Why is modern pop so terrible?

[Yomanze]

Modern pop is designed to be snackable and offer short-term thrills. Shelf life has no relevance, it’s just about pushing the next hit.

However there is still some great pop out there if you look around.

[Haselsh1]

I suspect that modern pop music is so bad because there is a massive lack of music skill involved in producing it. There is not a grain of complexity to any of it compared to a few decades ago because that aspect of music has been removed by the likes of X Factor that almost entirely feeds on what these people look like with all of their voices fitting the new stereotype. I tend to think that as with almost everything modern the whole concept is about making very easy money in the shortest possible time frame started by Stock, Aitken and Waterman or even Nicky Chin and Mike Chapman back in the seventies. As to why young people today no longer give a shit for music, I haven't got a clue but as with all history,
no doubt it will simply reinvent itself.

[montesquieu]

I suspect that modern pop music is so bad because there is a massive lack of music skill involved in producing it. There is not a grain of complexity to any of it compared to a few decades ago because that aspect of music has been removed by the likes of X Factor that almost entirely feeds on what these people look like with all of their voices fitting the new stereotype. I tend to think that as with almost everything modern the whole concept is about making very easy money in the shortest possible time frame started by Stock, Aitken and Waterman or even Nicky Chin and Mike Chapman back in the seventies. As to why young people today no longer give a shit for music, I haven't got a clue but as with all history,
no doubt it will simply reinvent itself.

Something has gone badly wrong with vocal production in the last couple of decades. Wannabe-pop stars learn to widdle at the stage schools their wannabe parents send them to - that strange vocal affectation that is absolutely everywhere these days - with the consequence that they all sound like a princess out of a Disney film.

It became most apparent to me when listening to the sountrack of a film about New York's Greenwich Village in the Bob Dylan/Joan Baez era - it was called 'Inside Llewyn Davies' and amongst other things featured some modern pop types singing some of the folk songs - of course they all had the widdle, which was ridiculously anachronistic. (Apart from being a bit silly). The songs sounded nothing like what Dylan and Baez and Pete Seeger and Peter Paul & Mary would have sung like.

To be fair to the widdlers on the film, at least they managed to sing the songs .. the average pop diva seems to have a vocal range of 4 notes these days.

Oh and Roger Scruton is quite good on the whole pop music topic.

[WESTLOWER]

. Wannabe-pop stars learn to widdle at the stage schools their wannabe parents send them to - that strange vocal affectation that is absolutely everywhere these days - with the consequence that they all sound like a princess out of a Disney film.

That Widdle you very accurately describe, drives me fooking nuts. It's awful and totally unnecessary. Female 'vocalist' do it all the time. There is no expression or depth to it, it's just a vocal exercise akin to a gargle.
God i thought I was alone, when I hear it i want to punch the singer in the throat. it's utter drivel... where did it come from? Where is the purity in the vocal range? It's a shame, I would imagine many of these singers can really
sing and have great natural voices but the 'industry' has dictated they will sing this way.

[Pieoftheday]

That Widdle you very accurately describe, drives me fooking nuts. It's awful and totally unnecessary. Female 'vocalist' do it all the time. There is no expression or depth to it, it's just a vocal exercise akin to a gargle.
God i thought I was alone, when I hear it i want to punch the singer in the throat. it's utter drivel... where did it come from? Where is the purity in the vocal range? It's a shame, I would imagine many of these singers can really
sing and have great natural voices but the 'industry' has dictated they will sing this way.

Punch them in throat, why on earth do we get so flusterd? You arnt alone though, i cant stand that worbling crap either On the other hand if people like it...

[paulf-2007]

That Widdle you very accurately describe, drives me fooking nuts. It's awful and totally unnecessary. Female 'vocalist' do it all the time. There is no expression or depth to it, it's just a vocal exercise akin to a gargle.
God i thought I was alone, when I hear it i want to punch the singer in the throat. it's utter drivel... where did it come from? Where is the purity in the vocal range? It's a shame, I would imagine many of these singers can really
sing and have great natural voices but the 'industry' has dictated they will sing this way.

they all use voice coaches so mostly sound the same. In bygone years, pop singers had their own style.

[WESTLOWER]

It's very enlightening when you hear a 'pop' singer unshackled by the constraints of the horrid, bastard pop machine.
I have no time for any of it, but I was wandering between stages at the fabulous North Sea Jazz festival, in Holland a few years ago and was stopped dead in my tracks by a female vocalist singing just wonderfully.
I entered the Auditorium and singing this beautiful thing live, was (it pains me to say it)... Lady Gaga. She was performing with Anthony Dominick Benedetto, Tony Bennett to you and I.
I have to tip the hat to her. She was very good indeed. But it did throw up the question of how many talented artists are being bent out of shape for the machine.

[Pieoftheday]

Modern pop is designed to be snackable and offer short-term thrills. Shelf life has no relevance, it’s just about pushing the next hit.

However there is still some great pop out there if you look around.

Im sure tbere was plenty of shite pop in the 60s 70s 80s.etc too

[Haselsh1]

Im sure tbere was plenty of shite pop in the 60s 70s 80s.etc too

Oh yes, there very definitely was.

[Pieoftheday]

Oh yes, there very definitely was.

And there's probably good pop too.where I work they often have Heart radio blasting out, utter bolloxs on a loop,same day in day out.once in a while radio one gets an airing, I couldn't name any of the artists but there was some good stuff on. I think perhaps the question should be, why do people lap this commercial crap up? Look at the xfactor for example,the audience isn't just 12year olds it's 30 40 50 year olds too screaming in joy at the tedious crap