Just read something interesting today.
Basically he is talking about how it is very easy to make a 4 on 4 track because of the simplicity of today's DAWs.
I agree to him with a certain point, how it can take an "artist" to become famous in a year for making bad shit without any knowledge of what he's doing.
I've noticed this as well a couple years back when I branched out of my writers block.
What do you guys think?
lel
I don't think I really understand. Is anyone claiming that the literary industry is dying because "anyone can open up a word processor and write a thriller"?
Come join music competitions on Chips Compo and hang on our Discord!
Good artists copy. Great artists get banned from the Audio Portal.
He has some good points here and I agree. EDM is at a point where it's all about conformity. People don't want creativity or originality in the mainstream market, they just want the same high as the last musician gave them. It's much easier to use what you know works than to take a chance and find something more original. That doesn't just apply to EDM alone though.
When I think about it it's almost like a new pair of shoes. They start out in good condition, then the more and more you wear them the start to slowly degrade until they're unusable. That's alot of industry music today. Same stuff being used and there aren't many people that are looking to do something new. They are afraid of what people would think. They know that they're gonna just go to the next artist if they can't find what they want from the current one. They have to look to please the people and give what they want never exploring the possibilities of anything new because they don't want to loose their interest.
One reason why I'm really not a fan of mainstream.
commercial edm's been dead for years. good morning, sunshine! :v
p.s. i am gay
I don't know if it's killing EDM, but it's true what he says. For many, many EDM subgenres, once you've heard one song you've heard most of what that genre has to offer. And it's definitely a more dominant trend in EDM than in other arenas..
House and dubstep-like genres in particular have a certain glamour to them these days, which attracts lots of artists who are primarily there for the fame. Naturally they listen to what's already popular and start making cookie-cutter copies (which is a bit easier with a pirated copy of FL and Massive than when you have to assemble a band).
which they subsequently upload to their Soundcloud account where they follow a bajillion people and post 'sick wobs m8 check out my tracks' on everyone's uploads
At 4/22/13 05:20 PM, Buoy wrote: I don't know if it's killing EDM, but it's true what he says. For many, many EDM subgenres, once you've heard one song you've heard most of what that genre has to offer. And it's definitely a more dominant trend in EDM than in other arenas..
tbh its usually the worse(r) producers who dedicate themselves to some subgenre.
House and dubstep-like genres in particular have a certain glamour to them these days, which attracts lots of artists who are primarily there for the fame. Naturally they listen to what's already popular and start making cookie-cutter copies (which is a bit easier with a pirated copy of FL and Massive than when you have to assemble a band).
Yet the fame AVAILABLE will also attract the people with the best chops as well, it goes both ways.
which they subsequently upload to their Soundcloud account where they follow a bajillion people and post 'sick wobs m8 check out my tracks' on everyone's uploads
correct.
I have a habit of blaming Deadmau5 for how dull dance music is right now, because to me, he represents everything stale and stagnant about the genre. Weird thing is, I listened to some of the tunes from his first album, from before he got big, and it was really interesting and unique, which shows me he's a sellout.
I will say this now and forever more: Deadmau5 has never done anything that hasn't already been done. Usually by Daft Punk in the 90s.
At 4/22/13 05:24 PM, jpbear wrote: Yet the fame AVAILABLE will also attract the people with the best chops as well, it goes both ways.
Will it, necessarily? What if the best people prefer neurofunk or some other mildly obscure shit?
At 4/22/13 05:28 PM, Juicebomb wrote: I have a habit of blaming Deadmau5 for how dull dance music is right now, because to me, he represents everything stale and stagnant about the genre. Weird thing is, I listened to some of the tunes from his first album, from before he got big, and it was really interesting and unique, which shows me he's a sellout.
If you had the chance to make simple beats and tour every year for a living, would you?
lel
At 4/22/13 05:49 PM, Sequenced wrote: Weird thing is, I listened to some of the tunes from his first album, from before he got big, and it was really interesting and unique, which shows me he's a sellout.
If you had the chance to make simple beats and tour every year for a living, would you?
hell yeah
At 4/22/13 05:49 PM, Sequenced wrote: If you had the chance to make simple beats and tour every year for a living, would you?
I am physically incapable of doing both of those things, so no
I blame afrojack due to him starting the intergration of pop and Edm causing shitty generic beats to be passed on as a viable song in the edm industry.
(90s was the golden age of electronic music)
At 4/22/13 05:54 PM, lasse wrote: condensed version of thread: people are mad that other people's generic edm gets famous instead of their own edm
Not your best smug one-liner I'm afraid, 2/10 for the timing. It would have been witty if anyone was mad, or if anyone who's been complaining so far was an EDM producer. You should have waited for more replies.
At 4/22/13 06:26 PM, lasse wrote:At 4/22/13 06:08 PM, Buoy wrote: Not your best smug one-liner I'm afraid, 2/10 for the timing. It would have been witty if anyone was mad, or if anyone who's been complaining so far was an EDM producer. You should have waited for more replies.i guess thats what i get for only reading the thread title and nothing else
slacker
lel
At 4/22/13 06:48 PM, lasse wrote:At 4/22/13 06:45 PM, Sequenced wrote:im a busy man
slacker
Well I liked it.
