Why does most popular music suck?

Question

It seems like there are fewer and fewer artists who are in it mainly for the creativity are actually getting recognized by society.

Answer 1

I agree that popular music sucks. Basically the radio stations only play music they think the most people will listen to. The posers get together and attempt to get famous by making crap music and trying to get their songs played on the radio. Posers only listen to mainstream music so their vision of the type of music they think they are playing is altered. That causes an almost endless cycle. Radio station plays stupid music, idiots try to copy the music, the radio station plays the idiots' music, etc. The keyword to crappy popular music is "posers".

Answer 2

Because most music consumers suck. People don't want creativity or depth... they want candy-coated entertainment! I think that's more or less always been the case. Every so often you hit an era where there is some artistically-viable music in the Top 10, and being intelligent is in style. The early to mid 90s comes to mind. But usually, popular music is just simple stuff you don't need to think about. People want to have fun, and most people will tell you that thinking isn't fun. They want songs about love or partying or whatever. Hey, just look at the music of the 50s! Peggy Sue, the Twist, etc etc... I mean, it doesn't get any more mindless than that! The 60s had some creative stuff, particularly when the Beatles entered into their psychedelic phase. The 70s had some good times (Floyd) and some bad (dISCO). And the 80s was DEFINITELY a pop-driven decade! Even the heavy metal was all about parties and girls! So it's nothing new, really. You just need to find your music outside the mainstream, just like every other generation of music connoseurs.

Answer 3

I think it's just part of the music cycle. Since the beginning of pop music, there have always been a few really awesome years followed by a decade-long creative drought. Let me show you what I mean:
1956- Elvis paves the way for a bunch of previously unrecognized R&B artists, rock n' roll becomes popular. Great music.

1959- Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, and Richie Valens die in a plane crash; Elvis joins the Army. Rock music becaomes a festering pool of dorks like Fabian and a bunch of one-hit wonders.

1964- The Beatles invade America and bring their kick-@$$ British friends with them. Then, 1967 is the Summer of Love and really cool psychedelic music happens. OK, then singer/songwriters like James Taylor and Carole King get popular, and let's not forget Bob Dylan. The world gets lucky and has about 10 years of good pop music in a row.

1975- The Bee Gees, disco revolution, polyester...need I say more?

1979-Punk, new wave, etc. makes pop cool again. Then in the 80's Michael Jackson releases Thriller, so that was awesome.

1987-Musical suck-fest begins and goes until like 1992, featuring one-hit wonders and lame bands like New Kids on the Block, Wilson Phillips, and the ultimate lamest pop act ever, Vanilla Ice (not that I didn't love them all, but I was like 9, and now I can admit they were lame)

1992- Grunge music saves pop once again, making things cool again until about '96. Mad props to Alanis Morrissette for Jagged Little Pill during this time.

1997- Music starts to suck again, just in time for my senior year of high school. Thanks to Britney Spears, boy bands, and the Latin Explosion (though, one again, I must admit I loved them all at the time), pop is once again on the downswing. And the Spice Girls! Yikes!!! Oh, and that whole swing music thing- what the hell was that???

2002- A couple really good singer/songwriters like John Mayer try to make a dent in the pop wasteland.

Present day- We've got the emo kids trying to reinvent the wheel by combining the traditional combo band concept with some new wave and punk principles (and I must admit I like them best out of what pop music has to offer these days); we've got acts like Fergie who feel that all they have to do to be a "musician" is spell words like "glamorous" and "delicious" while basically talking to a drumbeat; and we have wannabe punk people like Avril Lavigne, trying so hard to be hardcore and failing miserably. It's no wonder the Spice Girls are reuiniting. I think we're about due for another upswing, though.

Answer 4

Yeah! I see you're point. A lot of popular music >>these days<< seems to be a bit of a dissapointment for some reason (not that I'm saying all of it is). I usually go for the music that's more, for lack of a better term, "underground", i guess. I don't really like things that a A LOT of people I know like. It just doesn't feel right. Normally, that's how I am. I like something that i feel is "mine" because its unique or unknown to those around me.

Good question, 1 star for you :)

-Shaii

Answer 5

Because they don't take the time to actually sit down and write notes and smart lyrics. All they sing about is humping, licking someone's dingleberries or something like that. You've also got your 20-30 year old singers (emo) singing about how lame their parents are and being a teenager is. I mean, COME ON, you're 30 years old! Why are you still living with your parents or singing about troubles that you're over? Lame. And everyone falls for it. Oh, and every band out there sounds the same, and every song out there is about the same things, too.

Answer 6

Mainstream (popular) music sucks because the artists cares about making money and isn't making music because they love it. They are in it for money and fame. I listen to rap, but I do not listen to crap like 50 cent. I listen to underground rap which is far better than 50 cent crap.

Answer 7

popular music "sucks" because it has to appeal to everyone from 16 to 60. corporations that run the music industrie are the ones who control what is played, by who, and where. so bands that are "cool" hardly get any play at all. and if you do here a "cool" band that you like on the radio, chances are they sold out to get exposure, which makes them mainstreme and very uncool.

Answer 8

Omg i thought i was the only one who felt this way. That's why I listen to mostly my old CDs because with modern music....it all sounds the same. And i could care less about hearing someone sing about how much money they have or how many people they've been with, or how they enjoy dancing in the clubs!

And no I'm not old...im only 22.

Answer 9

I agree with you 100 percent, I listen to these really popular songs and I think that they are all the same and it is so annoying, no one comes up with there own stuff anymore.

Answer 10

Because people are brain washed drones and if corporate music mogals tell them something is good they'll say "yes master" and run it into the ground while they spend all of their hard earned money on the stupid crap that goes with it.