the younger generation.
At 63 I am far from fitting the age group you allude to (I see that you are 29) but my son is in that age group and cares not a wit to listen to recorded music but still spends many hours after work in front of his large screen TV watching sports or playing video games.
OTH he has never been into music much. From what he tells his friends fit the same pattern, except for one who fancies himself a hipster and listens to his one Coltrane LP on a Crosley Cruiser and mentions this at every turn because he wants to be cool.
Very few in that age group into stereo music systems and those who are focus mostly on equipment and equipment superstitions whipped up by the audio press and sites such as these and are not very adventurous when it comes to choice of music.
Those into computer audio could be a little more adventurous I would believe, but I base that on no real knowledge other than the fact that I, myself, spend a lot of time these days on the computer listening to music that is way off the beaten path. Then again, I often go out and buy a recording (vinyl or cd, usually cd as the low price makes the endeavour less risky) of what I heard and struck my fancy.
So, seems to me very few are actually taking time to sit in front of what I and many here consider real hi-fi systems.
People listen to *deliberately arranged sounds* all day long - all night long too, in some cases. Even those who don't have access to electricity will be busy making tunes for themselves. Even babies seem to do this.I doubt that it's possible for humans to remain truly silent and/or musci-less. Suppress speech and the thoughts continue to be endowed with tunefulness.
At least one primitive culture believed that if they stopped making music the physical world would disappear. So (it is claimed) they never stopped.
We may not always like the music being made by those around us but that is a topic in itself. Perhaps what you had meant to ask was, "Does anyone listen to music in a passionate and insightful manner anymore?"
Edits: 10/28/14
and VERY insightful.
As I age, I listen to music less and less. I don't know why. I have a
decent sized music library, almost all of which I really like, but feel
no inclination to play any of it most of the time. I used to lust after
Mosaic and Bear Family box sets constantly, now I don't. I don't go to
concerts any more.
And I don't play too much music in my head.
I'm also listening to less music playback than at any other time during the last 15 years. I still play it back in my head though. It's almost as if I'm trying to re-consider it or re-interpret it from the viewpoint of personal experience, I don't need the actual noise as much as I once did.Maybe you're a step ahead of me? Maybe you've discovered and experienced enough music, at least for the the time being? As the power of music becomes more and more ingrained, sometimes I find myself wanting periods of silence even more than intervals of noise. To paraphrase Stravinsky, "Silence is the basis of music."
All the same, there's always a certain magic to be found in blasting that stereo.
Edits: 10/28/14 10/28/14 10/28/14
I like silence. Edward Abbey wrote of "... the perfection of the silence
... ". I'm in complete agreement with him.
I also like to hike by myself (well, I take my 2 dogs when possible, which
means usually). I really enjoy the absence of the sounds of civilization,
and thrive on the sounds of birds, the wind, and moving water. It refreshes
me, I think. And as I hike, I usually mentally hum a snatch of some tune that has come to me unbidden. Usually something I really enjoy - Fletcher
Henderson's version of "Blue Lou" with Roy Eldridge and Chu Berry, for
instance. But sometimes, it's some trashy pop tune from my teenage years
- such as "Maybelline" by Chuck Berry. I hate it when that happens!
I used to think a lot about "desert island" music. No longer.
None of this means I have abandoned music. I have not. Sometimes I
just have to hear some Stan Getz, or Paul Desmond, or Johnny Hodges, or
the blues, or some killer bluegrass, or classical guitar. Or even
Chuck Berry!
A lot of young people go to the Proms at the Albert Hall London, always full house.and Rock concerts ( sh-t music) are sell outs. How are all the vast number of audio manufacturers surviving paying for expensive adverts ?
Most high-end audio companies are catering to the 1 percenters. Why you ask? Because those are the people that have money to spend. The rest of us are to busy just trying to survive.
A great system made up of new components can be gotten for little money these days for any willing to shop around and not fall into the trap of "in" subjective audio frivolity. More vintage components are another way to do it, although the prices have shot up.
Avoiding the trends is always a good way of getting bang for the buck.
So the one percenter comment is misplaced IMHO.
If you blamed the fact that too many people, especially the young, have precarious work and no hope of getting in their lifetime a real job with some security based on the 1% and their apparatchiks having found a way to syphon off more money I would say you are on to something.
