# data[].attributes.body
What caused music to become this way? Why has the music industry allowed this to continue? What can be done to prevent this from getting worse.

# data[].attributes.body
I would like to find music services where songs are relatively untouched by producers or radio stations.

# data[].attributes.body
This article is about how disappointing the current way music is created. It talks about how music is generally just slapped together with basic rhythms and vulgar language. it also talks about the stupidity of radio stations just playing the same songs over and over again till they reach the top songs playlist.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Every time I turn on the radio, I am disappointed to hear the same horrible, beat-heavy, meaningless, vulgar, mass of sound compiled together supposedly making a "song." Music today is worse than disco and country combined. In fact, songs today are just techno-wannabes, and who the hell would want to be like techno?

I haven't heard a single hit this year that I have actually loved. Sure, a lot of this year's music has been fun and catchy, very turn-up-the-volume-roll-down-the-windows kind of music, or dance music/awkward-sweaty-jumping-up-and-down-at-an-attempt-to-dance music.

When I play my music in my room, or listen to my iPod in the car, I want a song that I don't have to skip. I've found myself skipping all of my Top 40 songs, but staying on the older artists such as Elvis, Squeeze, Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen, Michael Jackson, and of course, The Beatles.

I want to hear an incredible voice when I turn on the radio. I want to hear lyrics that are meaningful. I want to hear a song that I will want to listen to 80 years from now when the iPod is the new record player and the new iPod is some sort of iPhone-Blackberry device that can make smoothies and turn invisible and float!

Music today just doesn't seem like it's going to last, which is weird because the radio stations must think it will, considering they play the same 12 horrible songs over and over again until listeners are brainwashed into thinking they actually like them.

You see, I've noticed that when I first listen to these hit songs, I hate them. But after hearing them again and again, I have found myself buying them on iTunes, thinking that I liked them.

I honestly think that if Z100 played a "Mary Had a Little Lamb" remix (containing some lyrical alterations, swear words, and a fresh beat with some weird sound effects that sound like lasers or flying spaceships or something) as much as they played Bruno Mars' song, "Grenade," the remix would reach the Billboard Top 40 in an instant.

I really enjoy some of the music at times (Nicki Minaj is kind of my hero), but the majority of the top charts are annoying and flat out gross.

Speaking of annoying, "Just Can't Get Enough" by the Black Eyed Peas is number one on iTunes. Well, I think I actually have had enough, thanks. The robotic song sounds like one of those free ringtones I could set for my alarm clock to wake me up.

But what really makes me mad, and kind of nauseous, is how disgusting some lyrics are.

I'm all for swearing. If I said I wasn't, I would be a f***ing liar. I think it's a good way of expressing yourself because words like "darn" and "crud" don't always get the point across. However, I really think the music industry has taken it much too far.

The song "S&M" by Rihanna has been topping the charts for days now, and its beat is not only exceedingly irritating, but the lyrics are a little vomit inducing as well. The title of the song is self-explanatory, though if you do not understand what it means, I do not recommend googling it.

Want another stomach-churning example?

Ladies and gentleman, the 21st century Ipecac and rap song all in one, "John" by Lil' Wayne. Here is just a little taste of the vulgarity the popular song holds.

Actually, I would share some of those lyrics, but they're a little too lewd to print in Inklings.

But all I have to say is "ew."

Rap can be great. 2Pac's "Changes" and "Ghetto Gospel" are beautiful songs with depth and inspiration. But Lil' Wayne's song above is not rap. It's just a bunch of words that are intended to amp up his street cred, recorded on top of music, and labeled as rap.

So now that I've showed a few examples of what the music world has come to, I'll make my point: songwriters should remember that one of the greatest hits of all time was about simply wanting to hold someone's hand.

This generation needs to finally make something new and exciting. It seems like we are just reliving the past, but there was a reason the disco and techno eras ended.

We need to hear another Freddie Mercury or John Lennon. We need to hear music with a purpose that tells a story or explores the meaning of life, or even a simple song about love. And no more computers creating the music. I'm looking for music that uses actual instruments (gasp!) like the piano, the guitar, the violin, the trombone

America is in need of great music more than ever, and if America can't deliver, it might be time for a second British invasion.

And no, Dubstep does not count.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Every time I turn on the radio, I am disappointed to hear the same horrible, beat-heavy, meaningless, vulgar, mass of sound compiled together supposedly making a "song." Music today is worse than disco and country combined. In fact, songs today are just techno-wannabes, and who the hell would want to be like techno?

# data[].attributes.body
I would like to see solutions to this problem. or places where this problem doesn't exist. Some kind of music revolution. Maybe Radio stations playing created solely by local artists.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that the general quality of "popular" music has declined and that streaming services can be partial blambed for this. it's probably easier to quickly make a simple song and play it 24/7 than to take thoughtfully make a song with meaning and good craftsmanship. Yes I am extremely judgmental when it comes to this topic.

