Sue the artists for making crappy music. Plus they are about the only group these idiots haven't sued yet.

Maybe because all the music created in 2008 was just a remix, cover, or ripoff of a song made in the last 50 years?

Producer: "Hey, I've got a great idea. Let's strip the beat from some 80's one-hit wonder, and then put Ne-Yo and Rihanna on the vocals! We don't really need to change the words, nobody will know!"
Record company: "Great idea!"

The top 20 stations make me want to go homicidal.

Wait wait wait.... they produced MUSIC in 2008?

I was completely unaware.

ShillinTheVillain: Maybe because all the music created in 2008 was just a remix, cover, or ripoff of a song made in the last 50 years?

You're deluded. It's clearly PIRATES who are ruining music!!1!

eddyatwork: ShillinTheVillain: Maybe because all the music created in 2008 was just a remix, cover, or ripoff of a song made in the last 50 years?

You're deluded. It's clearly PIRATES who are ruining music!!1!

They should sue Somalia.

Maybe they need a bailout, clearly they should sue the Fed.

Everyone is busy twittering their lives.

Video games are taking more market share. Then again, actual EFFORT goes into making video games (even the mediocre ones).

Sue everyone! That seems to be their strategy so far, why change horses midstream?

Archie Goodwin: Sue the artists for making crappy music. Plus they are about the only group these idiots haven't sued yet.

THIS! I have more international music on my iPod than American music now.

Has anyone else noticed that the Top 40 songs are almost all rap/R&B?

hm, I bought more music last year than I have in a while...

but if they're only factoring in Top 40 acts being affected by the slump, they need not to investigate any further. Even if I liked that shiat, there's no way in fark I would pay for it.

I bought a handful of CD's in 2008, mostly because very little interested me.

Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope And Sorrow
Disturbed - Indestructible
Extreme - Saudades de Rock
KMFDM - Brimborium
Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
Rush - Snakes And Arrows Live (ok, it's a DVD, so this doesn't really count)

I honestly think that's it. There just wasn't that much interesting that came out last year. This year, though, there has already been the new Static-X and new KMFDM, and hopefully we should have new 30 Seconds To Mars by the end of the year, so this year's looking a little brighter (for me, at least).

Lots of great stuff came out last year. You just have to look a little harder to find it.

madmann: Wait wait wait.... they produced MUSIC in 2008?

I was completely unaware.

As has been true for every year since the advent of recorded music, last year produced some stellar musical works. Just as in the years preceding it the lion's share of those worthy works were underpromoted (provided they were promoted at all.) As always, the mission (should you choose to undertake it) is to dig for it.

The Glass Dragon: I bought a handful of CD's in 2008, mostly because very little interested me.

Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope And Sorrow
Disturbed - Indestructible
Extreme - Saudades de Rock
KMFDM - Brimborium
Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
Rush - Snakes And Arrows Live (ok, it's a DVD, so this doesn't really count)

I honestly think that's it. There just wasn't that much interesting that came out last year. This year, though, there has already been the new Static-X and new KMFDM, and hopefully we should have new 30 Seconds To Mars by the end of the year, so this year's looking a little brighter (for me, at least).

this post makes me sad in many ways.

I forgot to buy any CDs last year. My bad.

I've bought a lot of CDs over the past few years, it just hasn't been generic pop crap. Mostly it's jazz & classical music.

This month I picked up a recording of Bach's cello suites and some works for piano & cello by Alberto Ginastera.

Good stuff. There are a few other things I'd like to pick up but they are currently back ordered.

Last cd I bought was about 4 years ago. Liz Phair--Exile In Guyville. Just not into anything new, I guess.

//old dog, new tricks, etc.

Japancakes: madmann: Wait wait wait.... they produced MUSIC in 2008?

I was completely unaware.

As has been true for every year since the advent of recorded music, last year produced some stellar musical works. Just as in the years preceding it the lion's share of those worthy works were underpromoted (provided they were promoted at all.) As always, the mission (should you choose to undertake it) is to dig for it.