P.S. Did gawd create private property?
And to think, you are almost 20 years my senior!
Dman
Analog Junkie
surely must be more than I percenters with the very large number of audio manufacturers .In the UK we have five Hi-Fi magazines full of adverts and of course the oldest of all Gramophone
Isn't it ironic ... that the technological access to music have never been better in the history of mankind, while at the same time the interest may be waning among the younger generation.
If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.
--Zen Proverb
"Isn't it ironic ... that the technological access to music have never been better in the history of mankind, while at the same time the interest may be waning among the younger generation."
The access to music in itself isn't a problem..... It's the reprocessing and overprocessing of music, and artists using it as a substitute for developing their craft.
The problem with the technological "advancements" in music is that those who developed these technologies were totally clueless in regard to how fragile great music really is. (There's nothing worse than a timeless classic remastered with Auto-Tune.) And now that most recent music is broken, we rarely hear great artists nowadays. And I think this is why so many younger people aren't attracted to music like we once were.
In the November issue of Stereophile Steve Guttenberg mentions the growing popularity of Loudness Normalization among streaming services.
If I'm a producer using compression to simply make commercial playback sound louder ie. loudness wars, the possibility of a second revenue stream for a recording might very well be the uncompressed high fidelity version with all the impact of a film soundtrack.
Nah, that'll never happen.
There are two problems with "loudness normalization".... One is deviation in waveform fidelity relative to the original signal, because there is loss of precision in the conversion. The same signal is handled by fewer bits, in most cases. (This is a conversion that would benefit from dithering.) Two is that the normalization is applied by the consumer, *after* the recording was already dynamically compressed.... Once you lose it, you cannot get it back. You'll just hear the same compression at a lower volume.
The only way "loudness normalization" would work is it it were to be applied prior to limiting or dynamic compression during the *recording* process.... By the engineers at the studio.... But it seems like too few producers are willing to put out a recording that's demonstrably lower in perceived volume than the competition.
What everyone has said is completely true. I agree with what everyone has said. I myself find it very sad that a lot of music is beginning to become forgotten. I have ran into a few people younger than myself who never heard of Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mithcell, Carole King, etc. I found this very upsetting. I just recently talked to a friend who grew up in the 90s and had no idea who Bjork was. Really? I feel like I'm a dying breed of folks who love to hear new music. I often hear and have seen documentaries about previous generations and how important music was to those generations. It's not like that now, makes me very sad :(
I ask that as you said you find it upsetting that younger people aren't aware of many classic rock artists.I routinely look at my daughter's and son's friends' music "Likes" on Facebook and, for the most part, don't recognize a soul. I'm not talking about "likes" of common groups/artists like Gaga, Adele, Kei$ha, TI, Snoop, sure, I recognize them, but there are literally hundreds of artists that I don't recognize. That's the music soundtrack of their lives and for the most part, we older geezers are as oblivious of their music as they are of ours.
I knew 3 of these (one of my daughter's "friends" music "likes")
Red Leather
Grand Boulevards
The Beat Down
Dezi 5
The Room Sounds
Signal Hill
Kings of Leon
Zac Brown
Neon Trees
Gen Rummy
Brandy Carlile
5 Finger Discount
3 Days Grace
Adele
David St. Romain
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Edits: 10/28/14
But then again, most music I listen to (even recently released stuff) isn't popular or even mainstream...
Dman
Analog Junkie
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"Do I have to spell it out?
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I'm sure they are good. The bigger thing is regardless of the original poster's question, how many people actually LIKE the popular stuff?
Personally, there is a lot out there that I can't be bothered with. I think most mainstream stuff for me ended around Maroon 5's Songs About Jane. I've heard of Adele (there's the ONE I mentioned), and she can sing and has talent! Just not my taste...
Now if you want to talk to me about bands like TU, Bass Communion, Steve Wilson, and relative unknowns like Silmica (shameless self promotion plug!) and Gardens and Villa, then I'm at least in the 21st century with regards to music. Just that nobody has heard of most of it! LOL
Dman
Analog Junkie
et al..
I wouldn't say I'm a big Porcupine Tree fan but Stupid Dreams (DVD-A) gets as much playing time as any other CD I own.
