Every generation generally dislikes the music of the previous generation. This is simply the way things have been for over a century; simply put, whatever is new is not good when compared to what someone listened to when they were younger.
As I move into my mid-30s this coming November when I hit the big "33", I have begun to reflect back on my younger days, and what young people listen to today. I have to say, I hate today's music. Does that make me old? No! ...and here is why...
Simply put, today's music sucks. Before everyone looks at me with that judgmental look of age, I should explain why today's music sucks. Simply put, today's music, more than any time in the past, is fabricated.
American Idol began this trend earlier in the decade, as they pushed through year after year of 'the best of the worst', mediocre singers that have their careers because of American Idol, and not because of talent. This is not to say that a lot of good singers have gone through American Idol, but most did not win because they didn't win the canned look of music. Then the Disney Channel grabbed it's big push with a lot of hit shows with tweens, pushing even more trash into the mix.
Where in the 90s and prior, talent had to be discovered, now celebrity is created through the thoughtful combination of television shows, albums, stadium shows, and the power of a major corporation backing them. Singers have to be studio corrected in order to sing and deliver a 'good' product, by which this means one or two hit songs, and a bunch fo filler; to sell the whole ball of garbage on iTunes, they include 'bonus extras' to push kids to buy the $15 digital album that used to cost $10 in the store on CD 5 years ago. Ever wonder about those stickers espousing which "hit songs" which are on the album, even though all but one of those 'hit songs' hasn't had a single minute of radio play. The recording industry decides how many hit songs a band or singer will have, what those songs will be, and the order in which they will become 'hits'.
The reality is, there is good music today, so don't think that this is simply dismissing an entire generation of singers. Look at the bands that aren't coming out of the production facilities, but are being truly discovered through normal means. For every one of those bands the record industry makes famous, they produce ten others in their hype manufacturing facilities.
At the end of the day, there is still some good music being produced, but there is a lot more crap being churned out. Ultimately, it is up to the listener to bring out the good from the bad. However, I feel bad for the young kids today who are growing up without real talent, instead co-opting whatever is coming out of Disney. Even if it isn't Disney, a major corporation, etc.; it still doesn't make music less manufactured in many cases.
After all, I can't be the only one who wants to wretch at Justin Bieber.
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