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Music Genre Shift in 2008? |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Oct 2006
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Music Genre Shift in 2008?
I think there's something going on.. I get the impression that the younger generation of kids are moving back towards dance music, rather than guitar based music that has dominated the UK scene since the Britpop era..
Don't know what anyone else thinks about this - but I'm starting to feel a little old, tracks from Basshunter, H'two'O, September, T2 and obviously Cascada sound awful to me - Euro Trash Pop - but it seems this is what the kids want - the top of the charts are stuffed full of them, Bebo profiles are rammed with them - and I've read a couple of reports recently that clubs are packed again with a new generation of clubbers.. Radio 1, the nation's "favourite"seems to find it hard to keep up, only playing the tracks once they chart - maybe because they are, like me, feeling a bit old and out of touch, and think this sort of stuff sounds tacky! The stuff that Radio 1 does play, is safe, middle of the road, yacht rock indie, making the sort of music that would Toploader would be proud of (bet they reform!) Is this the music cycle theory that the late great Tony Wilson came up with, where a generation rebels against their elder siblings and piers ie. Guitars in favour of dance music? Check this Hard2Beat Anthems 2008 advert - does it make you feel old too? http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aowhuFnhKqk (I do hope this doesn't drop down into the forum abyss - I think this is a really interesting subject for us to discuss, rather than adding stuff to those forum games!!!) |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Oct 2006
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Tony Wilson's theory
Just read that again, and to give a brief outline of Tony Wilson's theory - he thought that music goes through a 13 year cycle..
This was based on music that changes culture, rather than what is popular - so The Beatles changed popular culture in the 60s, Sex Pistols in the late 70's, Stone Roses in the late 80's etc etc - the 13 year bit was based on a family of three, that the eldest would get into a genre of music, the second in the family would also be into it, but the youngest would rebel. Its an interesting theory, with major flaws - but 13 / 14 year old kids today, were not alive during the E revolution, that Madchester and Rave Culture brought - they've been stuck with reality TV, and guitar bands.. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Apr 2007
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I think I've said in another topic, September is actually good if you check out her albums, but she's being marketed a certain way and her song has been remixed to give it an extra dance sound. I'd call it unashamedly cheesy, not tacky.
It's odd that dance songs are getting more popular as chart hits - something I don't understand either. Basshunter and stuff like Call On Me are amazingly monotonous - something that might be ok in a nightclub but not as regular listening. I find radio 1's playlists always a tad boring, they're unlikely to stray from annoying soundalikes like The Wombats, The Kooks and The Arctic Monkeys. I prefer diversity and I certainly don't get that from them. |
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#4 |
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Radio 1 is turning into Virgin Radio in the mid 90's - another point with regards to Radio 1 refers to their charter - they are designed to cater for the 15-24 age group, and if this age group starts moving away from Yacht Rock, they will have to follow, which I *feel* they are - hence September, H'two'O & Cascada on daytime playlists, regardless of the DJ's personal tastes (ie. they are all over 30 and hate it as they don't see it as being cool).
This shift will have implications for Radio 1, maybe on the scale of those in the early 90s, when they cleared out everyone over 30, and stopped playing anything that was over 3 years old. If they did that today, only Fearne, Reggie and new bloke Gregg James would remain, and they'd lose the main base of their listeners, which are 30 something blokes.. |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Merseyside
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I much prefer Dance music, if for no other reason than it doesn't have the vile pretence and snobbiness that tends to inhabit "indie" music.
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#6 |
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Quote:
I much prefer Dance music, if for no other reason than it doesn't have the vile pretence and snobbiness that tends to inhabit "indie" music.
).Music is always shifting. RnB was the in thing (and still is in ways). Then along came generic indie/rock. It's only natural something jumps in it's place. Remember when garage was all the rage?
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#7 |
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I have that Hard2beat CD. It's great
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#8 |
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Join Date: Oct 2006
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..
I'm glad this hasn't disappeared down to the depths of the Digital Spy forums!!
