My take on the Music Industry

Music is a wonderful thing.

It has this magical ability to bring people together in ways few others can.  There’s this feeling that cannot be matched when you sit with someone, just listening to an album that you both love together.  It can capture and create emotions and memories better than pretty much anything on this world.  In fact, there is an intensely successful industry pumping out song after song on almost a regular basis.  That being said…

Don’t be that kid.  For God’s sake, don’t be that kid.

I don’t have any idea where this came from, but especially since the dawn of YouTube, flame wars have erupted almost everywhere in comment sections of music videos, full of makeshift music critics and Beliebers/Directioners/Basically any other preteen viciously fighting behind the shade of anonymity about how much better than the other side they are because they like one song better than the other.

Sound stupid?  Good.  BECAUSE IT REALLY IS.

The arguments go something like this.  On a music video of a song written in, say, 1983, the comments are full of people praising this artist like he or she is the God of music and that music today has completely gone down the drain.  Then some kid or internet troll has to come in and be all “Man lolz dis sucks haha Justin bieber is wayyyy better lol ur all fags,” and it just escalates from there.  Likewise, just take a look at the warzone that is the comments section of Justin Bieber’s hit, “Baby.”

Actually, I suggest you don’t.  You’d probably cause massive damage from the facepalms that ensued from reading all the comments and spam.

The crème de la crème of these comments, however, are the comments posted by that kid.  The “Im 12 yrs old n Justin bieber SUXXXXX lol he a fag n cnt compeet wit the old stuff METALLICA KIX ASS lol” comment.

I had to wash my hands after typing that, I felt so filthy.

But seriously.  What does being twelve years old have to do with what kind of music you listen to?  Are you somehow more insightful than your peers because you don’t listen to generic pop music?  How does that make you a better person?  How is your age a qualification for being a music critic?  And how can you compare a pop song with a metal song? THEY ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS.

I won’t lie, there are some truly awful selections from top stars.  I mean, this song

makes this song

look like this:

But at the same time, I wouldn’t side with the snarky old folks just yet.  Don’t get me wrong, I could write a book on everything that’s wrong with the music industry these days, but here’s the kicker.

According to dictionary.com, these are the first two definitions for the word “industry.”

1. The aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product: the automobile industry; the steel industry.
2. Any general business activity; commercial enterprise: the Italian tourist industry.

So, industry is a group of businesses, right?  Right!  And businesses have a top priority of making money right?  Right!  And what business decisions will always make the most money?  Safe gambles!  So basically, by being that kid, you are insulting a business for…gosh, I don’t know, BEING A GODDAMN BUSINESS.  The music industry literally is an industry.  It is capitalism at its finest.  Just like Target and Hot Topic, where you most likely bought those Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Van Halen, and Metallica shirts.  Crazy, right?

This is nothing new either.  Since humans have been able to make money off of recorded music, there will always be the music industry right on the tails of the next big music sensation.  You can’t say the music industry is all the same and terrible now without looking at what its been doing for the last sixty years at least.  And don’t go running around telling me that music was better in the older days.

1997.  Aqua’s Barbie Girl.  Eiffel 65’s Blue (Da Ba Dee).  Any grunge act that’s not Nirvana or Pearl Jam.  Hair Metal.  The Monkees.  The Beach Boys.  Disco.  Any "British Invasion" band that isn't The Who, The Beatles, or The Rolling Stones.  There literally thousands of songs that have been forgotten because they weren’t good pop songs, even if they were popular at the time.  That fate awaits every shitty pop hit that’s out there now.  If you need a little extra reminder, here’s one bit of proof.  Remember Fergie’s solo album and that song “Fergalicious?”

Yeah.  Me neither.

And all music sounds the same now?  Tell me more about your top 10 favorite AC/DC or Metallica song slideshow videos on YouTube.

I can imagine those twenty minutes on Windows Movie Maker and an hour of rooting through your dad’s old CDs really took a toll out of your social lifestyle.  Shouldn’t you be off to a Magic:  the Gathering tournament or something?  Better go early and pick up a 2-liter of Mountain Dew along the way.

OF COURSE popular music sounds the same!  It's called a genre. There are similarities in every single one.  Of course what's popular is going to be all from one genre.  It's what the public wants.

No, see, the funny thing is, music is more diverse now than it has EVER been.  Thanks to the likes of the internet, new artists are constantly releasing new music.  Here are three songs that have released music since 2010.

Arctic Monkeys- RU Mine

I Believe-from The Book of Mormon musical

The Strokes-All the Time

Man, I couldn't separate these three songs from the computer-generated pop or hipster acoustic sets.  Sorry about these awful examples.

In short, please stop insulting the music industry for doing what it blatantly tells you in its name it will do.  The problem isn’t that the business is only in it for the money.  The problem is that it took you over fifty years to find out.  And I tell you what, if the old music REEEEAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY is that much better, here’s an old song for you.

What?  You won’t listen to it?  Not your genre?  Oh, how considerate of you to respect musical opinions.

Let's recap here.  If you don't like a song, don't listen to it.  Don't post a comment on the official YouTube video saying the artist is gay if you don't like the song.