So... What kind of music do you all listen to?

[Card Slinger J]

If 2020 has brought to light anything important it's that people are starting to realize that fame isn't worth it anymore not just for musicians but celebrities of other entertainment genres as well. If Michael Jackson hadn't exposed the corruption going on within the music industry before he bought the Sony / ATV music catalogue that got himself killed then we probably would've never had candy pop artists with zero talent like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and One Direction. Granted the music industry itself has gotten somewhat better over the years with new talents like Nathaniel Rateliff and Chris Stapleton yet it still feels like it hasn't fully recovered from record labels hiring Disney Channel / Nickelodeon teens into stardom like Arianna Grande, Demi Levato, and Selena Gomez. It may have worked for Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera but not the second time around.

While American Idol to some degree helped propel the careers of a few artists like Carrie Underwood to stardom, others like David Cook already saw the writing on the wall knowing that fame wouldn't satisfy him as much as his bartending duties though I'm not sure If he still does that anymore. A lot of people view "making" it in the music industry akin to bearing marital responsibilities that they can easily avoid by staying single. The risk isn't worth the reward especially the kind of hoops musicians used to follow to inspire themselves with sex and drugs before they could actually have rock n' roll. Times have changed as the Internet has made it more increasingly difficult for originality within the music industry. It was already bad enough with public education de-funding music classes with most students perceiving Jazz and Band as being boring due to the instruments being used.

[toctheyounger]

While American Idol to some degree helped propel the careers of a few artists like Carrie Underwood to stardom, others like David Cook already saw the writing on the wall knowing that fame wouldn't satisfy him as much as his bartending duties though I'm not sure If he still does that anymore. A lot of people view "making" it in the music industry akin to bearing marital responsibilities that they can easily avoid by staying single. The risk isn't worth the reward especially the kind of hoops musicians used to follow to inspire themselves with sex and drugs before they could actually have rock n' roll. Times have changed as the Internet has made it more increasingly difficult for originality within the music industry. It was already bad enough with public education de-funding music classes with most students perceiving Jazz and Band as being boring due to the instruments being used.

I'm biased here, but most of the artists that come through the reality tv channels I really dislike. I think that's inherent with the path taken though; the show says 'we can make you a star, but you'll be a star in OUR image, not yours'. It's pretty grotesque. That being said I watch a ton of Rupaul's Drag Race and so I may be throwing stones from glass houses. I feel like those artists have more agency though, and there's even a case of at least one previous American Idol contestant being on Drag Race, and now being a worldwide star for her drag. She still sings too, and sings very well.

I think there's a for and against for the advent of internet. For example the world would not have The Arctic Monkeys without it, and there's quite a few others out there that have made their name through advocating for themselves online. Local to me, Fat Freddy's Drop did the same, started as an underground live band, pressed their own EPs and LPs, and they're now huge in the dub reggae scene. You really can't blame people when the recording industry takes a significant chunk out of your revenue. At least doing it yourself, while it is a lot more hard work, YOU get all of the revenue, not your label. On the other side, there's been a huge increase in EDM, which I personally despise. I generally think of myself as pretty eclectic in tastes, but house music and EDM I think is pretty awful. And yes, there's a lot of 'samey' music out there, but I think that's present within the recording industry to a huge degree, too.

It feels like I've spent an inordinate amount of time defending Jazz in this thread
There's a TON of instrumental variety within jazz, incredibly moreso than mainstream music. Herbie Hancock regularly plays the keytar. There's a multitude of horns and brass, reed instruments, guitar, bass, vocal jazz, percussive, harps, vibraphones, flutes, electronics, vocoder, tribal instruments, it goes on. The study of jazz is more theoretical than instrumental, really; its taking music theory and stretching it to it's limits and beyond, rhythmically, harmonically and melodically. I get what you're saying though, doing this isn't for everyone, and most of the people who pick up a guitar have aspirations towards being the next Metallica or whatever. But I think it's probably not all that accurate that there's some sort of brain drain from jazz and classical pursuits. The same sort of people who would pursue those areas are still about, it's just less of a mainstream pursuit. You just don't hear about classical and jazz within a mainstream music setting. Most people know candy jazz like Norah Jones and Diana Krall, and that's about it, but that doesn't mean there's no one out there. One of my favourite contemporary jazz musicians is Esperanza Spalding, she's an amazing bassist that just has fun releasing her musical explorations than selling records, and that's why she's relatively less heard of. It's just that the artists that go into these areas are much less interested in money as the end goal, they're more in pursuit of musical excellence.

