Has popular music stopped evolving?
Discussion
For some reason, songs from 1983 have popped up recently on my YouTube feed. Thinking about it, there are 40 years between today and 1983 but also 40 years between 1983 and 1943.
The 40 years between 1943 and 1983 seem like a big jump musically. There was no rock, heavy metal, rap, alternative, pop, or other genres in 1943 yet they pretty much all existed in 1983. I don’t think a hit from 1943 would be an automatic hit today but could easily see the best music for 1983 making it today (with a slight update).
I am struggling to think of any significant, new types of music introduced since 1983. Yes auto tune has had an impact and technology has changed but I am not sure that has had a big impact on the style of music. Perhaps the biggest change is the popularity of rap and associated music (which was in its infancy in 1983).
Has popular music stopped evolving?
The 40 years between 1943 and 1983 seem like a big jump musically. There was no rock, heavy metal, rap, alternative, pop, or other genres in 1943 yet they pretty much all existed in 1983. I don’t think a hit from 1943 would be an automatic hit today but could easily see the best music for 1983 making it today (with a slight update).
I am struggling to think of any significant, new types of music introduced since 1983. Yes auto tune has had an impact and technology has changed but I am not sure that has had a big impact on the style of music. Perhaps the biggest change is the popularity of rap and associated music (which was in its infancy in 1983).
Has popular music stopped evolving?
You’re just completely out of touch if you think that. Since 1983 you’ve had the entire birth and evolution of dance music and all its subgenres, house garage dnb hardcore trance techno breaks progressive EDM. All of these have multiple sub genres. Then there’s alternative, Indi, metal, nu metal, grunge on the guitar side of things that are all distinctively different to punk / rock that existed before. On the urban side there is hip hop, rap, grime, drill, rnb, etc all unrecognisable from what existed in the early 80s
This is just a few examples from many.
This is just a few examples from many.
ZedLeg said:
No, it’s got more diverse if anything, the internet has allowed weirder music to build a decent following and the old genres are becoming meaningless.
Go listen to 100 gecs or jpegmafia and tell me pop music is getting stagnant.
<Googles> ... You're telling me this wasn't made in the 90s? Go listen to 100 gecs or jpegmafia and tell me pop music is getting stagnant.
Edit: 1988 Maybe the OP has a point.
Edited by 768 on Wednesday 12th July 07:11
I wouldn't say the OP is out of touch. He touches on what I think is an interesting topic.
The most significant change between '43 and '83 was radio and TV. Between '43 and the early 60s, there wasn't much in the way of musical divergence. From the original delta blues emerged rock'n'roll and R&B and that was about it. But as more people were able to listen to more music, this stimulated a greater divergence of styles and the emergence of 'popular' music that we recognise today as mainstream. FM Radio and Colour TV were probably the primary triggers. So through the 60s and 70s, from Rock'n'Roll came Rock, Heavy Rock, Prog Rock, Glam Rock, etc. From R&B emerged Disco, Dance, Electronic, Pop, etc.
From '83 onwards, technology enable greater creativity in music making, the biggest burst of change being around the late 80s and early 90s where, fuelled by ecstasy and other other substances, music creativity went off the charts but settled down to give us Dance, Electronica and the like. Rock change too, splitting from the heavier side to the more widely palatable Indie Rock which in turn blended with pop to give us BritPop and the like.
This continues today. It's never been easier to make and publish music. All forms of creativity are stimulated by what has gone before so it stands to reasons that today, there's a far wider array of genres, styles and types of music out there. That will continue exponentially.
What I think the OP is alluding to is the paradox that technology has given us a million way to listen to music which means that it's as difficult to expose ourselves to new types of music as it was in the 40s and 50s unless we make deliberate attempts to do so. In the 70s and 80s, you'd hear a new song on the radio or TV whether you were looking for it or not.
If you are in any doubt as to the richness and diversity of music in 2023, here's a list of all musical genres and sub-genres today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_genres...
