I'm sorry but the new pop music from America is just the always screaming Rihanna with 10 year old house music saws and 808. Nothing fresh about it but finally the majority of the Americans seem to like it. They're always a bit slow with grasping things there.

___________________

Storyteller Website | Storyteller @ Facebook | Storyteller @ Beatport | Storyteller @ Soundcloud | Stephen J. Kroos - Europa (Storyteller Remix)
Anthony Mea - Get It On (Storyteller Remix)

quote:

If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

What -FSP- said, explains pretty much my opinions on Europe vs. America. Though I keep asking myself, why does Americans nowadays generally tend to ruin dance music? With the uprising of stuff like American Idol, Disney-fuelled singers and superstars that are nothing but quite good singers, I think the reason might be that there is something that has lead people to become lazy.

You see, I think there has been some changes in the entire structure of the music industry as a whole, so that required skills have been re-prioritized. It seems that the labels are ignoring the actual creative and intellectual people, while instead embracing those social-skill and communication "expert"-douches that fill the top 40 charts at the moment. And this probably not just the music industry that suffers from this, but most other industries as well.

This is getting a bit off-topic, but it seems that, from an Aspberger's-Syndrome-kid's perspective, the brilliant, smart and divergent-thinking peopled seem to be ignored, booed out and even death threatened, while social skills and communication skills are becoming more and more accepted and embraced. Probably because it's those skills almost all "normal" people tend to posses. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking a bit.

___________________
An ideadump

quote:

Originally posted by pointPi You see, I think there has been some changes in the entire structure of the music industry as a whole, so that required skills have been re-prioritized. It seems that the labels are ignoring the actual creative and intellectual people, while instead embracing those social-skill and communication "expert"-douches that fill the top 40 charts at the moment. And this probably not just the music industry that suffers from this, but most other industries as well. This is getting a bit off-topic, but it seems that, from an Aspberger's-Syndrome-kid's perspective, the brilliant, smart and divergent-thinking peopled seem to be ignored, booed out and even death threatened, while social skills and communication skills are becoming more and more accepted and embraced. Probably because it's those skills almost all "normal" people tend to posses. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking a bit.

It's always been this way. Take this old American ditty;

' He who wishes down a well will never make as many dollars as he who climbs a tree and hollars'.

I saw a documentary about a top UK art school. At year end they interviewed the head teacher and he was saying only about 2% of students ever make it big in art and he said these were not necessarily the most talented but were the best networkers.

This has always been the case. Look at the story behing people like chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Speilberg, James Dean and many more - it was down to thier unstoppable belief and constantly getting in front of the right people.

You cannot excpect some hidden sky God to go find your audience - you need to do it.

Also my kids hate EDM really and love American pop with it's trance influence. We can bemoan it all we like, but it's like Cola - easy to engage with in a busy world.

___________________
https://soundcloud.com/butlerrichard

It's very interesting to me to read Europeans' opinions of American pop music because not only am I an American, I'm a pop-culture moron. Seriously, I have never seen an episode of American Idol and literally haven't turned on a pop radio station in 10 years or so, so I can't even name a song from Rihanna (although I'm sure I've heard her stuff on commercials, in stores, etc. and just never made the connection). My car's radio doesn't even have any local radio stations programmed into it. So, I guess my point is that, given how easy it is for ME to avoid, it doesn't seem that American pop culture is very pervasive these days, given all the alternate routes of finding music and other art forms, so it's very easy to avoid having it shoved down our throats, which leaves me wondering how accurate other countries' perceptions of American pop culture really are????

I honestly don't know the answer to that and I'm not really arguing that Europeans don't have a clue as to what's going on over here. But, I can definitely say for myself that I don't have much of a clue as to what's popular in the rest of the world. Is American pop music force-fed to you guys?

___________________
cryophonik.com | facebook | soundcloud

Sonar Platinum | Ableton Live 9 | Logic Pro X | Access Virus TI2 Keyboard | Kurzweil PC3X | Nord Lead 4R | NI Maschine

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik So, I guess my point is that, given how easy it is for ME to avoid, it doesn't seem that American pop culture is very pervasive these days, given all the alternate routes of finding music and other art forms, so it's very easy to avoid having it shoved down our throats, which leaves me wondering how accurate other countries' perceptions of American pop culture really are????

Interesting thoughts. The thing is American pop is dominant here in the UK, and moreover this is because they make what kids want to here. My kids are 8 and 10 and love all things Am,erican when it comes to music and it dominates on freeview digital tv here.

Thier heroes are Timberlake, 50c, flowrida and so on.
At thier school disco thats what the kids want and the young kid market is very valuable in terms of revenue.

So from my view it is not a case of haing it shoved down throats, its the case, as with films that America supplies what the masses want.

