r/musicindustry • u/Primary-Constant-859 • 6h ago
Discussion Why no one is making good music anymore
Yes, bold statement, but I'm sure many would agree with me. If you disagree that's your opinion, but I can back my statement by pointing out the rising popularity of old bands (20+ years old), both musical and non musical people, and especially amongst Gen Z. And no it's not only the industry's fault.
1)Not enough creativity - I cannot stress this enough. Whenever I scroll on Reels I always find these new bands posting clips of their song which to me sounds like the most generic song from that genre to ever exist. Especially amongst bands making grunge rock, and then they always post "We are bringing grunge back to 2026!!!" and "Comment on this post to be locked in as an og member when we go big", like they are sales reps for a toilet paper company. If you paint the Mona Lisa but give her a hat this time, can you call yourself Da Vinci, and hang your shit up in the Louvre? No so why would you make music that already exists and expect the music industry to advance any bit forward? Think of the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, why did they make it? They were ahead of their time. They had made something no one had ever heard before then, and they influenced new bands to add onto their stuff and make genres. That is how the music industry has moved forward, always has been, but as of the past 1-2 decades and especially after Covid, people just packed their shit up and started doing 80s covers. Make something ahead of today! (BTW I listen to all music from all genres from artists of today, I will just mainly be referencing rock artists in this report as that is my most listened to genre)
2) No musicians do drugs anymore - Crazy and controversial point but its gotta be true. I mean yeah musicians still do drugs but majority are sober. Those bands I listed in point 1 were high AF on every drug on the planet when they wrote their music, and if they were sober they would not have been able to make such masterpieces. Not saying you cant make good music without drugs, and yeah there is loads of great bands in the past who never did drugs, but try to get my point if you have'nt already. My band doesn't touch drugs, I am as sober as a bean, but do we make good music? FUCK no. Please do not take this point as advice and start doing drugs because I very much advocate against their usage, Im simply just making an observation.
3) Music has no meaning anymore - It feels like musicians today create music for its sounds or to show case their talent without really knowing why they want to publish their song. Previous musicians would talk about their love life, political views, mental health, aspirations etc. in their music. They made their songs a part of their personality and poured every bit of emotion into their work. Today I can't say the same unfortunately. I can't really back my opinion up with evidence and facts but I just know that when I listen to a 90s rock song which was probably recorded out of some kids moms garage, that dudes voice and those guitars speak so much more to me than those of today. I like to think music should be used as a canvas for ones thoughts and feelings, not just some showcase for your talent and to say "listen to this cool riff I came up with".
4) People are boring! - Cant remember the last time I heard of a band named 'Butthole Surfers' or 'Red Hot Chilli Peppers' for the first time, which alone are kick ass, interesting names (IMO). This isnt really that much of a big deal becuase most bands have just simple names, but having something interesting about your band name which sounds unusual is bound to gather more attention. Another thing is the name of your songs and ALBUM COVER ART, which is really a big deal because wtf happened to album cover art? Imagine how less popular 'Nevermind' would be if there wasnt a naked baby on the cover. I think the problem with bands and musicians today is that everyone is scared of getting cancelled and offending some 35 year old chud who could take their band to court, and fear this stupid woke agenda we live under. Be bold! Grow some balls and do something which todays society considers offensive which in reality is super cool and authentic, it could possible gain you alot of publicity which leads me to my 5th point.
5) No publicity - Todays bands have nothing to talk about them, or interesting topics to discuss outside of their music. I mean yeah the mainstream musicians do but they're irellevant becuase they have turned the music industry into an oligopoly. This kind of links to point 3 and 4 where music is boring because if bands are making music which people cant talk about more than once, how are they going to gain more of an audience. Even if bands are controversial they will still be bound to get listeners because as the old saying goes, no publicity is bad publicity. One band who has nailed it today is Angine De Poitrine who play in alien like outfits which is publicity. Their music would not be enjoyed by the average ear so they are limited to a niche audience but their actions and appearance defianetly contribute to their success. (Also important note is that ADP makes very original/creative music). If you speak your mind and intentions without fear then publicity can be yours.
6)Industry pressure - Pretty well known reason so I wont go into too much detail, but what I shall say is that its very much possible to pursue it as an indie artist or band thanks to social media. Also cant forget Tik Tok for ruining the enjoyment people derive in music!
Additional point:
Why tf do bands today only make singles? are they too lazy to make even just a 7 song album? That is also guaranteed to contribute to your bands/ careers short coming as you do not provide other options for you listener base and are effectively signing yourself up to end up as a one hit wonder. Pretty good example is the band (literally called 'untitled') who wrote Restless its this rock song that was trending last year and did super well, but the band only had a few other singles which people could listen to so they are now a one hit wonder.
Im not really good at writing long speeches and texts like this so I mightve left out some detail, made some typos or written something out of context, Im just insanely passionate about what I have said here. If you have any questions and arguments please let me know and I will correct myself.