[Krishnath]

I think there's a for and against for the advent of internet. For example the world would not have The Arctic Monkeys without it, and there's quite a few others out there that have made their name through advocating for themselves online. Local to me, Fat Freddy's Drop did the same, started as an underground live band, pressed their own EPs and LPs, and they're now huge in the dub reggae scene. You really can't blame people when the recording industry takes a significant chunk out of your revenue. At least doing it yourself, while it is a lot more hard work, YOU get all of the revenue, not your label. On the other side, there's been a huge increase in EDM, which I personally despise. I generally think of myself as pretty eclectic in tastes, but house music and EDM I think is pretty awful. And yes, there's a lot of 'samey' music out there, but I think that's present within the recording industry to a huge degree, too.

Almost all music genres are thriving on the internet, and it even created a few new ones. One of the newer ones Retrowave/Vaporwave literally exploded on the internet to such an extent that directors and the movie studios they work for took notice. Which is not really surprising as one of the main inspirations for the genre was the synth driven soundtracks of the late 70's/early 80's. Particularly the works of John Carpenter, which came back full circle as he embraced the music genre completely and started making music of the style, he was quickly embraced by the community, and could add "successful music artist" to his credentials. Lol.
Seriously, if you like the 80's aesthetic and movie scores from the era, you should check them out. I can recommend "Luigi Donatello", "New Retro Wave" and "That 80's Guy" as good sources of the styles, as a lot of artists from the genre releases their music through those three channels on youtube.
If you remember the music used for the Thor:Ragnarok trailer that wasn't "Immigrant Song", it was a band called "Magic Sword", and it's this genre.

But yeah, youtube is a virtual cornucopia of good music of all styles released by independent artists (and a few established ones that have embraced the medium, including Metallica for some reason, they've been uploading concerts and/or live performances all summer).

[Card Slinger J]

But yeah, youtube is a virtual cornucopia of good music of all styles released by independent artists (and a few established ones that have embraced the medium, including Metallica for some reason, they've been uploading concerts and/or live performances all summer).

How come these independent artists aren't getting any exposure or recognition from audio streaming services like iTunes, Rhapsody, or SiriusXM Satellite Radio? MTV, VH1, and BET are already a lost cause at this point as they've gone too far down the rabbit hole of fake reality TV shows like Jersey Shore and whatever crap they're spewing out nowadays. Sure mainstream artists don't make much money off of album sales anymore but as long as they're able to crank out good singles then it really shouldn't be a problem as long as they're still getting paid for their work.

There's some mainstream artists who are still very protective of their music. Take Prince for example, he had a single I wanted to download on iTunes for years and it was only til after his death that his family were willing to share the rest of his music catalogue containing it on there. Garth Brooks I know is very protective of his music catalogue as well where I had to import his Greatest Hits CD onto iTunes just to be able to listen to it. I mean look I get it, he doesn't want to be exposed as being a "sell out" to the music industry though you can only go so far before you start to cave in needing those profits.