Similarly if we go round to our average jo blow friends it's the same stuff playing that the kids like with some what we might loosely term more 'mature' guitar based indie stuff to for example by Keane.

People who deem themselves as having a 'higher taste' when it comes to music here would prefer an Indie sound that is less commercial though. I myself do not like commercial radio as it's a barrange of non stop noise so I listen to documentaries and news on the radio.

America has long been good at providing what the masses want.
'High culture' film people here bemoan American blockbusters and cry that America mopps up all the funbding and I find myself screaming at the radio saying "well if you make what the masses want you will get the funding". You cannot expect other Humans to risk thier families money non an undergroung right on project that has a high chance of failure - THIS is the point artistes seem to miss - cthat someone somewhere will lose real money if your mlittle arty project wet dream fails. Thats why Americans are sucesfull - they invest in things that people want.

If you want to be an uber cool in tact artist well then rick your own family money and make it happen BUT DONT MOAN THAT NO ONE IS SUPPORTING YOUR EGO DREAM.

___________________
https://soundcloud.com/butlerrichard

I can't stand to hear American radio anymore, I don't turn it on, I don't listen or watch any American media except like Science channel. The only American music I liked was classic rock, and come to think of it, most of the classic rock I liked or loved wasn't even American, ie- Zeppelin. As far as pop music, to me it died when MJ stopped being "the king of pop". I dunno tho, I guess, back in the day when I started going to nightclubs and doing the whole "trance scene" I really started to hate American made music.

But, on another note, like Cryo was touching on, its not really force fed to us anymore I don't think, I mean, everyone is on the net, everyone downloads music, and I'm sure many people are like me and look for anything new and exciting no matter what country it is from. I just love good music.

___________________
www.soundcloud.com/timestretcher

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler You cannot expect other Humans to risk thier families money non an undergroung right on project that has a high chance of failure - THIS is the point artistes seem to miss - cthat someone somewhere will lose real money if your mlittle arty project wet dream fails.

That is such a shit excuse.

All art projects have a high chance of failure, even ones that try to be "mainstream."

If you want lots of stable money, art is not the way to go. If you're so worried about supporting your family, go be a doctor, or an actuary, or petroleum engineer, or work as a lawyer for an insurance company. Then the world will have fewer crap-vendors whining (yes, whining) about how the market demands that they make shit.

no ones innovative.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler more 'mature' guitar based indie stuff to for example by Keane.

Just being a snob here but Keane doesn't have a guitarist.

I'm American and I fucking hate pretty much all of our pop culture. It's all disposible at this point and so obviously meant to make money instead of conveying anything even remotely artistic. It's garbage and anyone who actually thinks highly of it isn't trying hard enough or just doesn't care enough to. I don't know which situation is worse.

quote:

Originally posted by Kysora Just being a snob here but Keane doesn't have a guitarist. I'm American and I fucking hate pretty much all of our pop culture. It's all disposible at this point and so obviously meant to make money instead of conveying anything even remotely artistic. It's garbage and anyone who actually thinks highly of it isn't trying hard enough or just doesn't care enough to. I don't know which situation is worse.

I admire it. It puts a lot of bread on an awful lot of tables. So like any popular culture it may seem a 'sell out' but in this world if you are investing hard earned money THAT COULD OTHERWISE BE SPENT ON YOUR FAMILY, it's not so easy to risk it on a less safe bet.

We all say investors (actualy just ordinary folk most of the time)in a music firm should just look in thier childs eyes and say, 'you know what, I know you have dreams of college and nice vacations, but damn it I'm going to risk our money on some leftfield stuff and cross my fingers' - easy to say when your not in that position.

I like underground 'art' but I can also appreciate mainstream and have no problem.

Google and Tom Cruise are main stream as are Coke and Scottish steak.

___________________
https://soundcloud.com/butlerrichard

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler I admire it. It puts a lot of bread on an awful lot of tables. So like any popular culture it may seem a 'sell out' but in this world if you are investing hard earned money THAT COULD OTHERWISE BE SPENT ON YOUR FAMILY, it's not so easy to risk it on a less safe bet. We all say investors (actualy just ordinary folk most of the time)in a music firm should just look in thier childs eyes and say, 'you know what, I know you have dreams of college and nice vacations, but damn it I'm going to risk our money on some leftfield stuff and cross my fingers' - easy to say when your not in that position.

Stupid excuse for shit art.

If they want stable money, they can get a professional degree. Not flood the music world with their tripe.

Not even that, but why the fuck would anyone view music as a financial gamble? It just astounds me that anyone can approach something artistic and view the options as losing money vs making money. That kind of take on music just really doesn't sit well with me and it seems like it's the only reason there's so much absolute shit in mainstream American pop music.