Pop music too loud and all sounds the same: official -- Reuters

[nstgc]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/26/us-science-music-idUSBRE86P0R820120726

I seriously don't know how people can listen to that shit.

[occasional]

Pop is the only kind of "music" I know of that not only sounds bad, but is generally associated with bad and/or meaningless lyrics as well.

I seriously don't know how people can listen to that shit.

Because that's what "everyone else" listens to. Society adapts to its lowest common denominators.

[buchno]

Because it's addicting

[nstgc]

That article doesn't say why shitty pop music produces those reactions, just that it does.

[buchno]

That article doesn't say why shitty pop music produces those reactions, just that it does.

Here is the study the article refers to. I haven't read it myself though, so I can't promise you that it will satisfy your implied desire of wanting to know why.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1742971

[nstgc]

I'm not particularly curious. If I had to guess I'd say that the tunes are light, fluffy, and so simple that the idiots that make up the majority of the US population can handle. A mob mentality then dictates that something is good.

(can you tell I have an undying hatred for tweeny pop music?)

[buchno]

I'm not particularly curious. If I had to guess I'd say that the tunes are light, fluffy, and so simple that the idiots that make up the majority of the US population can handle. A mob mentality then dictates that something is good.
(can you tell I have an undying hatred for tweeny pop music?)

Well, South Park has already established that everything tweens listen to literally sounds like shit :]

[nstgc]

Any sociologists here care to explain why tweens, as a general rule, only like the worst that the music industry has to offer?

[Soryon]

More easily influenced by popular media and cute girls/boys.

[Ashall]

I used to say the same things but I changed my mind a while ago. A lot of people like simple things with great productions and would rather dance and have a good time rather then be educated. No fault to them, that's just the way it's been since forever. Most of the time people listen to music to feel better and most pop is bubbly feel good. And if you really think Pop music has gotten bad go watch the top 100 songs of the 2000's on VH1 and be like, "damn, wth am I talking about, I remember these"

There are good Pop songs but they just come out a lot less frequently. And if you're adamant about it, of course you're never going to hear them. Also there are still creative Pop songs coming out, of course there is still going to be sampling and borrowing we live in the digital age. And if you claim you're original, you are not. This applies to all aspects of life; cooking, clothing, architecture, etc.

And it has less to do with looks then you think, e.g. Adele, Lady Gaga, nor Ke$ha wouldn't be popular. Neither would Jay-Z, Drake nor Train.

[nstgc]

I don't have a problem with poppy music, per se, just Pop music. It seems like tweens gravitate to the low end of the spectrum.

[rostheferret]

I used to say the same things but I changed my mind a while ago. A lot of people like simple things with great productions and would rather dance and have a good time rather then be educated. No fault to them, that's just the way it's been since forever.

Definitely. People like to be spoon-fed rather than search for themselves. As a result, they get a narrow view of watered down simplistic music to choose from, whatever they pick it's not gonna be particularly good.

And it has less to do with looks then you think, e.g. Adele, Lady Gaga, nor Ke$ha wouldn't be popular. Neither would Jay-Z, Drake nor Train.

Here's where you lost me.

An article about how Katy Perry's spinning bra keeps getting caught in her hair.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/4424661/Katy-Perry-warned-to-remove-her-spinning-bra-as-she-keeps-getting-her-hair-caught-in-the-wheels.html

And Lady Gaga, not about appearance? BAHAHAHAHAHA
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2165794/Lady-Gaga-revisits-meat-dress-stage-reveals-controversial-outfits-including-gun-shaped-bra.html

This is ignoring all the "sex sells" skimpy outfits and other gimmicks.

[nstgc]

If sex sells, why are either of them doing so well?

[Ashall]

Sex doesn't sell music despite popular belief. Sexual appeal does help, but it all comes down to your music. You don't have to be good looking to be popular as a musician as I've already said and listed examples.

Anyway what is tweeny music like right now? Still stuck in Bieberland?