And yes, I'm well aware that my opinion as to what a musical masterwork is will more likely than not differ greatly from what you will consider a musical masterwork.

/and I've reached an area of solace with that fact.

John Buck 41: Last cd I bought was about 4 years ago. Liz Phair--Exile In Guyville. Just not into anything new, I guess.

//old dog, new tricks, etc.

I'm like that, but with movie theaters. The last movie I saw in a theater was Hellboy.

bingo the psych-o: John Buck 41: Last cd I bought was about 4 years ago. Liz Phair--Exile In Guyville. Just not into anything new, I guess.

//old dog, new tricks, etc.

I'm like that, but with movie theaters. The last movie I saw in a theater was Hellboy.

The only time I go the theater is to see a new Bond.

bingo the psych-o: John Buck 41: Last cd I bought was about 4 years ago. Liz Phair--Exile In Guyville. Just not into anything new, I guess.

//old dog, new tricks, etc.

I'm like that, but with movie theaters. The last movie I saw in a theater was Hellboy.

With the knowledge that a longer director's cut of any film I care to see is going to be viewable at home within 3-6 months why would I want to deal with all that is involved to see a film anywhere BUT at home.

/last film I in a theater was "The Dark Knight".
/one before what was "A History of Violence".

aarond12: Archie Goodwin: Sue the artists for making crappy music. Plus they are about the only group these idiots haven't sued yet.

THIS! I have more international music on my iPod than American music now.

Has anyone else noticed that the Top 40 songs are almost all rap/R&B? suck?

There, FTFY

I bought only a few of CDs last year. And that was mostly older stuff that I already owned on cassette and my last cassette player died.

Now that I can directly plug my iPod into my car stereo, there's really not even much need for CDs any more...

I just think it's amazing that Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Birds of Fire" was #15 on the charts in 1973. Is this a testament to people getting stupider? Record companies telling us what we think we want to hear? What? Why are these guys unable to see the problem that seems so obvious to most of us?

devilskware: I just think it's amazing that Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Birds of Fire" was #15 on the charts in 1973



See also: Dark Side of the Moon. Hell, an album that experimental and groundbreaking i could see that album selling a couple million, but nearly 20 million? Seems like anything remotely resembling "different" now is labeled pretentious (not that Floyd were above that label, but I digress) and is more of a cult phenomenon.

There were well over 100 releases in 2008 that I thought were absolutely terrific, and that's just in the limited genres I listen to.

In other news...the quality of music being released is steadily declining...

Most teens have never even bought a CD...ever.

"Sony is committed to the music business; we just don't yet know how we are going to make a profit from it."

-- Sony CEO Howard Stringer on Charlie Rose

Sucks to be me...a hardworking independent music producer in a world where there is no market for what I have worked my whole life to make.

/Still doing it.

ihatedumbpeople: In other news...the quality of music being released is steadily declining...

No, it isn't. People just aren't willing to look anymore for good music. They still seem to want MTV and the radio to spoon feed them. That isn't going to happen anymore. Mainstream music markets want you listening to P. Diddles and 20 Pence because it's a commercial advertisement to get you to buy a cellphone or a certain beverage.

You want new music, it's definitely out there. You're just too old and/or lazy to find it.

Glitchwerks: You want new music, it's definitely out there. You're just too old and/or lazy to find it.

this.

you fail at the internet if you can't find good, new music.

flaminglip: FeedTheCollapse: Glitchwerks: You want new music, it's definitely out there. You're just too old and/or lazy to find it.

this.

you fail at the internet if you can't find good, new music.

You don't even need the internet. Just go to a damn record store or a library and sit at a listening station for a while.

See, there's a problem, though. A lot of music, at least for me, is an acquired taste. There are very few things that have ever just hit me as something I'm a fan of.