The most significant change between '43 and '83 was radio and TV. Between '43 and the early 60s, there wasn't much in the way of musical divergence. From the original delta blues emerged rock'n'roll and R&B and that was about it. But as more people were able to listen to more music, this stimulated a greater divergence of styles and the emergence of 'popular' music that we recognise today as mainstream. FM Radio and Colour TV were probably the primary triggers. So through the 60s and 70s, from Rock'n'Roll came Rock, Heavy Rock, Prog Rock, Glam Rock, etc. From R&B emerged Disco, Dance, Electronic, Pop, etc.
From '83 onwards, technology enable greater creativity in music making, the biggest burst of change being around the late 80s and early 90s where, fuelled by ecstasy and other other substances, music creativity went off the charts but settled down to give us Dance, Electronica and the like. Rock change too, splitting from the heavier side to the more widely palatable Indie Rock which in turn blended with pop to give us BritPop and the like.
This continues today. It's never been easier to make and publish music. All forms of creativity are stimulated by what has gone before so it stands to reasons that today, there's a far wider array of genres, styles and types of music out there. That will continue exponentially.
What I think the OP is alluding to is the paradox that technology has given us a million way to listen to music which means that it's as difficult to expose ourselves to new types of music as it was in the 40s and 50s unless we make deliberate attempts to do so. In the 70s and 80s, you'd hear a new song on the radio or TV whether you were looking for it or not.
If you are in any doubt as to the richness and diversity of music in 2023, here's a list of all musical genres and sub-genres today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_genres...
And don't forget the influence of mind expanding drugs in the 1960s. Whatever your views on the use of illegal substances, there is no doubt they played a massive part in the creativity and originality of popular music, especially in the period from (say) 1966 to about 1971.
Music hasn't stopped evolving but there are so many genres and sub-genres around today that it's impossible to be on top of all these genres and, indeed, to even like them all.
Music hasn't stopped evolving but there are so many genres and sub-genres around today that it's impossible to be on top of all these genres and, indeed, to even like them all.
Skeptisk said:
I am struggling to think of any significant, new types of music introduced since 1983.
New romantics, synth pop, Electro, Hip Hop, Rap, Indie, Industrial, EDM in all its myriad forms and loads more. You got old & tuned out is what happened. And significant is a subjective term, something you think is tuneless drivel is someone else's defining experience.
President Merkin said:
Skeptisk said:
I am struggling to think of any significant, new types of music introduced since 1983.
New romantics, synth pop, Electro, Hip Hop, Rap, Indie, Industrial, EDM in all its myriad forms and loads more. You got old & tuned out is what happened. And significant is a subjective term, something you think is tuneless drivel is someone else's defining experience.
OP, I agree with you. Music from the 1950's, 1960's, and the 1970's is very distinctive. The 1980's synth also. Once we got to the 1990's nothing seems to have changed since. It's still the same merry-go-round of guitar bands, hip hop (though without the political edge) and rehashes and remixes of 90's dance. I find commercial very bland. Seems harder to find anything new or different unless you trawl through 6 Music or something.
It's all been done before. My main genre is trance but do venture into more obscure things. 99-02 was peak and despite listening to ASOT every week, it's rare to get a real gem and often it's a remix of an original good track, with them trying to force a more progressive sound. Fine if in the background but all feels like generic noise that's not distinct. Perhaps it's burnout and I need to mix it up a bit. But anything mainstream is a waste of time and if I do listen to the radio I'm often flicking between the dance stations and the 80's and 90's stations to hear things from when I was a kid that my parents would like.
Rich Boy Spanner said:
OP, I agree with you. Music from the 1950's, 1960's, and the 1970's is very distinctive. The 1980's synth also. Once we got to the 1990's nothing seems to have changed since. It's still the same merry-go-round of guitar bands, hip hop (though without the political edge) and rehashes and remixes of 90's dance. I find commercial very bland. Seems harder to find anything new or different unless you trawl through 6 Music or something.