I think I've confused some with the point I was trying to make about a musical shift.. Here's an example. In the late 80s, most people were either into the Smiths, Goth or dance music. Your Dad might like the Smiths, your Mum would sing Cure songs.. How uncool... E came along, the acid house & madchester scene exploded, and every teenager was into the same mix of music - clubs were packed, people could dress down to get into them, baggy clothes (because of the heat & sweat from dancing) became fashionable, and everything shifted culturally. For that generation, this was there own thing - you went to clubs, not gigs - DJ's ruled the day, not bands - it was as exciting as it was for the punks in the late 70s, and the Beatlemania & British Pop movement in the 60's.. At the moment, we're in a period of american R&B, reality TV pap and Yacht Rock. Its all the same old stuff.. Where's the excitement? Mums & Dads like the same stuff as the teenagers, Mum will listen to Kayne & Leona, Dad will have the Hoosiers on.. Kids & teenagers are meant to rebel against this, and I, (and here is the point!!) feel that they are - and they are listening to stuff like Basshunter, September, T2, H"two"O, Cascada - stuff that can dance too, and more importantly, stuff that the elder generation HATES.. That generation includes Mum, Dad, big Sister & Brother (Tony Wilson's theory again!) as well as the producers & play list decision makers at national radio stations, who are trying to keep up albeit reluctantly.. I'm not sure if anyone heard Chappers on Radio 1 scoffing over playing the new Basshunter single - he's right of course, its awful - but for his generation, and mine, not the under 18s that listen to the station that is supposed to cater for them, they love this sort of stuff. The hard2beat club anthems album - I could not listen to that without swearing and demanding it be turned off. Except for the Utah Saints track, because that's old school, and the original was better, wasn't it?
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#9 |
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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I don't really agree with the idea that all teenagers listen to the same thing. There are lots of different genres, and lots of different subcultures within genres.
I suppose most high school teenagers listen to whatever is in the charts, whatever that might be, but even so the charts have never been about only one genre, and that's before you even get to the music that doesn't make the charts. After all, the days when 'Madchester', 'baggy', 'acid house' etc were said to be at their peak (late '80s/early '90s) had the likes Kylie Minogue in her Stock Aitken Waterman era and New Kids On The Block topping the charts. |
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#10 |
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I don't know what point you're trying to make anymore.
If you're trying to say music tastes vary between ages, well that's always been the case. The "older" generation listen to music they feel comfortable with, and like the odd new music coming out, and the younger generation listen to dance, hip hop, rap etc. It's often the case that older people listen to what young people are and shake their heads. But I don't think dance is becoming the main music young people listen to. Ian Van Dahl did relatively well a few years back with dance music in the charts, with a few songs hitting the top 10, so I don't think there's been a sudden shift this year. |
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#11 |
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Quote:
I have that Hard2beat CD. It's great
![]() Memories and all that. So does this mean, considering the 13 year cycle theory - a thirteen-year-old will enjoy the same music as their parents? |
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#12 |
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I see where you're coming from, as dance and R&B are very popular in my year, with half my school being crazy over that Basshunter song.
Don't generalise though- I can't stand dance and R&B. The vast majority of my music is rock of some description, but I also like the odd bit of electro and intelligent pop- two of my favourite songs are britpop. The only really popular band I like is My Chemical Romance. There is a large group of people in my year who like bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Dragonforce- basically Rockers/Moshers. They tend to like all the bands I don't though, and vice versa, so it even varies between rock fans at my school. There's a huge variety of music taste really. You can't class a generation. My Mum likes R&B and Girls Aloud as well as Andrea Bocelli (strange mix, I know), I like loads of metal and grunge/punk songs from the late 80s and 90's as well as more modern stuff, I could say my Dad and Brother fit your bill (Brother likes Dance and R&B- basically anything that's in the charts- and Dad's a mad Bruce Spingsteen fan who also likes Savage Garden). Although you will get music that is popular, at the end of the day people like what they like. |
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#13 |
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I think there may be a few dance hits, but they don't show much sign of being able to sell albums or be internationally successful or have major sell out tour and that is what record labels want. Until there is a sign of that, I doubt they will bother pushing dance music.
