“Modern music is rubbish!” It’s a phrase that we see often, in some shape or form. But is old music really better? Has there been a decline in music quality over the years or is it all just psychological? As is usually the case with these sorts of questions there is no simple answer. Before anyone starts throwing stones at any top 40 artists lets all take a moment to think about the big picture. Continue reading
Depending on what radio station you tune into, you will probably be bombarded throughout the day by a multitude of monotonous dance tracks with an equally repetitive and uninspired chorus. I haven’t named any songs in particular but just from that simple description I’m sure there are plenty that spring to mind. If I had a penny for every time I heard a song like that I could afford to stock up on compilation CDs of them and put them in the microwave one by one. Sadly it seems to form a large proportion of modern chart hits, and whilst it has launched the careers of some respectable singers, for the most part it raises a number of issues. Continue reading
The celebrated program “Later… with Jools Holland” has returned. Now in it’s 46th series, it is continuing it’s longstanding tradition of being the key UK television platform for both up-and-coming artists and big name stars. It has long been in the public eye and after many years of memorable performances it has become a key part of British music culture. The problem is that the show is the last of a dying breed. Britain’s other main music shows – Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test – are no longer with us. The former survives only in the form of an annual Christmas special and the latter is on the way to fading from the public’s memory. Continue reading
It’s something we’ve all experienced, sometimes going unnoticed and sometimes irritatingly obvious. You’re sat there enjoying a song on the radio only find moments of silence where offending words have been removed or that the song fades out halfway through. To be perfectly honest I find radio edits and music censorship to be an incredibly flawed and outdated ideal. Continue reading
The music streaming service Tidal, which was bought out by rapper Jay Z, has been relaunched and rebranded as being owned by the artists. The co-owners of the business, including Beyoncé, Kanye West, Rihanna, Madonna, Daft Punk, Nicki Minaj, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris and Alicia Keys, hosted a conference in New York. Their aim was to create a better platform for music streaming which provided high quality audio and where a greater percentage of the profits go to the artists. Continue reading
No matter what claims people may make, you can’t predict the future. It’s often difficult to tell what songs will top the charts on a given week, nevermind what music will be remembered for generations to come. There are some acts you would expect to last forever, I’m adamant that ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ will one day be played on the surface of Mars. There are also plenty of acts that have defied all expectations and done exceedingly well – I bet Rick Astley’s bank account is looking pretty full right now! But what about modern music, what does the future hold? Personally I think the best way for an act to ensure that they’re remembered is to follow one of three paths: Continue reading
The tandem festivals of Reading and Leeds have been widely criticized for having a sexist line-up. Out of the nearly 100 acts thus far announced only nine of them feature at least a single female member. While a male-centric festival line up isn’t anything new, the above image certainly emphasizes just how big the difference is. I certainly don’t see it as a deliberate exclusion of women, more of a matter of genre. Less and less women are getting into rock music and making it big. The line-up just shows how big the gap in the musical market is and how far both the industry and society have to go to even things out.
If you’re the kind of person to get into lengthy and heated debates about music, then you’ll be used to someone interjecting with a comment along the lines of “Music is an art form, it’s all just opinion and personal taste”. It’s the kind of remark that requires some thinking time and possibly some more lengthy discussion. Saying that it’s all based on opinion does then pose us with the question as to whether there’s even such thing as good or bad music. Short answer? Yes… but It’s not quite so simple as that. Continue reading
Belwood Music 