I can prove ten ways from Sunday how wrong this is, not least as the 90's were thirty years ago. Everyone posting in here should preface their response with their age, so we can see what was big when they were teens & infer from there the musical soundtrack that was about when they were skinny, good looking, out shagging & boozing every night because that is the universal human experience - your tastes are inevitably bookended by your salad days. The idea music stopped being interesting somewhere roughly in <insert poster> twenties is ridiculous.few thoughts:
1. if you state there’s been no musical innovation since 1983 then you’re a PERM (“Prodigy Exclusionary Radical Musicologist”) and you should be cancelled
2. using radio to discover new musical delights is like using private-equity funded out of town shopping centres to discover new gastronomy delights
3. since samplers became a thing, we’ve genred and catagorised the everloving heck out of everything so of course everything is a sub genre
4. the rise of technology, sample packs, etc has lead to an explosion of mediocre content (or alternatively has raised the bar of what is average) which means more to sift through to get to the good stuff
5. in middle age people may not have so much time or inclination to do discovery, and get set in their ways
1. if you state there’s been no musical innovation since 1983 then you’re a PERM (“Prodigy Exclusionary Radical Musicologist”) and you should be cancelled
2. using radio to discover new musical delights is like using private-equity funded out of town shopping centres to discover new gastronomy delights
3. since samplers became a thing, we’ve genred and catagorised the everloving heck out of everything so of course everything is a sub genre
4. the rise of technology, sample packs, etc has lead to an explosion of mediocre content (or alternatively has raised the bar of what is average) which means more to sift through to get to the good stuff
5. in middle age people may not have so much time or inclination to do discovery, and get set in their ways
Eric Mc said:
And don't forget the influence of mind expanding drugs in the 1960s. Whatever your views on the use of illegal substances, there is no doubt they played a massive part in the creativity and originality of popular music, especially in the period from (say) 1966 to about 1971.
i understand you’re likely specifically referencing psychedelics, and have to add that if you think drugs have had less of an impact creatively/ culturally etc since ‘71 then you’re wildly mis/uninformed 
President Merkin said:
Rich Boy Spanner said:
OP, I agree with you. Music from the 1950's, 1960's, and the 1970's is very distinctive. The 1980's synth also. Once we got to the 1990's nothing seems to have changed since. It's still the same merry-go-round of guitar bands, hip hop (though without the political edge) and rehashes and remixes of 90's dance. I find commercial very bland. Seems harder to find anything new or different unless you trawl through 6 Music or something.
I can prove ten ways from Sunday how wrong this is, not least as the 90's were thirty years ago. Everyone posting in here should preface their response with their age, so we can see what was big when they were teens & infer from there the musical soundtrack that was about when they were skinny, good looking, out shagging & boozing every night because that is the universal human experience - your tastes are inevitably bookended by your salad days. The idea music stopped being interesting somewhere roughly in <insert poster> twenties is ridiculous.I've found myself being drawn back to nostalgia when I'm listening to music more and more but I still find new stuff. Usually from recommendations on social media.
President Merkin said:
Rich Boy Spanner said:
OP, I agree with you. Music from the 1950's, 1960's, and the 1970's is very distinctive. The 1980's synth also. Once we got to the 1990's nothing seems to have changed since. It's still the same merry-go-round of guitar bands, hip hop (though without the political edge) and rehashes and remixes of 90's dance. I find commercial very bland. Seems harder to find anything new or different unless you trawl through 6 Music or something.
I can prove ten ways from Sunday how wrong this is, not least as the 90's were thirty years ago. Everyone posting in here should preface their response with their age, so we can see what was big when they were teens & infer from there the musical soundtrack that was about when they were skinny, good looking, out shagging & boozing every night because that is the universal human experience - your tastes are inevitably bookended by your salad days. The idea music stopped being interesting somewhere roughly in <insert poster> twenties is ridiculous.boyse7en said:
I'm not so sure. Listening to most music in the charts these days and they could have been made any time in the last thirty years or so. I don't see that there is much of a distinctive sound - and i generally listen to "current" music on the radio, so I'm not really wedded to the idea that music was better in the old days.
The charts are meaningless now though. The music industry has changed, it's not like pre internet when really the only way to get visibility was to play the game. You can do your own thing and if it's good people will come.Gassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff