Researchers find pop music is too loud and all sounds the same

[Wildstyle K]

How did this abruptly turn into an "Alternative Music" conversation? ;D

And since we're talking *ALL* pop music, I'll just say that today I heard "The Motto" by Drake followed by "Titanium" by David Guetta ft Sia, and... what a world of difference!

But other than that, most of it does sound more alike than different nowadays. Even the big late 90's - early 00's hip hop movement had more variety in sound until about 2004 or so when the southern rap took over.

 

[atlantaboy]

How did this abruptly turn into an "Alternative Music" conversation? ;D

Because corporate "pop" radio in 2012 is extremely reluctant to play any music it considers "Alternative", despite high ITunes sales (i. e. The Lumineers) - therefore, "pop" radio all sounds the same because anything sounding too different is recategorized as Alt/Rock

It's very simple - in 1996, Alternative music was considered "pop" music, so of course pop music didn't all sound the same - and same, to a degree, in 2006

 

[landtuna]

It's very simple - in 1996, Alternative music was considered "pop" music, so of course pop music didn't all sound the same - and same, to a degree, in 2006

I don't see any major difference between '96 and now. Quite frankly it still sounds like junk. Overrun with screaming females (yes, I'm talking about you Whitney Houston and friends) with beat boxes and now Autotune. Crap. Absolute crap.

 

[Wildstyle K]

The Taylor Swift one surely doesn't sound the same.

 

[BRH]

: Not really sure of the relevance of the study either way. It all boils down to the fact that CHR is posting it's biggest ratings in years and is not only popular with teens/20s, but also with more and more older adults in their 30s, 40s, & beyond who are still very active and in touch. Ok, the processing is louder, the tempo faster, etc, etc. It seems to be in touch with what the majority want. Clear Channel and the other big guys don't program what they do to "dictate" what we hear. They're here to make money & that's done by giving the biggest majority of listeners what they want to hear & what will translate into ad revenue. As far as the music dying in '83 or whatever, don't know his to respond to that other than to say it may be the case for you, but plenty are more than happy with the sound of today's pop music. I dare say this CHR boom is even bigger than the one that occurred in the early & mid 80s. (there are certainly more older people still listening to CHR than there were at that time).

 

[landtuna]

Not really sure of the relevance of the study either way.

If so, you have missed the entire point, which was simply that the originality and experimentation so prevalent from the mid-50's through the early 80's is gone and has been missing for the past 20 years.

And if you were to go back to the origins of music-on-the-radio beginning in the 20's you would find that new and different sounding music was always coming along and none of it was rejected to the level of disco, rap and hip-hop. The introduction of the music video made it possible for "artists" to become popular in the music field without much musical talent and that is still true and is perhaps the biggest reason we now have "sound alike" songs and singers.

It all boils down to the fact that CHR is posting it's biggest ratings in years and is not only popular with teens/20s, but also with more and more older adults in their 30s, 40s, & beyond who are still very active and in touch.

Perhaps a radio insider here can confirm your opinion but I don't know of a single teen or 20-something that listens to CHR. They are off listening to fractional genres if they listen to radio at all.

Ok, the processing is louder, the tempo faster, etc, etc. It seems to be in touch with what the majority want.

The survey didn't measure "what the majority want" - just that the music was louder and sounded the same.

I dare say this CHR boom is even bigger than the one that occurred in the early & mid 80s. (there are certainly more older people still listening to CHR than there were at that time).

Again, perhaps someone here can qualify your opinion. I don't necessarily believe it except that there are many more older people alive today than there ever have been. As a percentage of the population though....I don't know. I don't know of any of my peers ("older people") who listen to the radio at all unless it is AMD or PMD or a non-music genre (mostly talk or news).

 

[semoochie]

#27 is not particularly high to chart. If it peaks there, it will be considered to be a stiff! If it keeps moving up to say, #5, maybe pop radio will consider it for airplay.

 

[semoochie]

Apparently, I waited too long, so I'll post again. I found your Lumineers. They're currently #6 on both Rock Songs and Alternative Songs and #49 on the Hot 100, so maybe we'll hear them on Pop radio.