Not that long, perhaps around 1998 (the high-point of electronica’s intrusion into the mainstream), I felt on top of contemporary music. I owned a lot of interesting contemporary music. I even owned top-10 CDs (by electronic artists).
Now, not 4 years later, I find myself completely at odds with today’s contemporary music. I listen to these rap/metal bands, and I think they’re all crap. I listen to pop, I think it’s crap.
There’s very, very little music being put out today that I’m a fan of I fear.
Is this saying something about the music industry, or is it me?
Already, were I parent, I think that its pretty clear I would be at odds with my kid’s choice of music v. my own. I continue to listen to the acts that I liked when I was 20-ish, and don’t like alot of new music.
Granted, there are several acts that are contemporary that I love.
But I think their styles tend to be reminiscent of music from a few years ago.
Most are bands that I liked then, and continue to like now.
With DJs, whereas 2 years ago, I could go out to a club and identify pretty much every track spun, when last I ventured out, I think I knew one, because the DJ threw on ‘Heaven Scent’ for old time’s sake, I suppose.
Am I getting old? I’m certainly getting out of touch - not listening to the radio much or getting out much. I still tune in to the odd betalounge show, but that’s about it.
The other change (this much more financially driven than anything else)? I haven’t bought a new CD in I think 8 months now.
And as I refuse to get mp3s of commercially-released music I don’t own, it has severley impacted my hearing new music. I used to by CDs based on good labels/producers/album covers/previous albums/etc. - I didn’t need much pretext to buy a CD.
Now? while my list of ‘to buy’ CDs has grown to around 80-odd, I haven’t bought a one.