Why do People Hate Mainstream Music?

There is an almost universally shared opinion that this past decade has been the worst decade for music in recent music history. Whenever I search for music video for a certain artist or act on YouTube, there is always a comment about how the state of the music industry is disintegrating. There is plenty of discussion throughout the Internet regarding to finding the reason why so many people are unhappy with what mainstream music is churned out in the past few years.

As for my own opinion, I hold two beliefs that can explain why current mainstream music is poorly received in general.

Music Industry is Bankrupt- Most major labels are desperate to make a quick buck to save the industry. Therefore in order to make a quick buck, the record industry is pushing songs and artists that appeal to the lowest common denominator (sex, drugs, and teenage girl fantasies) which can collectively be summarized in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lmCjJ0VBjjU

NOTE:  K’ronikka’s Booty Wave is not available on I-Tunes unfortunately.

Billboard adding separate charts for different genres of music- Throughout the 60’s to 90’s the Billboard Hot 100 featured songs from various genres of music. Therefore, many people who listened on the radio and kept track of the Hot 100 would be exposed to genres of music that they would not be normally exposed to. When Billboard started to make more charts dedicated to specific genres of music (Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, etc.), listeners did not have the same opportunities to find artists as easily as they once did. As of now, the Billboard Hot 100 features pop music while the other genres of music are isolated in their own specialized charts. Therefore fans of only pop music could be satisfied with the mass airplay of the songs featured on the Billboard Hot 100.

Do you believe that mainstream music is popular or unpopular with the masses?  

What is your reasoning in believing so?   

What is would you believe is the most/least popular decade of music and why?  

What do you feel music will be like in 10 to 20 years?       

What are your musical tastes and are they well represented in mainstream music?

SAPPY MORAL OF THE BLOG:  Some of the best music that is near and dear to my heart are classified in genres of music that I did not normally listened to at first. Try to expand your musical horizons because there is so much great music waiting to be heard and you are surrounded by it. While watching a music video, try clicking on one of the related videos in the related videos column on YouTube for once. (I promise that you are not going to break your finger by doing this.)

Any other thoughts or personal opinions about this matter would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

PERSONAL OPINION:  Before anyone asks me, I do not think that the 2000’s were the worst decade in recent music history. In fact, I think that the 2000’s are the most underrated decade in recent music history.

Why do People Hate Mainstream Music?

There is an almost universally shared opinion that this past decade has been the worst decade for music in recent music history. Whenever I search for music video for a certain artist or act, there is always a comment about how the state of the music industry is disintegrating. There is plenty of discussion throughout the Internet regarding to finding the reason why so many people are unhappy with what mainstream music is churned out in the past few years.

As for my own opinion, I hold two beliefs that can explain why current mainstream music is generally poorly received.

1.     Music Industry is Bankrupt- Most major labels are desperate to make a quick buck to save the industry. Therefore in order to make a quick buck, the record industry is pushing songs and artists that appeal to the lowest common denominator (sex, drugs, and teenage girl fantasies) which can collectively be summarized in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lmCjJ0VBjjU

NOTE #1:  This is satire do not try to take any of it seriously.

NOTE #2:  K’ronikka’s Booty Wave is not available on I-Tunes unfortunately.

2.     Billboard adding separate charts for different genres of music- Throughout the 60’s to 90’s the Billboard Hot 100 featured songs from various genres of music. Therefore, many people who listened on the radio and kept track of the Hot 100 would be exposed to genres of music that they would not be normally exposed to. When Billboard started to make more charts dedicated to specific genres of music (Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, etc.), listeners did not have the same opportunities to find artists as easily as they once did. As of now, the Billboard Hot 100 features pop music while the other genres of music are isolated in their own specialized charts. Therefore fans of only pop music could be satisfied with the mass airplay of the songs featured on the Billboard Hot 100.

Do you believe that mainstream music is popular or unpopular with the masses?                                   What is your reasoning in believing so?                                                                                                      Do agree/disagree with my opinions?                                                                                                   Any other thoughts about this matter would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

SAPPY MORAL OF THE BLOG:  Some of the best music that is near and dear to my heart are classified in genres of music that I did not normally listened to at first. Try to expand your musical horizons because there is so much great music waiting to be heard and you are surrounded by it. While watching a music video, try clicking on one of the related videos in the related videos column on YouTube for once. (I promise that you are not going to break your finger by doing this.)

PERSONAL OPINION:  Before anyone asks me, I do not think that the 2000’s were the worst decade in recent music history. In fact, I think that the 2000’s are the most underrated decade in recent music history.

Spence Blog Post #7

My definition of personal privacy would be information that I would want to keep for myself and only myself such as matters that deal with family and my numerous amounts of health issues. The aspects of my own life that I wouldn’t mind sharing would be musical interests, religious beliefs, and any sort of aspects of my life that can benefit people by word of mouth. However, I wouldn’t dare share any sort of information of my own accord since I value privacy very heavily, I would only share if people wanted to know. Everything that is on my own Facebook is stuff that I wouldn’t mind sharing, but I tend to keep even those interests hidden since I am not an extrovert. The people that I only share information with are my closest friends, but I would never tell a random stranger that I don’t know my entire life story. When I tried searching my name on Google by name alone I got a ton of sites linking to a Josh Spence that is an Australian pitcher for the San Diego Padres. I tried typing up my disease called psoriasis along with the high school that I graduated from to my name and got similar results about the pitcher for the San Diego Padres. I tried typing up my name to www.spokeo.com and got a bunch of Josh/Joshua Spences but I still haven’t found any Josh Spences in Blacksburg. So I typed my name along with Blacksburg, VA and there were no results listed. Apparently, the Internet doesn’t seem to think that I exist and that is fine by me.

