Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 1:24:22 GMT
Another interesting article, but one which I, on a personal level, cannot identify with. It postulates that as we get older, we listen to less new (Popular) music. Some of the comments after the article are very close to my feelings. What it doesn't take into account, apart from the particularly valid questions concerning sample makeup (i.e. how representative in gender, age, ethnicity etc.) is that the dominant form of popular music for the past 10 or 15 years has been rap/hip-hop. What if you are absolutely open to new music, but simply don't like hip-hop or Rap?
I strongly suspect that almost all of the regular posters here are completely open-minded concerning 'new music', i.e. new to them.
A great recent example of a personal nature, is my discovery of the Brazilian Manguebit band Nacao Zumbi. After watching the fantastic film "Senna", I loved the bit of music during the end credits. A bit of "Play/Pause" button magic told me the name of the band. I then d/l the particular track, then the album the track came from, and because I liked what I heard I went on to Amazon and bought the cd. (D/l is great, but I feel you should always support the artist with cold, hard, cash.).
Now, Manguebit is a completely new musical form to me, but I loved it irrespective of the fact it was 'new' to me. However, if it had been gangsta-rap, I wouldn't have d/l it, not because it was new music, or popular music, but because I don't like Hip-hop/gangsta/rap.
Here's the article . . .
Losing touch with popular Music
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 27, 2015 6:01:55 GMT
Possibly hifi people are different, Jeff. Much more open to a wider range of music.
Sometimes though, hifi people are driven by the music while others are driven by the gear, so they tend to prefer music that highlights the strengths of their gear more than music that conveys strong emotion.
To be honest, I listen to anything but I do think as many get older, they become leas tolerant.
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gommer
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Post by gommer on Apr 27, 2015 8:32:13 GMT
Hi Jeff,
I think you're missing the point of the article. It does not say that you narrow you're taste while getting older, it does say that you tend to move away from listening to (or follow) popular music. It might imply you get more selective in your choices.
I do agree with this. My wonder years were the 80's and I can't believe what crap I listened to at the time. From time to time I get nostalgic and download some music that I liked very much back then and I can't stand some of it these day. Some examples are Wham, Boney M, Jean Michel Jarre, Grace Jones. The good stuff remains, I have plenty of 80's music in my collection that gets regular playtime. The point is that you get more selective and can't be bothered by the fact that it's popular music. If it's crap, it's crap.
These days I don't even know what popular music is, so I can't be influenced by popularity by definition. When I discover new music these day, it can be from any era. In recent years I'm really digging some great 70's music. But it can just as well be a more recent creation.
Cheers, Marc
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 27, 2015 9:11:35 GMT
I tend to listen with the time in mind. For instance, Wham in the 80's were aiming at young teenage girls as their target audience so everything that they did was with this in mind. As Music/hifi people, we don't tend to take audience into consideration. We just look for what we think is 'superior' music.
I can appreciate 80's chart music just for what it is rather than worry about anything deeper. That's how Michael Jackson stayed up there for so long. He knew his audience really well.
It's something that Classical music fans do routinely. They consider when the piece was written and who it was intended for. For instance, Haydn worked under a system of patronage. This means in effect, he was a servant for a rich family. (The Esterhazy family) this meant that he had to write music very quickly, sometimes for specific occasions but more importantly, the people employing him had to like it!! (Not necessarily him)
In the 80's, the rich familiy's place was taken over by record companies who did reaearch and virtually dictated very often to chart bands exactly what they wanted in terms of music and branding, plus of course, the look. Those features may not necessarily represent what the artists themselves want but money speaks.
Same with rap. It's aimed at a specific audience and it's not us. So surprise... Many don't like it. Having said that, I still think that some of the material produced by Eminem (not all) is pretty clever in the way he uses lyrics and rhythms in his work.
Another upstart that many hated in the 70's was Zappa. I was a real fan of his work, both rock and classical. Some of it was wayward (like Eminem) but he was a clever musician as well.