[motleyslayer]

I can't remember exactly how long ago it was, but I remember when even Def Leppard didn't have a lot on spotify. I believe it was within the past 5 years. I don't know how much you make whenever someone streams your song but I can't imagine it being much. So maybe older artists don't want to have their music on services like spotify for that reason. I can't imagine many people are buying CDs but I know people who are more into vinyl now

[Card Slinger J]

I can't remember exactly how long ago it was, but I remember when even Def Leppard didn't have a lot on spotify. I believe it was within the past 5 years. I don't know how much you make whenever someone streams your song but I can't imagine it being much. So maybe older artists don't want to have their music on services like spotify for that reason. I can't imagine many people are buying CDs but I know people who are more into vinyl now

I think a lot of it had to do with distrust between the artists and the music industry itself. They were already burned by their own record labels beforehand and didn't want to get screwed over again making less than what they made back in their prime. Money shouldn't have to dictate how passionate an artist is with their craft yet that's whats holding them back from following recent market trends. It's the generation gap between older artists and newer artists who are more independent than their predecessors.

Record labels got so big that they often forget that it's the artists who make them succeed not the other way around. Without talent these labels would be nothing but just hardware when the actual talent eventually left the industry in the current state it's in today. That's how we were left with artists who didn't have talent and you can't buy talent. You may be able to find talent on a reality TV show but they've already seen through all the smoke and mirrors not to be committed to that kind of lifestyle.

[Ginuqu]

Spotify does almost nothing for anyone who isn't already raking in money from their music. It's like bank interest, it only pays out to people who don't rely on it. honestly from my point of view it's an evil company and I don't support it. distribution sites only create a bottleneck, they have no value and yet the value of the art drains into their pockets

[Rorseph]

Well, my last.fm top 10 artists for the last month are as follows:

1. Deftones (the new album Ohms is an instant classic in my book!)
2. Sean Price
3. Mark Lanegan
4. Run the Jewels
5. Hozier
6. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
7. Sleigh Bells
8. The Prodigy
9. Rabbit Junk
10. Nirvana

I guess that's a little all over the place, but Ithe thread that runs through them is tight rhythm sections. I love a good groove.

[RabidVacin]

My favorite genre will always be thrash metal. But as I get older and mellow out, I've gotten into blues and classical.

[toctheyounger]

Well, my last.fm top 10 artists for the last month are as follows:

1. Deftones (the new album Ohms is an instant classic in my book!)
2. Sean Price
3. Mark Lanegan
4. Run the Jewels
5. Hozier
6. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
7. Sleigh Bells
8. The Prodigy
9. Rabbit Junk
10. Nirvana

I guess that's a little all over the place, but Ithe thread that runs through them is tight rhythm sections. I love a good groove.

There's a lot I like here. I've missed the last couple of deftones releases, so I should really get into this one. Nick Cave is one of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters, too. There's some absolutely stellar cuts in that back catalog.

Also went through a phase of spamming Prodigy's big hits just after Keith passed. That was me at like 14, smashing hardcore rave jams lol.

Also I want to like Nirvana more, but their absolute best is their unplugged album where they channel straight up delta blues on 'Lake of Fire' and 'Where did you sleep last night?'. Those two songs give me tingles, and I wish I'd heard more of this sort of music from the band.

[Rorseph]

There's a lot I like here. [snip!]

You should definitely make some time for Ohms. It's simultaneously their heaviest and most melodic record in years. I'd say it's their best work since White Pony.

I've been listening to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus on heavy rotation. It's one of their more underrated efforts.

Listening to The Prodigy just makes me feel so much better. For a few minutes, our current hellworld doesn't matter.

I would kill for a Nirvana album of acoustic blues standards! I feel like it could have been a possibility down the line since Kurt Cobain was such a fan of acts like Leadbelly.

[toctheyounger]

There's a lot I like here. [snip!]

You should definitely make some time for Ohms. It's simultaneously their heaviest and most melodic record in years. I'd say it's their best work since White Pony.

I've been listening to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus on heavy rotation. It's one of their more underrated efforts.

Listening to The Prodigy just makes me feel so much better. For a few minutes, our current hellworld doesn't matter.

I would kill for a Nirvana album of acoustic blues standards! I feel like it could have been a possibility down the line since Kurt Cobain was such a fan of acts like Leadbelly.

