[cferneyh]

At Economist.com:

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Love this statement:

If the industry stops building catalogue by relying too much on one-hit wonders, it is storing up a big problem for the future.

[vicariousmartyr]

Thats a great article. Adresses issues that have been brewing within my skull for a long time.

Another great quote:
And while TV loves shows like “Pop Idol” for drawing millions of viewers, such programmes also devalue music by showing that it can be manufactured. Technology has made it easy for music firms to pick people who look good and adjust the sound they make into something acceptable, though also ephemeral.


And this graph really says it all, IMO. Its exactly how I feel. Overall creativity, originality, and genuineness has been in major decline for a long time now (with obvious exceptions, but a trend, no less) You just cant manufactor this stuff.

[skippy the wonder dog]

I'd say that part of that 500 greatest albums by year is driven by simple demographics ... i.e. the baby boom is driving that bus.

Another aspect is that music broke free of the marketers for a while in the late 60s. That phenomenon is cyclical, with the punk explosion being another example. What's changed, I think, is the marketers are now quicker to catch on to the new trend and create manufactured versions.