Music isn't that bad

I like you Beyonce, but I don't love you.

In recent years, the direction of the music industry has been under fire for not giving us the same quality of music that it used to. But not every band can be Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd and not every solo artist can be Michael Jackson or Billy Joel. The problem is not the music being produced and made but the people who are listening. We are the problem.

            

If you complain about overhearing overproduced radio pop hits from the likes of Katy Perry or Lil Wayne it is because you are not looking for the right music. Good artists are not going to give themselves to you. The music you want to hear is hidden for a reason but it is up to the listener to realize that there is good music out there that is not specifically from another era.  

With the recent Grammys “snub” to Beyonce and the award being “given” to Beck, I can only roll my eyes at everyone who thinks Beyonce is a better artist than Beck. By my strict definition, there is a difference between an artist and a singer. Beyonce is a singer and Beck is an artist. Beck plays 16-ish instruments, has 14 studio albums (all branching out into different genres of music) and has been in the music business since Beyonce was 12 years old. Beyonce, meanwhile, has countless writers and producers for one song, plays no instruments and will never be on the same level of artistry as… anyone. In what parallel universe is Beyonce an artist?

And I am not a Beyonce-hater. Maybe it's just my music snobbery getting in the way again but I often find myself singing her songs in the car and putting “Single Ladies” on mix CDs. I love her feminist stance, I think she is fabulous and admire everything she stands for. Except her music isn't my thing.

           

An audience really has no place to say if the quality of music is worse than what was released more than 40 years ago. Really, there is never going to be another song with lyrics as complex and confusing as “Stairway to Heaven,” or a song as poetic as a Pink Floyd tune. The search for good music is a personal journey and it will not be found by the constant complaining. There are artists of all sorts throughout different generations. Not one generation of music is flawless or perfect and can be an example for new music. Some might even find the repetitive lyrics and music of The Beatles, arguably one the most revolutionary bands ever, annoying.

I went to a concert at Berklee in March and found myself so impressed with the bands that are not even signed onto a label. All the bands had great stage presence, charisma and confidence. And this is just a bunch of student musicians from Berklee. My friends and I could not stop talking and gushing about the performance we saw and it was something we did not expect.

            

Good music just needs to be found. I have found some of my favorite bands through clicking "related artists" on Spotify and taking literally any recommendation from a friend. The openers at concerts tend to be pretty impressive too. 

So, in regards to today’s music, music isn't that bad. It is up to the audience to decide what they want to listen to. It is not the music industry’s fault if you don't like the new Drake album, but your fault because there is other great music out there. So quit your bitchin' because you aren't going to find the next great prog-rock-psychedlic-indie band on the top hits radio station.