«Today’s Lyrics Are Pathetically Bad» Rick Beato

Beato also opines that there is no actual artistic engagement in mainstream pop/rock/country.

For my birthday in October, my wife gifted me Post Malone's F-1 Trillion album. After listening for a day, I immediately traded/sold it. All the hooks were eerily similar to other country songs of old and felt that I had heard that song before when Pro-Tools/Autotune was not a thing. I guess the days of suing others for song writing is a thing of the past, but putting lipstick on a pig is a viable option in the music industry today. Ala movies, the industry has little to work with except sequels. 

I think Beato is right, but it really does stick out in the country music genre nowadays.

I find a few newer rock songs to be really refreshing, however. "Cage the Elephant" song "Neon Pill" sticks out. This song would have been a major hit in the 1980's and, somehow, contains new catchy hooks that I cannot associate with that era- or this era- for that matter.

Rock still has some room for improvement, IMHO. Country has far less to work with and pop is truly produced by a conglomerate of record executives and producers who are propped up by the industries that have invested in them.

"Cage the Elephant" has been supported by that music conglomerate for 17+ years, including Grammy nominations (see conglomerate). I find the majority (I really only like one song out of their ten albums) of their tracks impossible to enjoy. 

Oliver of "Rich men..." fame had over 17 million streams in one week and he garnered more than 2 million for his one song, subsequently turning down record label offers of up to 8 million. Cage the Elephant, on the other hand, has sold about 3 million albums to collect far less, considering the music industry took a large part of that pie.

Hollywood is taking a beating nowadays and may be on life support. I believe that the music industry may be in the same boat...a sinking one!

@mahgister

I like the idea of providing proof (works cited) to back up an opinion with facts as you have done. It's what you learn in college when you take breaks from binge drinking.

To be fair, however, much of the information you shared is some 14-17 years old. Meaning that 14-17 year old music fans are completely left out of your hypothesis. 

@devinplombier

Are folks here too dumb to use ChatGPT ourselves if we wanted to?

Let's do this, Dev.

So I asked A.I., "Is Jazz growing in popularity?" the answer is YES!!:

• Audience: The number of Americans who like jazz has increased, with one-third of adults reporting they like it, and 5% saying it's their favorite genre. 
• New audiences: Jazz is becoming more popular with younger people, including Gen Z. Some say that jazz is connected to rebellion and is easily adapted into other genres. 
• New artists: New artists are breaking into the scene, and mainstream artists are featuring jazz on their albums. For example, Kamasi Washington worked with Kendrick Lamar on an album. 
• Media presence: Jazz is being featured in mainstream media, including the Pixar movie Soul. 
• Club scenes and festivals: Jazz is being celebrated in vibrant club scenes and major festivals. 
• Streaming: Jazz streaming is growing, and eGift cards allow people to give jazz streaming platforms as gifts. 
• Education: Jazz education is growing in Asia, including China. 
• Cultural diplomacy: In South Africa, the government uses jazz as a tool of cultural diplomacy. 

Then I asked A.I., "Is Jazz music losing popularity?" The answer is YES!!:

• Sales

  In 2011, 11 million jazz albums were sold, but by 2014, sales had dropped to 2%. 

• Consumption

  In 2015, jazz and classical music represented only 1.3% of total US music consumption. 

• Statista survey

  In a survey by Statista Consumer Insights, jazz and blues were among the five genres people listened to the least in 21 out of 21 countries. 

• Festivals

  Wynton Marsalis noted that on a tour of jazz festivals in Europe, only two out of 10 bands were jazz bands. 

See, each opinion here (probably because everyone here is held in high regard and pretty much intellectually infallible!) inescapably holds a tinge of truth. It is why we hang here together; to enjoy all aspects of opinionated pieces, including the inaccurate ones. 

We all can agree that there is generally too much information to be gleaned on this argument that is decisive, so I say, let's agree to take Greenland by force! We just need a defining reason...drumroll please...the reason is MUSIC!!

So I asked A.I., What is the most popular music in Greenland?

• Greenlandic pop

  This genre is popular with both Greenlandic and international audiences. It's characterized by catchy melodies and lyrics about love, nature, and traditional culture. Greenlandic pop is often performed with traditional instruments like the flute, drum, and accordion, as well as modern instruments like electric guitars and synthesizers. Some well-known Greenlandic pop artists include Julie Berthelsen, Angu, and Rasmus Lyberth. 

• Greenlandic rap

  Tarrak is a big name in the third wave of Greenlandic rap. His music is said to re-establish an Inuit identity and negotiate the meeting of tradition and modernity. 

• Underground bands

  Greenland has a number of underground bands in the heavy, punk, and nü metal genres. Some of these bands have achieved national recognition and released albums. 

• Polka is also popular at festive gatherings in Greenland. Folks in Greenland like to binge drink and occasionally one of the drunks professes to know how to play the accordion.

PERSONALLY, I inexplicably move my hips when I hear Polka. And who here doesn't like catchy melodies about love, nature and culture?? The reason may be because we don't own it? If we owned love, nature and culture, we just might be able to reason with Panama! And the Panamanians can really put on a show! 

@mahgister 

I don't think that young people right now are into jazz...

It would seem implausible. Nobody has done a recent study on the subject, and I doubt it is a pressing matter for anyone at this point, so I would say that you just may be right!

@ezwind

...right now I'd have to say it's on a downward arc. That's not to say that jazz music itself isn't in a good place - there are many really good, young jazz artists out there these days. We just need more people to go and see them.

I have read that a number of great jazz clubs closed due to the pandemic. A couple were in NYC. Most jazz musicians, I assume, make their money performing live. Hence, I agree that if you do not support jazz by going to shows, the genre will continue to diminish. 

@devinplombier

Sadly, I read the news.

And while Canada has provided us with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, and the Guess Who..that is just not enough to entice me to buy a gun and form a militia of like-minded folks who want to make Canada pay for their aging fleet of musical geniuses.

And as no one has yet to point out, if Canada becomes a state, we will have one heck of a wall to build!