POP MUSIC WILL NEVER BE LOW BROW

[Rath]

Tizona said:

HappySqurriel said:

Pop music is designed to appeal to the masses without ever striving to meet any standard of quality that people would expect from real musicians. Derivative (often stolen) music and "hooks" are often coupled with laughably bad lyrics and performed by singers of marginal quality  are then over-produced and forced upon people thorough radio and video pay which is heavily manipulated by the recording industry.

Or to put it another way, pop music is about as "high brow" as a network sitcom that involves someone getting hit in the balls every episode.

I disagree with the over-produced part. I don't really think there is such thing as "over produced". The technology available in recording studios these days are incredible, and to NOT use all the tools of the trade, just to not be seen as "over produced" seems silly. Arcade Fire produces their albums with all the same tools that Black Eyed Peas do.

the real difference is the talent, or lack there of in pop music, as well as, as Happy Squrriel said, the rampant payolla and manipulation of the record companies. Funny with all their corruption, the record companies still can't seem to turn decent profit. Eventually they will die, pop music will change, and we'll all be listening to blue grass...

The thing is many current pop bands use production tools to try and hide their lack of talent. The music you get out after putting it through too much production is bland and sleek, all the imperfections hidden by autotune and other studio trickery. It's the imperfections that so often give music its character though.