The NWO's grip on Music?

So since the conception of American Idol, other "idol" shows have popped up around the world. I don't want to hate on the shows, but the emphasis of the shows is not creativity and actual musical talents but rather the ability to sing and perform. It also serves to promote the general "pop" music. It would be perfectly fine if it were only one country doing this, but now this is worldwide, meaning a merging of the world's popular music. I believe music to be representative of a culture, and the more freeform music is allowed to be, the more openminded the culture. The messages of the music also influence culture immensely. Most would agree that over the past 10 or so years, the quality of music has generally decreased. This is extremely evident in commercial hip hop and pop music right now. The commercial hip hop/rap really does not convey any real message or meaning and its lyrics are at best mediocre. The only "redeeming" factor is their beats, but even the beats are predictable and are all generally the same.

Now don't get me wrong, there are still rappers and hip hop producers out there who are extremely talented and creative, such as the Wu-Tang members who are still rapping/producing (like Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA) and producers such as Dan the Automator and Madlib. However, most of the stuff on the radio these days are formulaic regurgitations of the same essential things. For example, see Lil Wayne. Pop music is also the same now, as the popular culture has chosen commercial hip-hop and good looking singing performers who don't really write their own things and are just musical puppets. Their songs are catchy but there is no innovation. The indie scene is growing and many of the bands are innovative, but by definition of "indie" few of them will ever be "big", as in those songs that are played repeatedly on pop radio stations. But what does it mean to be "big"? They must be generally liked by the whole or the population. However, the general population no longer has a taste for good innovative music (such as the Beatles and the Byrds, who where the pop music of the sixties and sang of peace, togetherness, and freedom) but instead have a taste for repetitive music about money, sex, drugs, (except for non hip-hop/rap pop songs, they are almost always about love). There are few songs these days that spread the message of freedom. In the older days, such folk legends as Pete Seeger and Woodie Guthrie, and later Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and even later, Billy Bragg all sang of freedom and political inequities in an attempt to bring it to the attention of the people, and they were extremely popular. Billy Bragg is still around and making music but he is not very popular.

It seems that the worlds popular music is being molded by the powers that be into mindless, yet feels good if you don't really pay attention to it, music. Or perhaps it is the other way around. Perhaps the popular music of our day is merely representing the mindlessness of the brainwashed "sheeple", as so many admiringly call them. As in, I am not sure if the music is a result of the culture, or that the culture is a result of the music. However, it seems like a positive feedback loop, as the music promotes the culture and the culture likewise promotes the music. Musicians who are actually innovative are forced underground (such as the indie and underground hip-hop scene) and most will only gain prominence within their own circles.

Essentially, I am trying to say that there is a noticeable trend in the quality and message of popular music, and that trend appears to be that after the late 90s, all popular music began to sound the same and have generally the same messages. Then, this style of "pop" music/culture is being promoted by the idol shows all over the world. This is sort of a rant, but I think something might be going on!

[edit on 16-3-2008 by italkyoulisten]

[edit on 16-3-2008 by italkyoulisten]

The whole notion of packaged music by a few music elites and then spoon fed to a huge population of music consumers is an interesting idea to me. It's also a very western and relatively recent invention of civilization (assuming that we have been here for hundreds of thousands of years). In many non western cultures everyone participates in music. Tribal societies don't even have a concept of one person being "talented" and so we grant this one person a lisence to be the designated singer...to them singing and making music and dancing is as much a part of life as breathing, eating, talking, etc...

I think all the Idol programs, and much of what you talk about how the major players of the music business are doing this or that...it's about trying to make a buck. In order to market music, there must be a perception of a music shortage, and thus a created need for music, since they (the consumers) can't make it themselves, they need a record label to deliver it to them. It's about creating market share, and selling pop music. Kareoke brought this back full circle somewhat...where the people can again participate and idol sort of is the best of the best of the participators as it were...also church singing also lets the people participate, but beyond this really, there is no participation by the masses other than buying the recordings and purchasing tickets to performances. One can join a band I suppose, and participate, but then he/she has moved from one sector into the other that is being the designated music maker....

It's difficult for me to see a conspirity angle here...now if you want to discuss the promoting of select styles of music such as gangstah rap music, and who or what entities or entity may be mostly behind that and what the intended effects are for that particular target market in culture, then perhaps you may be stumbling onto something, but having Idol tv shows on in various markets, to me anwyay, does not denote any conspiricy other than trying to make as much money for the shareholders as possible. They make pop music attractive, and present the world with a few "really tallented" artists, and voila...more revenue!!!

Nice thread topic though, I look forward to seeing what others think.

[edit on 16-3-2008 by skyshow]