Comforting news for anyone! Pop music too loud and all sounds the same: official

Reuters ^ | 7/26/2012 | Reuters

[Dallas59]

Comforting news for anyone over the age of 35, scientists have worked out that modern pop music really is louder and does all sound the same.

Researchers in Spain used a huge archive known as the Million Song Dataset, which breaks down audio and lyrical content into data that can be crunched, to study pop songs from 1955 to 2010.

[Dallas59]

Just turn in that radio contraption and you can figure it out for yourself.

[chris37]

I was not aware that there was even music after 1990something...

[a fool in paradise]

The louder part of the equation is a no-brainer. When the Beatles Corp. remastered their albums for CD recently, they made them louder to match other contemporary releases.

So much for being an authentic rerelease of the material. They were remixed.

[dinoparty]

Nickleback. Damn, that’s some really bad stuff.

[dinoparty]

Its not the loudness per se that is obnoxious ... its the uniform loudness and wall of noise that is rock these days. Its just like constant static. Nothing is shard and clear. There is no variation in volume or pitch.

[Ron C.]

Music? What music? All I hear is a lot of very unpleasant noise - if I accidentally tune into the wrong radio stations.

[Sans-Culotte]

Rock concerts were always too loud, even when I was young and went to them. There’s no reason music should be louder than a Wagner opera or a Mahler symphony.

[DManA]

But every country song is unique and original.

[a fool in paradise]

They’ve left nothing for anyone else to cover. Ever. (or is it Evah!)

Style over substance. Instantly forgettable. 25 years of technocrap. It IS the new oldies.

[Zeppelin]

Nickleback. Damn, that’s some really bad stuff.

[a fool in paradise]

synthesizers didn't kill music but house music and artificial boy/girl groups did.

[Revolting cat!]

[CTyank]

To your point... and I digress...Synth’s in the hands of Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby, Zappa, George Duke, Rick Wakeman, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Jordan Rudess... and too many others to mention... had nothing to do with killing music.

Video killed the radio star - as did a debased and debauched loop culture - too lazy to create on their own.

[Revolting cat!]

Acoustic rules, baby!

[struggle]

David Grohl’s twitter got suspended. It may not have been him.

[struggle]

The great thing is that in 10 years the bandcamp and soundcloud kids will be making their own money. Hopefully Big Music will begin to die.

[SaraJohnson]

There wasn’t any after then...it was the day the music died.

[KamperKen]

"its the uniform loudness and wall of noise that is rock these days.

Which is why I avoid going to bars or any establishment that has a band. One is bombarded all night with that wall of sound (and nothing discernible as music) that renders conversation impossible and leaves one with ringing ears.

[varyouga]

Pop music is so artificial these days that talent means nothing. Looks don’t even matter much because I see better looking women walking down my street every few minutes.

It’s mostly about who you know and sometimes who you blow. The movie and music industry is like an inbred royal family of idiots.

[yawningotter]

When I listen to older stuff I can hear what everyone is playing.
Also, it all sounds the same because too many bands have the same lead singer. Someone who calls themselves “Autotune”.