EyeballBoy, I could not have possibly said it better myself.
Lindy, radios are cheap, pervasive, and you don’t have to decide for yourself what music to play (a feature to some.) I agree the majority of radio is absolute crap (due to selection, musical quality, or both), but I also would bet that radio, in some form, outlasts the Compact Disc standard.
Just chiming in to say that other people’s lives is a great song.
My main interests lie in the field of electronic… As you say you dabble in it, you’re probably aware that there is a lot more to the genre than anything you would ever hear in a club or on tv. Might I suggest delving into the expansive world of IDM if you haven’t already… Unending horizons there, I tell you.
Aside from that… I hate pretty much everything I hear on mtv as well, though as some people have pointed out, sometimes they’re pop(ular) for a reason.
just for kicks i’ll throw in the ever annoying…
now playing: Machine Drum - Realization
Well, you may be right about that. But I hope not. I hope people ultimately demand more selection in what music they have access to. And I hope that people don’t gravitate toward the absolute lowest common denominator in terms of price (although the precendents aren’t heartening).
I also hope that there’s something beyond CD technology (my personal bet is on the MP3 standard, whether it’s via download, CD-ripping, or whatever); personal MP3 players offer so much in the way of freedom in terms of what you can listen to, when, and how long.
As for the ease of use issue (decisions about what to listen to), having set up my iPod (or iTunes on the computer), all it takes is the push of a button to have a random selection of music piped into my house, car, or headphones. Heck, the White Stripes, followed by Louis Prima, then Bob Wills, then Hüsker Dü, then Ella Fitzgerald, then Laurie Anderson, then the Allman Brothers, finishing up with Lords of Acid. No decision required! 
So where do you stand on Nickelback then? Currently my favourtie band for at least a year…
Don’t pay attention to what the media tells you is good music. Find it yourself.
http://www.allmusic.com <---- (media, but a good site)
Dan Gunter, your daughter likes fucking cool music and The Accidents is a great name for a band. Do they have a website where I can listen to their music?
I was born in 1983. Cassettes are what I made recordings on to until I got a burner last year. They are also the only thing that my cars sounds system can use.
Records are big black things that DJs use to create mixes or to scratch with. If you turn on MTV, it won’t be long before you see a record.
I definitely am turning into my parents. I simply can’t stand hip-hop!
yakka yak yakka yak yakka yak
yakka yak yakka yak yakka yak
I guess what gets me most is that it seems to be played at full volume, all the time. Hey, if you want to listen to hip-hop, go ahead. The music I like, you probably won’t like.
But I don’t force YOU to listen to it by blasting it at ear-drum-shattering level from your car next to mine. Scares me half to death to see the windows bulge from the volume…I get the feeling that I’m going to be covered in pieces of glass.
I think they wrote a song about my feelings toward them. It is called “Never again” which is when I think they should try to put out another record.
I hated a lot of the music in the late 90’s. But I will tell you what - there is some insanely good music out there, but it ain’t gonna be on the radio. With the economics involved, radio and mass-marketed CDs etc still have to be marketed to the most-common denominator. In other words - sell what already sold well. Which is why you get clones of clones. I mean, good clones of clones are OK - but still clones <g>.
But modern technology - specifically, the home PC - is incredible. Bands used to have to spend thousands of dollars making a CD. Now they can literally do it at home on their PC. Buying decent-quality equipment and software is measured in hundreds of dollars, not thousands. And the software ect can be re-used over and over again. No studio fees, etc. For local/indie bands on a budget, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was in a band for a few years in Tokyo, and we made a 4-song CD for a grand total of about $300; total cost of the software, CDs, and labels.
The best place to hear these new bands? Lots of web sites (indie band sites, indie music stations). I personally have found Yahoo!'s music station, Launchcast, to be quite decent. I only use the free stations, but there are some interesting premium channels available for a couple of bucks a month. I prefer Lauchcast to the MSN radio channels, primarily because the song sets are much longer.
Some of my favorite relatively new stuff; Foo Fighters, Sugercult, The Distillers, Zwan, Q.O.T.S.A., Evanescence.
Interesting that every band you mention as a favorite is on the radio. Nothing wrong with that (I like the last two myself), but it seems kinda strange after the rest of your post.
Are they? I haven’t listened to the radio in literally years - but I did choose to mention some of the more well-known bands (i.e., on some of the bigger internet music stations, etc.).
I don’t think many people will know the smaller/local indie bands I like, but just to name a few: Brewster, Shakey Jake, 4-Minute Mile, Smokey, and Eric.
It’s really important to understand that just as the bastardized pop incarnations of rock or country or whatever genre bear no comparison to their originals, so to does “hip-pop” (ie: the hip-hop you’ll hear on the radio) suck compared to other forms in this wide-ranging genre. I’ve heard way too many people on these boards say “rap sucks” when what they mean is “puff daddy sucks”… You can only bear so much of the blame for this since exposure to legitimate hiphop is limited, but just try to keep this in mind when you malign any genre… maybe you haven’t heard what it really has to offer.
I think Dave Grohl should dissolve the Poo Fighters and join Q.O.T.S.A full time. Sure, I know he has to pay the bills, but it’s like he’s passing over touring with King Crimson to work with the Monkees.
Another good new up-and-comer is the White Stripes. Haven’t heard them on the radio yet, which is cool. Although I did hear they opened up for the Rolling Stones at some point.
It sounds like the verdict here is that today’s music is no worse than before, but today’s radio blows.
Anyone have any, say web-based alternatives to radio?
uh… heh
I don’t usually watch mtv, but just in flipping through the channels i’ve seen their video numerous times. They’re (along with a handful equally uninteresting groups) constantly referenced by people who need to appear hip (eg: Janeane Garofalo) and reference “the rebirth of rock”.
I don’t know about the radio as I never listen to it, but their mtv presence seems even more disheartening, if I were inclined to respect them.
Unfortunately since the record industry is determined to eliminate the endless variety of streaming audio stations that currently exist, your options in that regard will be limitted soon too. At the moment, however, any number of sites, shoutcast.com, live365.com, etc… offer some great specialized stations. Another facet of streaming stations that will hopefully stick around are college-radio streams. Most colleges have great, varied student-run stations (unfortunately the ‘college station’ here is just a top 40 station that happens to be staffed by a lot of students) and many of them have streams so you can listen wherever you are. I love listening to UT Austin’s kvrx stream between mp3 playlists… kvrx.org
Young Mr. Grace, two points:
The White Stripes are hardly “up-and-coming,” unless you’re clock is a year slow - Check it out.
Your belief that not hearing a good band on the radio is somehow a good thing is a major contributing factor in not hearing “good” bands on the radio. Besides, it’s the same band pre radio, and the same album. Why should getting the attention they deserve make them less “cool”?
I hate to make the same point twice, Kage, but wouldn’t it be better to make up your mind for yourself, instead of letting MTV decide for you?
To me, anything after Nirvana is “up and coming”. Guess I’m getting old. Oh, and I don’t watch MTV.
Perhaps I was hasty in implying that a band getting radio play was a bad thing. Where I live, the main player on the radio is NickelCreedKornBiskit. Forgive me if I sound jaded, but if the radio is the first place I hear of a band, I tend not to give them a second thought.
Oh, I understand the feeling. A lot of people have a “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” relationship with the radio.