I'll definitely pick it up. They're such a beautiful band. I've been really humbled just listening to them grow from a fairly cool pseudo nu-metal group into a well rounded, thoughtful art-metal group with elevated concepts and beautiful lyrics and songwriting. I kind of grew up with them, and it's been a really cool journey to share just coincidentally.

Let Love In is obviously the best Cave album, but I also love Murder Ballads and Dig! Lazarus! Dig! Although my 'off the beaten track' favourite is Tender Prey - similarly to my Nirvana preference, 'Up Jumped the Devil' is a great blues throwback. Other than that, there's particular cuts I absolutely love - 'Wonderful Life' from Nocturama, and 'Into My Arms' from the Boatman's Call are both gorgeous.

I'd love more bands like Prodigy - Fat of the Land was such a killer album. It's kind of perfect for gym playlists too - great tempo and high energy. I'm just otherwise not a fan of EDM, so similar artists have to be....really similar for me to get into them.

Totally agree re Nirvana - Kurt never sounded more at home than in those songs. I'd have loved to hear more of this sort of stuff from them. There's really not much other modern music that references that era of blues. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cream, maybe, but it's still a little different.

[motleyslayer]

My favorite genre will always be thrash metal. But as I get older and mellow out, I've gotten into blues and classical.

I'm kinda in a similar spot with thrash metal. It'll always be my favourite but I've started to grown into a bit of edm/dance type music as well. sometimes it's nice to have more upbeat music as well

[Rorseph]

I'd love more bands like Prodigy

Lucky for you, I am a huge fan of EDM, so maybe I can help a bit? Here's some artists that were relatively big around the time of Fat of the Land and had a similar sound/aesthetic.

• Propellerheads - probably most famous for "Spybreak!" which was the background music for the lobby shootout in the first Matrix movie
• Chemical Brothers
• The Crystal Method
• Lo Fidelity Allstars
• Evil Nine

If none of those suit you, let me know and I'll dig a bit deeper into the crates.

[toctheyounger]

I'd love more bands like Prodigy

Lucky for you, I am a huge fan of EDM, so maybe I can help a bit? Here's some artists that were relatively big around the time of Fat of the Land and had a similar sound/aesthetic.

• Propellerheads - probably most famous for "Spybreak!" which was the background music for the lobby shootout in the first Matrix movie
• Chemical Brothers
• The Crystal Method
• Lo Fidelity Allstars
• Evil Nine

If none of those suit you, let me know and I'll dig a bit deeper into the crates.

Ayyy, I'll take those recommendations with much gratitude. Any cuts I should search up to begin with?

[Rorseph]

Any cuts I should search up to begin with?

Sure! Here's some of my favorites:

• Propellerheads - "Spybreak!" off of Decksandrumsandrockandroll
• Chemical Brothers - "Elektrobank" off of Dig Your Own Hole
• The Crystal Method - "Trip Like I Do" off of Vegas
• Lo Fidelity Allstars - "Blisters On My Brain" off of How to Operate with a Blown Mind
• Evil Nine - "Twist the Knife" off of They Live!

[toctheyounger]

Any cuts I should search up to begin with?

Sure! Here's some of my favorites:

• Propellerheads - "Spybreak!" off of Decksandrumsandrockandroll
• Chemical Brothers - "Elektrobank" off of Dig Your Own Hole
• The Crystal Method - "Trip Like I Do" off of Vegas
• Lo Fidelity Allstars - "Blisters On My Brain" off of How to Operate with a Blown Mind
• Evil Nine - "Twist the Knife" off of They Live!

Thank you good sir, I shall peruse accordingly.

[Krishnath]

How come these independent artists aren't getting any exposure or recognition from audio streaming services like iTunes, Rhapsody, or SiriusXM Satellite Radio?

Simple, said audio streaming services are tied to and rely on the recording industry for their content. Just like radio.

[RxPhantom]

Any cuts I should search up to begin with?

