@bdp24 -
During the playback of a track (whether in recording or mixing), the engineer will run his tape, A/B-ing the sound with that of a current best-selling song. He then manipulates the sound of his recording with a number of pieces of outboard gear (and of course his mixing board), all in his attempt to make the recording sound as much like a current hot song or album as possible. No references to the sound of live music at all, purely subjective.
I have not doubt: there are those following such a practice. Happily: none I've ever met.
Certainly: not my method!