Edit: I removed most of my post to avoid a firefight.. Just be true to yourself and don't swing your opinion about. That's all I can say, and probably the best the lesson for the world to learn.

[Fool010]

There are only 3 types of music : music you like, music you don't like and music you don't care about. I consider the last kind to be the worst one because it doesn't make enough of an impression to offend me.

Pick your poison and enjoy, refrain from taking a dump in anyone's front yard and yours may stay tidy.

I'm pretty sure I already used the basic idea of the first sentence once upon time, when I used to be a regular around here.

[pingryanime]

Finally. I can tell people with some scientific backing that pop music tastes are shit. Not trying to be a hipster by any means since I plan on doing this for a living, but I listen mostly to classical music, anime music and game music. The latter two because in my IDEAL life, I would be writing game/anime music so yeah. More realistically, I want to be a classical composer/conductor/performer so I listen to what'll probably encompass my life. Not to mention, again, pop music generally sounds like shit anyway. (Define "shit": Sounds the fucking same, boring, no musical variety, lack of rhythmic and melodic interplay, sounds like someone opened a mixer, threw some notes together, hit some cool looking buttons, looped, and released.)

[xShadow]

Any sociologists here care to explain why tweens, as a general rule, only like the worst that the music industry has to offer?

Not enough sophistication. I think the first thing I really, really got into way back when I was in middle school was Linkin Park. I really loved it back then but I gradually grew out of them, like I did many bands. I think when people grow out of things, they either realize that what they were listening to was trash, or it just doesn't mesh well with how they're developing emotionally. I've also grown into a few bands. My What account helps with this.

But it's not like sophistication comes with age. Some people will be unsophisticated their entire lives. It's just the way they are.

For example, the anime scene is pretty old now, probably. We're larger than we've probably ever been. But you know what's still selling? Shitty ecchi fanservice moeblob bullshit. "Good" doesn't mean "popularity" or "cash".

[undetz]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/26/us-science-music-idUSBRE86P0R820120726

I seriously don't know how people can listen to that shit.

I'd like to know what the songs were. If the researchers ended up with the weekly US top100 from the last 50 years I can offer an explanation for why they found what they found. Namely: Recording companies want to sell records, as many records as possible, they also want to record as few records as possible because that costs money, therefore they will push towards the smallest common denominator that people will pay money for in order to listen to.

[nstgc]

Any sociologists here care to explain why tweens, as a general rule, only like the worst that the music industry has to offer?

Not enough sophistication. I think the first thing I really, really got into way back when I was in middle school was Linkin Park. I really loved it back then but I gradually grew out of them, like I did many bands. I think when people grow out of things, they either realize that what they were listening to was trash, or it just doesn't mesh well with how they're developing emotionally. I've also grown into a few bands. My What account helps with this.

But it's not like sophistication comes with age. Some people will be unsophisticated their entire lives. It's just the way they are.

For example, the anime scene is pretty old now, probably. We're larger than we've probably ever been. But you know what's still selling? Shitty ecchi fanservice moeblob bullshit. "Good" doesn't mean "popularity" or "cash".

Yeah, When I started watching anime, it was all about the boobs and explosions. Right now when I think "fucking bad ass" Usagi Drop comes to mind.

I got lucky. I discovered power metal and symphonic metal at a young age. *says a little prayer to the Metal Gods for giving him Snake Net Meta Radio*

[undetz]

I got lucky. I discovered power metal and symphonic metal at a young age. *says a little prayer to the Metal Gods for giving him Snake Net Meta Radio*

For me it was seeing the music video of Metallica's The Memory Remains at a relatively tender age that did it. At least that's the first coherent memory I have of anything metal. I recall being confronted with music that fell completely outside my realm of experience before and was hardrock/metal, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. TMR was my defining experience when I saw it on MTV (of that I'm certain) after staying up for longer than my parents thought I should (of which I'm slightly less certain since I did that more than just once and may be mixing up memories).

After that it took me a few years, but then I dove headfirst into the glorious musical realm that is known as "Metal".