2007 seemed to indicate a swing towards more pop music (Leona, Mika, Rihanna and Wino) and less of the "indie" genre*. Now well into 2008, take a look at the top 20 albums so far: 1 Rockferry - Duffy 501,000 2 All the Right Reasons - Nickelback 341,000 3 Back to Black (Deluxe Edition) - Amy Winehouse 287,000 4 19 - Adele 282,000 5 Scouting for Girls - Scouting for Girls * 278,114 - (427,908) 6 Spirit - Leona Lewis * 277,232 - (1,827,271) 7 Life in Cartoon Motion - Mika 262,000 8 This is the Life - Amy MacDonald 252,000 9 Call me Irresponsible (Special Edition) - Michael Bublé 214,000 10 Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss 207,000 11 Beautiful World - Take That 204,000 12 Good Girl Gone Bad - Rihanna 192,000 13 Version - Mark Ronson 189,000 14 Thriller 25 - Michael Jackson 181,000 15 Sleeping through the Static - Jack Johnson 178,000 16 Hand Built by Robots - Newton Faulkner 171,000 17 In Rainbows - Radiohead 155,000 18 The Trick to Life - Hoosiers 148,000 19 Back to Black - Amy Winehouse 142,000 20 Deaming Out Loud - One Republic 139,000 (Thanks to Dave at Haven) There seems to be a focus on females particularly singer-songwriters and those with big voices. Even the "boys with guitars" are now unashamedly "pop" like Scouting for Girls, The Hoosiers and One Republic where 2 years ago even those making what was essentially guitar-pop music were claiming to be indie. |
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#14 |
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Most people i know are into Indie Music, which i dont like much of
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#15 |
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Tbh i like any song that has a good beat. I have to admit i liked "what's it gonna be" but yet detested Basshunter's song. I'm not into dance much at all.
Nor am i into Indie. |
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#16 |
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Indie is over-saturated. Plus it's beyond crap.
I don't think it's so much moving 'back' to dance music, but pop/rock/dance crossovers. Although I'm saying that because I like InnerPartySystem... (Don't Stop is an awesome song.) |
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#17 |
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Like I say, dance and urban pop are on the way back
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#18 |
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According to EMR we are at a time when the importance of the single is much reduced and rock is in the ascendant.
Let's face it - they should know! |
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#19 |
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Who are EMR?
And Rock isn't coming back at all.. |
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#20 |
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EMR: http://www.entertainmentmediaresearch.com/
That doesn't necessarily mean that rock is coming back specifically into the mainstream chart predominantly now - but that the public are producing, increasingly so, rock bands as their "most loved" artists. The top 10 "most popular acts" in the UK currently are: 1. The Beatles 1. Red Hot Chili Peppers 3. Snow Patrol 4. Kaiser Chiefs 5. REM 6. U2 7. Scissor Sisters 8. Coldplay 9. Bon Jovi 10. The Police I can post this according to different demographics too if you really want. |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Im 16 and I am really into like old school 90's R'n'B, hip hop music.
Such as: TLC (my absolute favourites!) SWV Naughty by Nature Bobby Brown Tupac BBD Aaliyah Fugees Salt n Pepa Blackstreet Arrested Development My dad has a lot of these albums and through him I learn't about these artists. I think there is a shift because a lot of my friends love artists like these. |
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#22 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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Dance/Pop is making a slow, but steady comeback in the UK.
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#23 |
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I'm in my 30s and i love dance music. My 13 year old son is much more into Rock music (his favourite band is Nickelback). I don't think you are going to get the generational divide when it comes to music in this day and age because it is acceptable for people 30 years old+ to still keep with the trends of today.
I think the preferred genre amongst kids will vary depending on location, class etc. I live in working class West Midlands and rock music is very popular amongst teens here. Anything from My Chemical Romance to Guns n Roses. |
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).
Memories and all that.
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