Sure! Here's some of my favorites:

• Propellerheads - "Spybreak!" off of Decksandrumsandrockandroll
• Chemical Brothers - "Elektrobank" off of Dig Your Own Hole
• The Crystal Method - "Trip Like I Do" off of Vegas
• Lo Fidelity Allstars - "Blisters On My Brain" off of How to Operate with a Blown Mind
• Evil Nine - "Twist the Knife" off of They Live!

Thank you good sir, I shall peruse accordingly.

I know I'm super late on this, but that Propellerheads record is packed with tasty jams. It's one of my all time favorites.

Also, If you're still looking for Prodigy-ish stuff, another all time favorite of mine is Innerpartysystem. They only have one record, but it's terrific.

[pokken]

I listen to mostly the same stuff I did when I was a kid, early 90s alternative, and some later stuff that...mostly sounds like that. But I listen to a lot of classical while I'm programming. Vivaldi's my favorite composer but I'll listen to anything that doesn't have a ton of brass. Weirdly as an ex-trumpet player I find anything with brass kinda grating. Give me strings and piano, sometimes some woodwinds Being instrumental is the key to productivity, though. I listen to some instrumental bands like Russian Circles at times.

My favorite recent discovery has been Hum. I listened to then as a one hit wonder in the 90s and got into a couple of their whole albums then but turns out they have a pretty extensive discography of droney heavy atmospheric stuff. I really like them.

[toctheyounger]

I know I'm super late on this, but that Propellerheads record is packed with tasty jams. It's one of my all time favorites.

Also, If you're still looking for Prodigy-ish stuff, another all time favorite of mine is Innerpartysystem. They only have one record, but it's terrific.

I will take these recommendations with many thanks. My forays into any sort of EDM are fairly scant, so having my inquiries directed is always appreciated.

But I listen to a lot of classical while I'm programming. Vivaldi's my favorite composer but I'll listen to anything that doesn't have a ton of brass. Weirdly as an ex-trumpet player I find anything with brass kinda grating. Give me strings and piano, sometimes some woodwinds Being instrumental is the key to productivity, though.

Vivaldi is absolutely wonderful. The Four Seasons suite is one of my favourite pieces of music of all time, but there's plenty of other stuff that I love of his. If you're into some recommendations, I'd highly suggest trying some JS Bach (the dad, not his kids) - he was a massive fan of Vivaldi's, so a lot of his string compositions have that same baroque feel, and I've always found Bach to be really great for productivity, just something about his polyphony and extensive use of counterpoint really just leaves no room for distraction. His Cello suites are gorgeous, and there's a series of arrangements for Solo and Double Violin which are really nice and close to Vivaldi territory. His organ works are insane, complex and epic, but it's an acquired taste; something about the timbre of organs I'm not always into.

If you're after some more emotive, dramatic stuff Beethoven is nice too. His piano sonatas are often really lovely, although they're kind of the classical equivalent of rock music - not necessarily brilliant for productivity, just amazingly beautiful, dramatic and emotional music. His piano sonatas 14 (Moonlight) and 23 (Appassionata) are exquisite. His Violin concertos are great too, and his 9 symphonies are all worth listening to.

[pokken]

His Cello suites

Sold!

[motleyslayer]

Kinda rough day for me as a musician I really liked (especially early in my metal head days) passed away this morning. Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom passed away from long term health issues at the age of 41. Guy was a great musician

[toctheyounger]

Kinda rough day for me as a musician I really liked (especially early in my metal head days) passed away this morning. Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom passed away from long term health issues at the age of 41. Guy was a great musician

I was never a huge fan of Children of Bodom, but there's no doubting his prowess nonetheless. He was an incredibly gifted axeman and musician. That's sad, and early to go too.

[Krishnath]

Kinda rough day for me as a musician I really liked (especially early in my metal head days) passed away this morning. Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom passed away from long term health issues at the age of 41. Guy was a great musician

Yeah, I heard about that. Although they weren't my cup of tea specifically in the metal genre(s), I had a massive respect for his work. He was an inspiration to a lot of younger metal heads.