Because of that, I could really get value from someone knowledgeable pointing out new music to me that I'm likely to enjoy. I can't just start going to shows or cruising MySpace band pages, because to me most of it's just going to sound like Generic Indie Band #437 at first listen. I could be missing out on something, but the chances are slim enough that it's probably not worth my effort to find out.

Oh, and by the way, yes, I've heard of and used Pandora. It's alright, but most of the time, I punch in some obscure stuff I like, and it just comes up with some more commonplace stuff that I already knew about. It did introduce me to Gentle Giant, though, so it's not all bad.

Sue the radio stations for playing a few minutes of crap in-between commercials and other fluff. Sue themselves for shutting-down napster. Both used to expose me to new music that would prompt me to buy a CD or go to a local show. Now there's only silence.

ever use www.rateyourmusic.com ? it is mostly kids, but you can find stuff you'd like to here

The Glass Dragon: I bought a handful of CD's in 2008, mostly because very little interested me.

Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope And Sorrow
Disturbed - Indestructible
Extreme - Saudades de Rock
KMFDM - Brimborium
Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
Rush - Snakes And Arrows Live (ok, it's a DVD, so this doesn't really count)

I honestly think that's it. There just wasn't that much interesting that came out last year. This year, though, there has already been the new Static-X and new KMFDM, and hopefully we should have new 30 Seconds To Mars by the end of the year, so this year's looking a little brighter (for me, at least).


You got beat up a lot when you were a kid, right?

devilskware: I just think it's amazing that Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Birds of Fire" was #15 on the charts in 1973. Is this a testament to people getting stupider? Record companies telling us what we think we want to hear? What? Why are these guys unable to see the problem that seems so obvious to most of us?

Really!? That's amazing. I remember buying "Gong - Expresso2" on vinyl a few years ago and on the back of the album is a list of DJ's notes about when he/she played the tunes on the radio. On. The. Radio.

I do believe that if not for the past 40 years of banality in "popular" (promoted) music, people might still get down to some heady stuff. There are entire generations that have never heard anything with talent or soul.

I even work in the Music Industry, and the last time I purchased a CD that wasn't blank was approximately 2003.

I bought Chinese Democracy last year. That just about covers my CD purchases.

What? I have a stereo with a CD player in the den, and that's because I really can't be arsed to move speakers around to just about every place I might want to listen to music.

I could get a cable for hooking the mp3-player up to the stereo, but sometimes I like to see an actual disc spin. Besides, owning the album on CD (under local copyright law) means that the mp3 version that fell of the internet, could be explained as "legit with all probability" if I ever receive a subpoena from the local RIAA wannabe.

Actually, the receipt showing that someone purchased Chinese Democracy could suffice if I get a good lawyer.

/Yes, we are actually allowed to convert music we own to other formats without being criminals. How sick is that?

The Glass Dragon: I bought a handful of CD's in 2008, mostly because very little interested me.

Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope And Sorrow
Disturbed - Indestructible
Extreme - Saudades de Rock
KMFDM - Brimborium
Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
Rush - Snakes And Arrows Live (ok, it's a DVD, so this doesn't really count)

I honestly think that's it. There just wasn't that much interesting that came out last year. This year, though, there has already been the new Static-X and new KMFDM, and hopefully we should have new 30 Seconds To Mars by the end of the year, so this year's looking a little brighter (for me, at least).

Good god....So you are the person who buys those records.

I bought a lot of music in 2008. I'm a metalhead, and there were a lot of great metal albums that came out in 2008, Here are a few that I really liked:

The Way of All Flesh (Gojira)
The Formation of Damnation (Testament)
Twilight of the Thunder God (Amon Amarth)
Shogun (Trivium)
All Hope Is Gone (Slipknot)
Death Magnetic (Metallica)

/waits for the Metallica-haters to come out of the woodwork because he praised their new album.
//also waits for the elitist metalheads who hate every band that over 12 people have heard of.

darkjezter:
Twilight of the Thunder God (Amon Amarth)

I would have actually paid money for that album, if it were released in the US and Europe on the same day.

