Originally Posted by caliboy1994

Oh boy....here we go.....

In light of the recent happenings with the pop music industry's token prick, Justin Bieber, I think now is the right time for me to voice my opinion on the state of music today. For those of you who haven't heard, Bieber caused $20k damage by egging his neighbors' house, an act of vandalism that will (hopefully) land him in jail. Now, let's take a look at what exactly happened with Justin Bieber. The music industry found this kid from Canada who could play a few instruments, sing, and write a few songs. They took him in and made him into a superstar. They cultivated him into a teenage girl's dream boy. They hired writers and producers to “help” him make music, and he became the person who performed music written under his name, and in the process, also a spoiled brat. Now, here's the thing. He's not the only pop music legend that has followed this formula. Take a look at Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, and a majority of other big name music acts. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all mainstream and pop music is bad, nor are all of these people bad people. Some of them are genuinely talented and genuinely good and wholesome people, but others are essentially just performing artists, and nothing more. Some are even complete and utter jerks, like our friend Bieber. But the bottom line is that they are the ones who deploy mass-produced “music” to the populace that is created by the industry simply to generate profit.

And therein lies the problem. Much of mainstream music today is intended only to satisfy the masses. Songs are designed specifically to be catchy and relatable to the immediate interests of a majority of people in society. And when music is relatable and catchy, people listen to it. Bottom line. The people who produce, perform, and distribute this music resemble a marketing team rather than a group of actual musicians. This is not what music is all about, is it?

So then, what is music all about? Well, let's look at where it came from and what it's supposed to do for us. Music has been around perhaps longer than civilization itself, and has been used to experience emotions not attainable otherwise, to enhance spirituality, to connect with other human beings on a level that is simply not possible by any other means, and most of all, make us happy. Those who create it pour their hearts and souls into as well as their talent and skills. So then, what is “real” music? It's music that fits that definition; music that is created by people who are talented at what they do, and who want to share their emotions and experience with others through organized sound. And I don't care what genre it is. It could be the underground gangster rap that a teenager in Compton listens to that tells a story about hardships and experiences that he can relate to. Or the emotionally charged death metal that your high school's resident metal head pumps into his ears through his iPod in between class periods. Or the loud, dynamic, big room house music that thousands of people listen to and move their bodies to at electronic dance music festivals. And yes, it could be one of those rare pop music hits that was written, recorded, and performed by a truly talented and successful musician. It doesn't really matter in the end. Because all of this real music is created by people who want to share some aspect of their life experience with others. Music is not supposed to be about commercialization and feeding the masses. It's not supposed to be created by a specially commissioned team and mass marketed to generate profits for big name record companies. It's supposed to be about human beings communicating their hopes, dreams, fears, wishes, and emotions through a universal language that we can all understand. And that language is music.

I rest my case. End of rant.

Originally Posted by Funkthulhu

Huzzah! Imma go listen to my IDM, other Electronic Music, Jazz, and Tom Waits. Viva La Muscicians!