# Pop music too loud and all sounds the same: official **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462 "2012-07-26T16:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/1 "2012-07-26T16:36:38Z")
I’ve long suspected it and now it is apparently confirmed. Modern pop music is bland, homogenous stuff. > [@](#): > > Comforting news for anyone over the age of 35, scientists have worked out that modern pop music really is louder and does all sound the same. > > \ > > “We found evidence of a progressive homogenization of the musical discourse,” Serra told Reuters. “In particular, we obtained numerical indicators that the diversity of transitions between note combinations - roughly speaking chords plus melodies - has consistently diminished in the last 50 years.” > > SOURCE: [Pop music too loud and all sounds the same: official | Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/26/us-science-music-idUSBRE86P0R820120726) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/2 "2012-07-26T19:10:10Z")
But could they \*dance \*to it?? Seriously though, there’s a lot more dancing today than there was 50 years ago. Physical activity is more important than musical complexity, IMO. I mean, there’s still bebop for the complexity snobs. Also, there is much more to musical diversity than volume, chords, and melodies. What about meter, time signatures, drumbeats? Melodies and lyrics of modern pop songs can be very repetitive, but it doesn’t seem like that study accounted for changes in beat. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/3 "2012-07-26T19:53:38Z")
Moved MPSIMS --\> CS. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/4 "2012-07-26T19:58:04Z")
I don’t care about the musical aspects, but no shit it all_sounds_ the same. It’s compression, used since when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but it’s been like this audio-acoustically since a few decades. No dynamics. For the musical parts? I don’t know — “pop music” is as broad a term as “classical music.” I’ve heard some great tones, some great, melodic basslines that make sense with the upper voices, but obviously I don’t know about that. My beef is with mixers, engineers, and mastering engineers who – hey, they gotta eat, so no hard feelings – just flatten out the sound so much. And the pseudo-vocoder Autotune trick is beyond lame. Maybe the first time it was used it was kind of cool, but we’re talking 1970s using a vocoder. Kind of the same effect, sort of. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/5 "2012-07-26T20:53:13Z")
In other news, recent scientific studies indicate that modern children get on my lawn 27% more frequently than children did in previous decades. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/6 "2012-07-26T21:00:33Z")
Meh…my favorite bands set world records for being loud many years ago. Of course, we’re both paying for all those decibels with a ringing in our ears today. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/7 "2012-07-27T02:17:35Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > And the pseudo-vocoder Autotune trick is beyond lame. Maybe the first time it was used it was kind of cool, but we’re talking 1970s using a vocoder. Kind of the same effect, sort of. More evidence that I’m an old fart: I still tend to call the Autotune gizmo/software/whatever the Vocoder. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/8 "2012-07-27T02:29:05Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > But could they \*dance \*to it?? Seriously though, \*\*there’s a lot more dancing today than there was 50 years ago. \*\* Do you really believe this? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/9 "2012-07-27T02:35:47Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > In other news, recent scientific studies indicate that modern children get on my lawn 27% more frequently than children did in previous decades. Don’t be a smart-alec! When I was your age we RESPECTED our elders! I know your mother - one more crack like that and I’ll make sure she tells your father! You won’t seem so smart when you’re across his knee, will ya! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/10 "2012-07-27T02:59:37Z")
[Ha! I knew it!](http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/26/12973700-researchers-find-pop-music-is-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same?lite) Modern music all sounds the same. It just keeps getting louder and blander. We knew that, but now we have proof. Suck it, Millennials and Gen X. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/11 "2012-07-27T03:10:05Z")
Merged duplicate threads. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/12 "2012-07-27T03:14:43Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > But could they \*dance \*to it?? Seriously though, there’s a lot more dancing today than there was 50 years ago. Physical activity is more important than musical complexity, IMO. I mean, there’s still bebop for the complexity snobs. > [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](#): > > Do you really believe this? You betcha! Back in the 1960s, we would just sit quietly and listen appreciatively to the music. While tripping our brains out. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/13 "2012-07-27T03:17:06Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > It’s compression, used since when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but it’s been like this audio-acoustically since a few decades. No dynamics. Yeah, no shit. This is not new. The whole compress-the-dynamics-out-of-music has been going on at least since the 90s. This is news? 😕 And no band will ever be louder than My Bloody Valentine. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/14 "2012-07-27T03:17:22Z")
It’s 60 years too late to be complaining about music all sounding the same. Chuck Berry released the same gods bedamned song with different titles over 100 times. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/15 "2012-07-27T03:20:32Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > It’s 60 years too late to be complaining about music all sounding the same. > > Chuck Berry released the same gods bedamned song with different titles over 100 times. To wit: [School Days](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHG5-GxI_Es). [No Particular Place to Go](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhC8kIyxpDs). I mean, I chuckle when I hear those two songs. It’s the same goddamned song. There’s no question about it. It’s not a matter of, oh, there similar styles, or they’re both r&b numbers or something like that. They’re the same goddamned song with different lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/16 "2012-07-27T03:47:24Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > It’s 60 years too late to be complaining about music all sounding the same. > > Chuck Berry released the same gods bedamned song with different titles over 100 times. Whenever my wife’s ipod is on random I can within the first three seconds if it is a Chuck Berry song. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Vega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Johnny\_Vega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Vega)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/17 "2012-07-27T09:04:08Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You betcha! Back in the 1960s, we would just sit quietly and listen appreciatively to the music. > > While tripping our brains out. Ahahahah Yeah… Music back then was awesome… Real music… I don’t even consider “dancing” what kids do when they go to clubs nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/18 "2012-07-27T10:54:28Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You betcha! Back in the 1960s, we would just sit quietly and listen appreciatively to the music. > > While tripping our brains out. Dude:p ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/19 "2012-07-27T11:56:30Z")
There’s no more learn-it-as-a-kid dancing. There’s almost no touch dancing (it’s become a kind of niche sport). There’s very little hey-let’s-put-on-a-dance dancing. What there is is spontaneous body-bopping. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462/20 "2012-07-27T12:08:42Z")
This confirms what I’ve suspected for years. The RIAA thinks that music sales are diminishing because people are pirating music, but the truth is, modern pop music is mostly bland formulaic crap. Well, that and the fact that the big format shift to CDs is over. If you haven’t ditched your old Beatles cassettes by now, you aren’t going to. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-music-too-loud-and-all-sounds-the-same-official/629462.md?page=2)