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"Do I have to spell it out?
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That one is a masterpiece of songwriting, production and engineering (Alan Parsons recorded the tracks, Wilson did final mixes!). Sounds great in all formats (surround DVD-A/Blu-ray, stereo CD and Vinyl), IMHO!
Dman
Analog Junkie
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"Do I have to spell it out?
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Dman
Analog Junkie
When I was growing up we only had music. The kids have so many options nowadays and music is at the bottom of their list.
"When I was growing up we only had music. The kids have so many options nowadays and music is at the bottom of their list."
I think you've got it!
I grew up pre... well about pre everything. No TV, two radio stations, a good library and 78rpm crackomatic records on an unreliable changer. And in the summer, a couple of drive-ins. Guess what, we mostly read. Too much according my parents when they tried to get any work out of us! At least THAT part probably hasn't changed, just the details!
Rick
I just have a hard time understanding it. When I was growing up I remember discovering a lot of artists for the first time like:
Frank Zappa, Robert Johnson, Godspeed You Black Emperor, My Bloody Valentine, Joni Mithcell, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, and so much more and it was all because I loved the band Garbage. I also recall hearing 'Transformer Man' by Neil Young live on my first set of Advent Large. I thought that was just it at the time. I found it so amazing it brought tears of joy. That still happens to me with music even now. But I just have a very hard time understanding why music doesn't seem very important. No one even buys complete albums anymore. Sure it's MP3 and streaming now and I do use these media formats but I myself must hear the whole album. Plus when I was growing up there were albums that I just had to have whether or not they were of my generation or previous generation. I bought lots of vinyl and CDs in my teens.
I have said this over 100 times on this site. Young people don't care about music or sound quality. All they care about is their stupid computer games and there smart phone.
Most young (and let's face it, almost ALL people who aren't in our ballgame) simply don't understand WHAT good sound is in the first place! Hard to care about something that one doesn't know exists! They haven't been taught, maybe because even their parents (people MY age) didn't know either! Heck, I was the first of my group of friends to even have a CD player and knew what digital recording and playback were!)
Cut back to the new generation (our sons and daughters)- Great example; my best friend's daughter- She's 20 and "discovered" vinyl about two or so years ago. She buys anything she can on LP if it is available AND downloads it for portable playback, all the way from the Blade Runner RED vinyl (she is a Sci-Fi NUT), through classic and prog rock (parents grew up as avid Deep Purple and Pink Floyd fans) and she loves underground and little known bands (she even turned me and D-wife onto a newer group called Gardens and Villa, for example).
She is totally elated that I am giving her my vinyl duplicates- some jazz (Weather Report, Coltrane, Jimmy Smith), classical (various everything) and some older stuff (prog, classic rock). She isn't into a massive, high end stereo, yet. But her stuff is respectable and she doesn't abuse the records. Interesting because, she saw her parents do it and grew up around it.
And yes, she does have a smart phone, a laptop AND is into digital art (photography and editing)...
Dman
Analog Junkie
.
"I have said this over 100 times on this site. Young people don't care about music or sound quality. All they care about is their stupid computer games and there smart phone."
The problem isn't computer games and smart phones.... The problem is music destroying "technologies" like Auto-Tune.
I also wouldn't cite the young people themselves.... If I were one of them, I'd probably be doing the same thing.
I am encountering more and more people, mostly of younger age, who think music is a frivolous exercise that isn't worth wasting any time or money over.
I don't recall encountering such an individual during the first half of my lifetime, but I've encountered roughly ten such individuals in 2014 alone.
(One of these people was at my place recently to provide insurance quotes. A well-dressed man in his late 20s or early 30s. Saw the two systems. He was dumbfounded that I could "waste so much time and money over something so useless". I offered to play him some music, he told me don't even bother. He had no interest in music in any shape, matter, or form. He had a similar attitude toward sports, but I have encountered someone on AA who had such an attitude toward sports.)
I have my theories over why such attitude has surfaced, I believe the decline in mainstream music has played a role.
That would be the folks in my age range. A lot of my friends don't understand why I still buy music (because its honest and I want quality sound). They also don't understand why I have the type of equipment I have. I have a very hard time getting a lot people I know to listen to different music. I can't even find anyone to talk to about music or audio in my area.
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