Now, let's not diss Rap!

I have say that I'm in total agreement with Jeff and Balt on this one.

Quoted from Baltis. Downloading/Stealing music is what made music what it is today -- Shit.

Wrong. American Idol made music shit.

and downloading music is just a by-product of the Internet... once Music became a digital format.... it was Game Over for the Music Industry as we know it.

time to get with the time kids, cause its not going back.

One could argue AI is a product of the failing industry.  It is another way to market artist while still having disastrous album sales.

Quoted from Penoyer79 time to get with the time kids, cause its not going back.

I'm happy being behind the times on some things.

Quoted from Baltis. One could argue AI is a product of the failing industry.  It is another way to market artist while still having disastrous album sales.

i''ll concede to a "chicken or the egg" theory

we do agree on one thing though... music today is - for the most part - total shit.

I agree music has turned to total shit.  There are still a couple things that excite me here and there, but they are very few and very far between.

True, it sucks I don't get excited as I used to whenever I sit down to listen to new music anymore, but at least I still get excited when I sit down and pick up my guitar to write something new.  I'll be really sad if that ever stops happening.

A few thing to respond to.  I'm sure a few will draw some ire.  We'll see.

Mo, rap isn't even music.  C'mon, man.  Get real.  

Chris, the deal and difference in recording albums onto cassettes, like "we" did back in the day and going online and downloading any and all the music you want is night and day, bro...night and day.  Back in the day, a group of friends would go out and take turns buying every new album from group's they loved and each person in the group got to make a recording if they so desired.  Money was spent and a product was purchased.  That same group would also go see those groups in concert every time they came to their city, as well as buy concert T Shirts at those concerts.  Nowadays, people aren't buying anything - they're just illegally downloading songs/albums, meaning the recording act get absolutely nothing.  Are kids going to concerts like back in the day?  I highly doubt it, as most can't afford it even.

On top of all that, understand that someone like myself has also purchased pretty much every CD of every album/cassette ever purchased and/or recorded, meaning, I've double dipped and the recording acts have gotten more from me than just 1 purchase.  Hell, I've even (recently) purchased remastered CD's of CD's I already own, and already bought albums of back in the day.

But I'm a rarity.  Music has gone digital for the most part.  Kids today don't give a shit about how cool a Digipack CD may be - they just want music blaring out of their earbuds wherever they may be.  I understand that, but it doesn't mean it's a good thing.

Finally, I actually enjoy American Idol and its offshoots quite a bit, and have watched every season dating back to its premiere.  I haven't purchased any music by any of the contestants or winners, but shows like these certainly do a Hell of a marketing job and obviously many have gone onto super stardom, which is amazing...and a good thing, not a bad thing.

If you don't like the show, don't watch it.  If you don't like the music, don't listen to it...and definitely don't buy it.

But, if you don't pay for what you do like, you're sure not helping that act continue their journey forward.  To survive, any and all recording acts need support. Without it, they can't continue on.  No way around it.

Quoted from Dreamscale A few thing to respond to.  I'm sure a few will draw some ire.  We'll see. Mo, rap isn't even music.  C'mon, man.  Get real.   Chris, the deal and difference in recording albums onto cassettes, like "we" did back in the day and going online and downloading any and all the music you want is night and day, bro...night and day..

i love late 80s and early 90s gangster rap...NWA, Dre, old skool Cube and Snoop, tupac, Notorious.... that stuff had bite, had hooks, and had substance. i stand by that.


and what i mean by bootlegging and copying tapes.... was marketing and word of mouth.... getting your music out to the world. that was the way back then. now its all about the internet.... and like it or not.... filesharing and downloading is the way it is.

i will agree to disagree on the principles of it.

Agree with Chris on the rap, he's got some good taste.

It's just it's gotten a bad name since all these pussies like Lil Wayne rapping about how many bitches they fuck . Etc. Etc.

Old School Rap is really good, Tupac, Biggie, NWA and even Ice Cube. But then you still have some great new school rap as well, like Lupe, Junoflo or even Kanye West (his earlier stuff at least). I just don't understand the hate for it.

I still blame Lil Wayne though.

And while I am here -

I don't listen to CDs any more but I do sync them with my iTunes library.

Junoflo - Steady Soul
Jamie T - Panic Prevention
Ready to Die - Notorious BIG
The Cool - Lupe Fiasco
Man on the Moon - Kid Cudi
Labor Days - Aesop Rock
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - 2pac

eh....Kanye's a buffoon.

Loved Ghetto Boys/Geto Boys and some early 90's rap -- sounded like music.  This new junk, no way.  Absolute trash.  It all sounds the same.  Scarface, Bushwick bill, E-40 -- Those guys all had a very good, distinct sound.  All to themselves.  I can't tell one rapper from another today.

i'm a metalhead at heart though... late 70's, 80's, and early 90's.
loved the Seattle Grunge Scene as well.

that stuff was my lifes blood going through Junior High and High School '92-'98

Quoted from Penoyer79 i'm a metalhead at heart though... late 70's, 80's, and early 90's. loved the Seattle Grunge Scene as well. that stuff was my lifes blood going through Junior High and High School '92-'98

Bless you, my son...bless you!!!

Metal will never die.

Music today hasn't turned to shit.  It's just so easy to get shit music out there that the market is flooded with it.

I listen to just about anything as long as it's good:

BT - These Hopeful Machines - Electronic
Glen Miller - Best of - Big Band
Metallica - Ride the lightning - Metal
Pink Floyd - (every album) - Awesome
Danny Elfman - Misc. - Movie scores
"Airwolf" theme song.  I love driving to that.  If only my car had some missiles.

I even like some country and rap.  But not much.

We all have Cher to thank for that damned auto tune voice shit though.  I think it's funny that all these rappers are following Cher.