Spence Creative Proposal

My group presentation topic is future technology advancements dealing with health related issues.  I envision that the future of the health system would place emphasis in artificial life forms, precise and accurate medical instruments, and faster system of transporting medicine, vaccinations, and medical instruments. Some ideas of what the future would hold would be making babies into superior human life forms, having lasers to open up people for surgery with accuracy and speed to avoid more loss of blood, and placing medicine into a capsule in a tube that shoots up or down to deliver what is needed with absolute speed. I will place my ideas of the future for the health system in a drawing of a human figure that is divided in half. Each identical body part of the human figure will represent a medical practice, one side for current medical practices and the other side for future medical practices. In order to accomplish this project, I would simply need a poster and writing utensils (preferably markers in all sorts of colors) and the knowledge of current medical practices that are common on the medical field. My plan to complete the project would be to start researching till November 11.2011, and I will place onto paper then onto poster for the week before Thanksgiving Break. 

*It is guaranteed that I will not follow this plan since I am prone to procrastinating.

In-Class Writing #9

The audience of the article would be Facebook users participating in the workforce due to the topic affecting only employees looking to get a job.

The situation that the article is responding to would be employers looking through Facebook and other social media sites, that potential and current employees use, as part of the background check required for employment.

The author's position is against the issue of Facebook and other social media being used for background check.

The sources in this article are reports from Financial Week and the New York Daily News that employers are increasingly using Facebook for background checks and that these employers might face some legal issues about this practice due to potential discrimination from employers.

The rhetorical appeals used are logos and pathos. Logos appeal is found in the article through questioning the legality of the practice of using social media as a source for background checks.

This article would be an acceptable source for an essay for online privacy as the employers violate employees privacy through looking at personal information about said employees, the credibility of the article is backed up by two sources, the article is about 4 years old, although it may not be as current as it could have due to social media changing rapidly every year, and the comprehension of the article provides the reader with a message about internet privacy of employees that is clear and concise for understanding.

Spence In-Class Writing #8

My personal list of what digital native ought to know

1. 300 (movie)
2. Batman:  The Animated Series (TV show)
3. Firefly (TV series)
4. V for Vendetta (movie)
5. Discovery by Daft Punk (album)

What we collectively agreed on as group

5. 300- Features one of the most memorable action-packed movies of past decade, featuring possibly the most memorable quote of the decade.
300. Dir Jack Snyder. Perf. Gerard Butler, Lena Heady, and Dominic West Warner Bros. 2006 Film.

4. Friday-Must be remembered as the worst song of the decade, and that NO ONE should write a song with such horrible lyrics EVER again.

"Rebecca Black - Friday - Official Music Video" Online Posting. You Tube, 16 Sep. 2011.  Fri. 28  Oct. 2011 

3. South Park-Brought the world of cartoons to adults, making fun of the important issues around the world.
South Park. Comedy Central. COM, New York. 13 Aug. 1998. Television.

2. The Godfather-The movie highly regarded as one of the best movies of all time.
Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Per. Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Diane Keaton. Paramount Pictures, 1972. Film.

1. Facebook-Brought social media on the Internet as a necessity rather than a luxury to know what's going on in with friends.
Zuckerberg, Mark. Facebook.com. Facebook. 4 Feb. 2004. Fri 28 Oct. 2011.

In-Class Writing #7

The video that was shown in class was an excerpt of Glenn Beck's FOX News TV show discussing how violent video games adds onto the desensitization of violence of today's youth. Glenn Beck first described how in World War I that soldiers in battle were hesitant to shoot even when an enemy is rushing towards them and that the soldiers of today were quick to shoot the enemy with the usage of shooting simulators. Beck tied the information about soldiers using simulators to become more effective during battle to Grand Theft Auto IV numbing kids to violence and training kids to kill.

Beck provided the statistic that 15 percent of soldiers hit the target during their first target practice. Beck stated that in order to increase the accuracy rate of soldiers, they used human shaped targets for target practice. Beck explained that the statistic grew from 15% in World War I to 55% in the Korean War. Eventually, the statistic has risen all the way to 99% accuracy rate for soldiers to hit their target during target practice. By Beck's logic when kids get a hold of shooting and crime simulators such as GTA IV, they would be able commit murder and commit crimes more effectively.

The video tries to persuade and inform viewers of Glenn Beck's TV show that violent video games such as GTA IV are harmful to a child's state of mind through numbing the mind of the shock of violence. Glenn Beck explains that shooting simulators are used by the military to increase the hand-eye coordination of soldiers for better efficiency in battle. Children are getting their hands on these shooting simulators in the form of video games which by Beck's logic is harmful to the brain during the period of youth. Children playing GTA IV will become more effective killers and possess a criminal mind to commit crimes on a grander scheme. By Glenn Beck's logic, children can kill humans with little sense of remorse as a soldier kills the enemy in battle.

*Glenn Beck's opinions do not reflect the opinions of the author of this blog.