# data[].attributes.body
This article is about how the music industry is slowly destroying itself. because the main way people listen to music is by streaming services like Pandora and Spotify. for the most part these services are money holes. almost no one gets any money from them, not the company who owns the service and not the artist who makes the music.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There was once a time when mid-level bands with a modest following could make a pretty decent living playing music. They'd put out a record, sell a couple hundred thousand copies and then go on tour to promote it - which would drive additional sales, even as the tour itself was lucky to break even.

For the largest acts, this formula was a bona fide moneymaking bonanza, lining the pockets of all involved, including the musicians, managers, promoters and record labels. For everyone else, it didn't produce vast riches but nonetheless supported careers and promoted the creation of new music.

Times, however, have changed. Besides a handful of superstars, it's impossible for bands and musicians to generate significant revenue taking this approach. And the reason is simple: Consumers won't pay much for music.

Napster jump-started this trend back in the 90s, pirating content and making it available online, producing a generation of listeners who didn't value music because they were able to download it for free. Then, streaming services basically continued the practice.

The likes of Pandora and Spotify don't steal content, but they still offer it for free with the support of ads. Others such as Apple Music and Amazon Music obviously aren't stealing either and do charge users, but it's a nominal fee. Both models result in most artists getting the shaft, receiving, in most instances, less than a penny per stream.

Incidentally, from an investment perspective, the streaming services themselves aren't faring much better. Pandora and Spotify have always struggled to turn a profit, while Apple Music and Amazon Music are money losers, in place as part of broader distribution play that merely supports other parts of their company's other businesses.

The reason for these struggles is pretty simple. As music shifted from a product-based business (CDs and individual downloads) to a service-based business (streaming), no one was able to create a model to support that transition adequately. At roughly $10 a month these companies have been giving away music at a loss, and until that price point rises, perhaps as high as 100%, there's no reason to expect any of them to achieve profitability.

A great irony of all this is that music has become devalued at a time when there are more ways than ever to promote it, thanks to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

Because of these industry growing pains, musicians have had to adjust. Some have begun to focus their efforts on brand building, using their music, in effect, as a form of advertising to hock products and services for companies. Megastars like Beyonce and Lady Gaga, and Michael Jackson before them, have always done this, pushing everything from soft drinks to clothing to fragrances

Some have begun to focus their efforts on brand building, using their music, in effect, as a form of advertising to hock products and services for companies. Megastars like Beyonce and Lady Gaga, and Michael Jackson before them, have always done this, pushing everything from soft drinks to clothing to fragrances.

More and more, musicians from across the spectrum are pursuing this path to prosper. One good example is Gary Clark Jr., a talented artist but hardly a household name who has endorsement deals with Lincoln and John Varvatos. In the past, purists probably would have called him a "sell out." Now, it's called getting paid.

Ostensibly, playing concerts is another way to boost the bottom line. But save a precious few, most musicians are neither able to draw big audiences nor command the type of prices that make touring worthwhile - and the ones who can are senior citizens who play to audiences that are either roughly the same age or only slightly younger.

Bruce Springsteen (67), Paul McCartney (75) and the Rolling Stones (formed in 1962) were among the top-grossing acts last year. Also on that list was Guns N' Roses, the founding members of which are all in their fifties. Even the surviving original members of the Grateful Dead tour successfully more the 20 years after the death of Jerry Garcia. An orchestra ticket for their upcoming show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles goes for nearly $400.

Who are the next generation of stars that will replace these aging performers, and does it matter given the current generation's preference for festivals like Coachella, where the music is almost incidental to the experience?

Some probably question why anyone should care about all this. After all, the consumer is winning, since the principal fallout has been that accessing music content is cheaper than ever before. Further, large industries have always gone through difficult transformations - what makes the music industry's struggles any more noteworthy?

The reason is that without meaningful changes to the way musicians get compensated, creativity will suffer immeasurably - and with it, the entire music industry. Consider that the revenue streams created by record sales and concerts once formed an informal infrastructure that continually bred new artists. Without such revenue streams in place - or something similar to replace them - the time will come when musicians will have no practical way to stay afloat, forcing them to give up and many would-be ones never to try at all.

All of which means that the music business may not be a much of business at all before too long.
Ross Gerber is CEO and president of Santa Monica, Calif-based Gerber Kawasaki, an investment advisory with approximately $575 million in assets under management. Clients and employees of Gerber Kawasaki own positions in Apple and Google.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How The Music Industry Is Putting Itself Out Of Business

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There was a time when mid-level bands with a modest following could make a pretty decent living playing music. Times have changed, besides a handful of superstars, it's impossible for bands and musicians to generate significant revenue taking this approach. The reason: Consumers don't for music.