Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cara Coleen on April 3, 2010 at 11:40am

Excellent article! Thanks for posting it :) What do you do for a living, btw?

Permalink Reply by Atheist Exile on April 4, 2010 at 2:17am

Hi Cara,

I used to be a network analyst (Cisco device configuration and troubleshooting, packet analysis with Sniffer, etc.) but retired (early), at the age of 52, in June of 2006. Within the next 2 months, I had sold all my worldly goods and expatriated to the Philippines to be with a woman I had met here on an earlier visit.

The short answer is, I'm retired. But I assist my wife and her church in local charitable efforts. Otherwise, I tutor the boys in math and English and spend way too much time online :-)

Permalink Reply by Norton Rosco Lucas on May 23, 2010 at 6:45pm

Maybe that's why I hate bands that follow trends... sigh... that's all I got.

Permalink Reply by Cara Coleen on May 23, 2010 at 8:26pm

Er, what? Ha... do you mind explaining? I'd love to hear why you think that relates :)

Permalink Reply by Atheist Exile on May 23, 2010 at 8:50pm

Hi Cara,

Now you've got me wondering if I understood Norton's point when I wondered off topic with my reply.

Norton: Did I understand you properly?

Permalink Reply by Atheist Exile on May 23, 2010 at 8:28pm

Yeah, Norton,

I'll be straying off-topic with this reply. I think I'll also post it as a blog entry.

It's funny how there's a virtually infinite number of ways to combine musical notes into a song but only a select few styles and genres dominate popular music at any given time. Until the advent of free (or pirated) .MP3 music files, I used to think the limited variety of popular music was due to record labels and radio stations pushing groups and artists that fit a formulaic mold determined by perceived trends. But with everybody (for a decade now) downloading any song they wish, we're finding that popularity still conforms to existing genres.

Much of American culture has been exported (and emulated) around the world via our music. Blues, jazz, rock and roll, country western, motown, rap, gospel, etc. Why does our music hold such sway in other cultures? This might be a good thing for American music companies but I don't think it's good for original, innovative, music.

I've felt, for quite a while now, that popular music needs an infusion of new and unique creative influences. Musical stagnation has been increasing for decades. Have you noticed how the practice of "covering" older songs (or parts of them) has grown over recent years? It's as if artists are finding it more and more difficult to create original material.

Maybe it's the audience and not the performers who are in a rut. Perhaps there's a world of great music out there that goes unnoticed because the audience is conditioned to favor existing musical formulas. Trends are normally short-lived and in constant flux. I don't know that we can say there's anything really trendy about popular music any more. Or maybe I’m just getting old. :-)