For the wider understanding of music, we need to know what's behind it to appreciate it otherwise it becomes just prefering one 'sound' to another with no real savvy about what is actually going on. Once you get an understanding of the background, the music becomes way more meaningful.
Having said that, I also lost touch with popular music and my heart left it, years ago.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 12:50:37 GMT
Hi Jeff, I think you're missing the point of the article. It does not say that you narrow you're taste while getting older, it does say that you tend to move away from listening to (or follow) popular music. It might imply you get more selective in your choices. Hi Marc, I don't think I'm missing the point. The point of the article is, to quote, "The short story? The older we get, the less adventurous we get" . I have become much more adventurous as I have got older. I listen to far more styles of music now, than I did when I was 15, or 20. The simple reason I don't listen (much) to 'popular' music is not because I'm older, but because I personally don't like the current 'popular' style. If the current popular style was Rock, or Electronic, or vocal-based singer-songwriter, I would regularly listen to it.
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Post by ronzo56 on Apr 27, 2015 14:39:28 GMT
Not sure how much difference there is between what's pop there vs. US, but I don't dislike a lot a of pop music today as much as I am bored by it. A lot of it sounds so similar that I have trouble making out the different artists. It is almost like there are only 5 or 6 people writing alll the hip/hop songs. For me also rap has run it's course. I was there at the beginning and it just is running out of a team. At least me me. Time for something different and experimental. All this demographics has killed pop music's creative edge. My wife likes "The Voice" , I know Ian, dreadful, but I watch it with here sometimes. I wonder why they keep choosing most of the music from the 1960's and '70's? Surely I'm not The Voices's demographic, it fact I'm not anybody's demographic except Turner Classic Movies! . Is it because they need songs that stand out from each other? However yes, in my experience my friends and I have lost touch with what is popular in current music for the most part.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 18:17:25 GMT
I see a distinction between popular music & commercial music. I'm 50 and listen to a broader range of music now than I ever have but I don't listen to the commercial stuff. It mostly sounds bland to me.
Commercial music isn't even really about music at all any more. It's about all the associated bling that goes with it. Impressionable youngsters now don't just buy the music, or even the t-shirt. There's often a full range of clothing endorsed by the artists themselves. Sorry, I said artists there. Piss artists more like.
To my mind music has never been as good as it is now. It's just become far more difficult to find because of all the dross that's out there.
Personally, I blame Stock, Aitken & Waterman. They set the template for what the music industry has become.
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Post by ronzo56 on Apr 28, 2015 1:31:36 GMT
I had a short conversation with a couple of my charges at lunch. They said that music is sort of background sound to whatever else you are doing so they don't really focus on the music or lyrics that much. On a brighter note, one person did indicate that he was listening more just to listen since he got his headphones. So there is hope. On a darker note I am watching people in Baltimore, Maryland looting stores and burning down buildings!
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 28, 2015 6:31:31 GMT
That looks nasty, Ron. Not the best way to get sympathy or justice. Great pity it has to escalate into that.
The idea of a 'Purge' comes from the film I guess. Where there is a day of lawlessness for all. Very nasty film and it seems that some of these things are mimicked in real life. Apparently, it was all arranged for 3pm.
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Post by ronzo56 on Apr 29, 2015 12:27:49 GMT
That looks nasty, Ron. Not the best way to get sympathy or justice. Great pity it has to escalate into that. The idea of a 'Purge' comes from the film I guess. Where there is a day of lawlessness for all. Very nasty film and it seems that some of these things are mimicked in real life. Apparently, it was all arranged for 3pm. There appears to be some dispute over the 3 PM arrangement. May have come from a statement put out by the police. Others are disputing that anything was arranged. The whole thing is a mess. Lot of issues it seems between the local police and the community. Been ready to boil over for a long time, The looting and arson are just criminal behavior not protesting. Using the protests as an excuse. I guess the protests were peaceful today. Unfortunately we have a history of large riots in our bigger cities that goes back decades. Very complicated to explain. Many layers to all of this. I am a long ways away from it all, almost 4000 Km.
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