The golden age of (contemporary) music is over - and that's OK.

Moltisanti

Like classical music had it's golden period I genuinely believe that we have lived through the golden age of Rock/pop/soul/funk/blues.
And I'm OK with it.
If you take roughly 1950 - 2000 as a rough benchmark, all of the really great periods for the genres mentioned above had their time and are now over. 
We have a very rich catalogue of music to draw from, and educate our children with.
Of course there are always exceptions and some new music being produced is decent, but in nothing like the quantity of the 60s/70s/80s.
This isn't a criticism of anything, just an observation - and it's kind of a relief.

ICBM

There's still good pop music being produced - people my sort of age just have to get over the fact that there are rarely guitars (or any real instruments at all, often) in it. The others are probably going the way of jazz - in its various forms - and ragtime, though.

Sesh

It will just keep evolving. Just like what is called Rock these days and what is called Rock 30 years ago are vastly different. More influences will bleed in and music will change. I expect the far east will become a significant influence in western pop music. The emergence of China as the global superpower will start to dictate tastes. Rock will carry on, just differently.

TheBlueWolf

That's roughly the time period I enjoy most but I'd stop short of saying no mor golden ages will happen. Today's "what the Fuck is that???" could be the next new thing.

Sporky

There's more good music being made and distributed now than ever before.

The "it's all over" argument only holds water if you're stuck in time.

not_the_dj

Question for the OP, how old are you? 

CabbageCat

In every year since the dawn of time there has been a section of society who has just subconsciously realised that they don't listen to new music any music. They often attribute the phenomenon to odd things like people wearing tighter trousers or, as in the OP's case, insects have eaten all the new musicians but it's just plain old aging.

RocknRollDave

There has never been a golden age of contemporary music. Every era has its highlights, but also loads of dross that you forget about because you don't listen to it.

Being a child of 1973, I get tempted to see it as a special years for music - a couple or three really huge albums for me came out that year - then I remember that Tie A Yellow Ribbon was number one the week I arrived....

Sporky

CabbageCat said:

In every year since the dawn of time there has been a section of society who has just subconsciously realised that they don't listen to new music any music. They often attribute the phenomenon to odd things like people wearing tighter trousers or, as in the OP's case, insects have eaten all the new musicians but it's just plain old aging.

Tell you what, it's a relief when you make it out of the other side of the buying-most-of-your-clothes-from-M&S stage though.

ESBlonde

Our parents said the same once Bing Crosby, Jim Reeves, The Andrews Sisters,Nat King Cole, Mario Lanza, Vera Lynn, Doris Day, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra had been and gone from the 'hit parade'. All that 'jungle music' wouldn't last they said.
True our tastes have evolved and our bias may be set by the things we witnessed as new and exciting, but don't forget in every era in pop music there is a lot of dross that gets forgotten and we remember only the classy material that stands the test of time.
I personally have an issue with listening to second rate poetry recited over a machine beat with a talented voice stitched on to be able to call it music, but that just means I fall into the catogory (to quote Hitch hikers guide - Zaphob Beeblebrox) 'you guys are so un hip it's a wonder your bums don't fall off'.
I dare say todays youngsters will be still listening to Rapp or whatever it's called this week and having found feelings of rememberence in the decades ahead. there will be mainstream radio chanels like magic is today covering the genre for the mums and dads.
This is what makes the achivements of the greats like Elvis, The Beatles, The Beach boys, The carpenters, AC DC, Led Zepp, The Who etc. all the more interesting, what will evolve next.

RocknRollDave

Things are only considered to be "Classics" after the event, with the benefit of hindsight.
Once the Stone Roses blew up huge, the NME were verrrry quiet about the lukewarm review they gave the debut album when it first came out.
There's a good chance that there are albums around now that, taken out of context and viewed from a distance, will seem more significant than they do now.

And then there is personal taste. The 90's explosion of Rave was totally anathema to me, but to some people it is a golden age of music. One man's sauce is horse for another man's goose....or something.

JezWynd

The era of music defining fashion, culture and wider society may be done. Music must take its place with a load of other media for attention in future.  Perhaps we need new instruments to bring another wave into effect.

Sporky

JezWynd said:

 Perhaps we need new instruments to bring another wave into effect.

It's time for the trombazoodian to step into the breach.

monquixote

 The answer to all such statements is: "No, you are just old"

TTony

Sporky said:

There's more good music being made and distributed now than ever before.

But its ever harder to find, because there's even more-more bad music being made and distributed now than ever before.  The old filters (ie record contracts et al) are long gone so we're swamped with stuff.

Which is perhaps the problem.

We (well, some of us) perceive that there's no more "decent" music being generated now because it's so much harder to find it.

ICBM

Hey! I'm old (well sort of) and I still listen to all this new crap that you can barely call music .

Although I have to admit, I'm not so sure that would have been as true if I didn't have kids and encourage them to listen to pretty much all kinds of music. Maybe... I have pretty broad tastes and I've never been afraid to like stuff that isn't 'cool' according to other rock musicians.

It's also worth listening to mainstream radio - I always do in the car... and I don't mean Radio 2. There's a lot you won't like and a lot you'll probably think is rubbish, but there are some gems in there too. Just stop listening for the guitar solos and enjoy the songs and the production.

ThePrettyDamned

TheBlueWolf said:

That's roughly the time period I enjoy most but I'd stop short of saying no mor golden ages will happen. Today's "what the Fuck is that???" could be the next new thing.

Exactly. Genres like dubstep are the product of several influences blended together on a computer... Whether you like it or not, it's a pretty valid part of out social history. 

Sadly, so is Scooter. 

Sporky

TTony said:

But its ever harder to find, because there's even more-more bad music being made and distributed now than ever before.

I agree that there is more bad music too, but I disagree that that makes it harder to find good music. I'd say it's easier. Rather than the good old days where you bought the CD, then got home to find out if it's any good, you can now preview (erm... prelisten?) legally via Spotify or YouTube or any number of other sites to decide if you like it.

Add to that the plethora of "if you like x you might like y" services (again, Spotify's Discover feature is a decent example (though this week it's served up a lot of indecipherable widdlescream)) means that I, at least, am hearing far more new music than ever before, and a higher proportion of it is good.

Evilmags

Sporky said:

There's more good music being made and distributed now than ever before.

The "it's all over" argument only holds water if you're stuck in time.

This. The golden age of music is a myth. The ral difference now is that their is no tribal alliance with bands as part of a youth identity. The majority are tone deaf and have rebelled against the taste makers.  Hence Simon Cowell. The 60s and 70s were a golden age for musicians because unless you pretended to like music you were uncool.... 

Sad but true.  

Winny_Pooh

Psycologically I think it's harder to look up to musicians younger than yourself. 
The 2000's have had way better music than the 90's IMO.
Neo folk, garage rock, neo prog, good electronic music all came back. 
 

Moltisanti

I also feel the same way about films but that's a different thread