quote:
Originally posted by sunnylea57:
When I think about the musicians from the 60s and 70s, it seems to me that so many of them were one of a kind: they were influenced by prior generations of musicians but they still created their own unique musical space. No one else sounded like Jimi Hendrix. He broke new ground with his musicianship and sound. The same could be said for the majority of the artists listed so far in this thread.
Are current young musicians in 2017 simply not making unique music? I'm not sure that's true.
No musician or band in 2017 will have the cultural impact that any artist had 1967. In the 60s and 70s our choices were limited to what the major labels promoted and AM/FM radio played. Everyone listened to (or at least was aware of) the classic rock artists listed in this thread.
In 2017 there is no end to the sheer volume of music and diversity of styles available. The major labels have far less influence. Very few, if any, of the artists listed in the "Current Musicians" thread are on a major label. There are so many genres and sub-sets of genres, its mind-boggling. Are you a fan of Afro-Cuban EDM? No doubt there's a musical community for you.
Our means of accessing music has also changed. We've gone from listening to whatever our local FM station deigned to play to having any and all music at the click of a mouse.
It makes fiscal sense that the artists who get the biggest push from the major labels these days are the ones who have the widest commercial appeal. The labels play it very safe. Unlike the 60s and 70s, the labels aren't willing to invest time and money in developing an artist. It used to be that when a label signed a new artist, it was accepted that they wouldn't break even until their third album. The labels took chances on new artists.
There's a whole lot of uninspired and uninspiring music out there today. Not bad music, but nothing original. That's bound to happen when there is just so much music available.
But remember that for every Janis Joplin, there were dozens of bands and musicians in the 60s and 70s who are rarely mentioned now. Not bad musicians, but nothing groundbreaking or memorable. In that regard, not much has changed.
There are still many artists who are breaking new ground in 2017. It's just much harder to find them. The artists who are taking the biggest chances in 2017 are on independent labels or self-released. The system has changed, and it takes a whole lot of sifting through chaff to find the wheat. That's why threads like "Current Musicians" are useful.
Great post, sunnylea57, with solid insight and perspective.
My oldest son is a big fan of the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' movies. I believe he enjoys the music from the soundtracks more than the movies themselves. It is fun to listen to him around the house, or in the car, singing lyrics from Fleetwood Mac, ELO, The Jackson Five, and Cheap Trick. And while I hope we share some musical tastes, I look forward to my kids discovering current musical artists that resonate with them.
I think the 'Current Musicians' thread is great. I listened to several songs from The New Pornographers the other day and really enjoyed their sound.
Oh, and how could we forget the incomparable Bob Marley?