I'll still see them in concert two or three times this year I'm sure so they're still getting financial support out of me.

You want to support a band, buy their merchandise and see them live, that's how they earn all their money.

Oh, and Trivium sucks, Slipknot had one, maybe two? good songs, and yes Metallica are has-beens.

I wrote a paper in high school in 1998 where I tackled this problem. The only logical solution is to give the music away for free and charge for merchandise and concert tickets. You can charge for high quality versions of your songs/videos/live versions/video games whatever you want, but the music is gonna get turned into a marketing tool to sell your brand. It's a sad state of affairs, but its the only way I see the current music industry surviving. Otherwise we're gonna be living in a world where every artist is gonna have to distribute their own music, which will destroy sound quality.

Young Rory Calhoun: Otherwise we're gonna be living in a world where every artist is gonna have to distribute their own music, which will destroy sound quality.

Distribution and sound quality have nothing to do with each other.

Anyone with a few grand can get a pro tools set up in a spare bedroom and record at 96 Khz through decent mics.

darkjezter: //also waits for the elitist metalheads who hate every band that over 12 people have heard of.

We don't hate it because they are popular. We hate things because they suck.

darkjezter: Shogun (Trivium)
All Hope Is Gone (Slipknot)

Like these.

Kali-Yuga: darkjezter:
Twilight of the Thunder God (Amon Amarth)

I would have actually paid money for that album, if it were released in the US and Europe on the same day.

I'll still see them in concert two or three times this year I'm sure so they're still getting financial support out of me.

You want to support a band, buy their merchandise and see them live, that's how they earn all their money.

Have you seen the Twilight of the Thunder God video? Because that was really the only song that stood out. It's not that the new album was bad, it's just that it had to be compared to With Oden on Our Side.

They might sell more of they promoted good bands and artists instead of one hit wonders that people only care about for a week. All the good music is underground and everyone has their own little underground artist they like while many don't care at all about mainstream music anymore cause it's garbage. This is the worst decade of mainstream music ever.

TheJoe03: They might sell more of they promoted good bands and artists instead of one hit wonders that people only care about for a week. All the good music is underground and everyone has their own little underground artist they like while many don't care at all about mainstream music anymore cause it's garbage. This is the worst decade of mainstream music ever.

You only say that because you either weren't around in previous decades or you just don't remember that a majority of music has always sucked. You only think this decade is the worst because it's fresh in your mind.

The Glass Dragon: TheJoe03: They might sell more of they promoted good bands and artists instead of one hit wonders that people only care about for a week. All the good music is underground and everyone has their own little underground artist they like while many don't care at all about mainstream music anymore cause it's garbage. This is the worst decade of mainstream music ever.

You only say that because you either weren't around in previous decades or you just don't remember that a majority of music has always sucked. You only think this decade is the worst because it's fresh in your mind.

No. Example: in hip-hop the biggest mainstream acts were Tupac, Biggie, and Wu-Tang while now it's T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Akon. I'd also say Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Sublime are much better than Fallout Boy, Nickelback, and whatever other homo rock bands are popular now. At least there was actual talent in mainstream music last decade but this decade is 100% garbage. I like plenty of mainstream acts from the 60s, 70s, and 90s but I can't think of one mainstream act of the 00s that is any good.

TheJoe03: I like plenty of mainstream acts from the 60s, 70s, and 90s but I can't think of one mainstream act of the 00s that is any good.

I like how you left out the 80's.

/agrees about that decade and this one
//just bought Demon Days, but it was a used copy, does that make me bad that I saved a few bucks?

Jedi_Templar: I like how you left out the 80's.

/agrees about that decade and this one

What are you talking about? The 80's rocked... Wait, mainstream music. Ok, yeah the 80's sucked in that aspect.