EDM? It's music in general. It's more about marketing than music now. EDM has just recently (and I use recently in terms of music history) hit the US. So what we're seeing now is millions of new fans of EDM, coupled with thousands of new producers. Just look at Skrillex. He was in a pretty successful Screamo band or something like that, but is now making buttloads of money because he switched to his style he uses now.
tl;dr it was bound to happen eventually, it doesn't mean it's dying.
At 3/27/11 10:22 PM, sugarsimon wrote:
the brilliant songs who create a production for music
Wat
Keep in mind that Deadmau5 is a dick and never really has anything positive to say.
It's easy to misconstrue their message here. These guys are saying that EDM is all about being successful now, a point that I wholly agree with. EDM is popular and who doesn't want to be successful? They also make a totally different point that EDM is now really easy to make, which I also agree with. Thanks to computers, it's never been easier to make ANY kind of music. This does lead to an influx of shitty stuff, but I feel like that's because so many people are actually making music now, and it's always been easy to make bad music.
I like to put a more positive spin on things. Since so many people are making the same stuff, if you want to be REALLY successful then you have to work even harder to stand out from the crowd. The flood of new producers making the same old stuff encourages the really talented people to go to new lengths to innovate. The best artists are the ones that stand out and have a unique, recognizable sound.
Also, this isn't entirely on topic but I don't understand this whole fear of the mainstream. It doesn't make any sense. Every time an artist has a release that's a little different from what they usually do, they're labeled as "selling out." That's bullshit. Artists should be able to change their style however they want, and they aren't always doing things for money. Take Armin van Buuren for example. He's gotten the #1 spot on DJ Mag's top 100 for FIVE years. He owns one of the biggest dance music labels in the business (Armada Music). Not many people can say they're as successful as Armin. And yet, the moment he says that he wants to make some different kinds of music and releases a track that sounds kind of like pop, he is shouted down as a sell-out. Some people are saying that he's betrayed trance music and all he cares about is money. This makes no sense, he's already as popular as he can get!
A slightly more on topic example is Avicii. If you don't already know what I'm talking about, just look up "Avicii Ultra set." The guy's on top of the world, yet the second he tries something different, people flip shit. Regardless of what you think of his music, new or old, you have to admit that he's doing whatever the fuck he wants. Anyone think that maybe it's not the producers that are making EDM bland, but the fans?
Maybe, just maybe people are making the music that they want to make and don't give a damn whether or not it's what's popular.
At 4/22/13 07:15 PM, Envy wrote: tl;dr it was bound to happen eventually, it doesn't mean it's dying.
this
At 4/22/13 05:48 PM, Buoy wrote:At 4/22/13 05:24 PM, jpbear wrote: Yet the fame AVAILABLE will also attract the people with the best chops as well, it goes both ways.Will it, necessarily? What if the best people prefer neurofunk or some other mildly obscure shit?
Any smart person will know how to latch the wider edm audience, its more of a why not situation. Shifting 30 bpm doesnt really mean anything in terms of the actual music. If that means that for every other release you have to sacrifice a TINY portion of artistic intent in exchange for a 200% increase in universality, the trade is well worth it for the listeners AND producer. Noisia and amon tobin are the best examples of this.
just a mini rant,
Regarding neuro specifically,
Neuro isnt too good an example because the big neuro names make a living off of it, and they can easily get into other scenes (if they choose) due to the connections in the scene.
A lot of neuro ukf uploads, the artists are on the same talent agencies, etc
At 4/22/13 08:53 PM, AetherX wrote: It's easy to misconstrue their message here. These guys are saying that EDM is all about being successful now, a point that I wholly agree with. EDM is popular and who doesn't want to be successful? They also make a totally different point that EDM is now really easy to make, which I also agree with. Thanks to computers, it's never been easier to make ANY kind of music. This does lead to an influx of shitty stuff, but I feel like that's because so many people are actually making music now, and it's always been easy to make bad music.
I like to put a more positive spin on things. Since so many people are making the same stuff, if you want to be REALLY successful then you have to work even harder to stand out from the crowd. The flood of new producers making the same old stuff encourages the really talented people to go to new lengths to innovate. The best artists are the ones that stand out and have a unique, recognizable sound.
This is all true, although these artists not as easy to find.
Also, this isn't entirely on topic but I don't understand this whole fear of the mainstream. It doesn't make any sense. Every time an artist has a release that's a little different from what they usually do, they're labeled as "selling out." That's bullshit. Artists should be able to change their style however they want, and they aren't always doing things for money.
*should* is the key word here. I, too, dislike the term "selling out" and the way people apply it to various artists changing their style...heck I can't stick with one particular style for more than a couple of songs because even I get bored of it...
Again I guess it depends why an artist becomes one...for the music? For the money, or the fame? The ones you're describing are the ones who do it mostly for the music, because they care about their agency in doing things the way they want. Sadly, not every artist keeps the actual music as their number one priority at all times.
Anyone think that maybe it's not the producers that are making EDM bland, but the fans?
I do think that fans are a large part of the problem...then again...it's the fans who are to be pleased, depending on the artist's goals... creating what you want is one thing and a very good thing indeed, but at the same time, no one likes making stuff and then having it utterly rejected. That is to say, that will happen, and that's why producers act as a sort of collective representation of their fans...however inaccurate they present them.
So--> Can the wants of the fans hinder an artist's creative output?
Yes, if the artist just plays along and ignores their own creative impulses to please the masses.
Maybe, just maybe people are making the music that they want to make and don't give a damn whether or not it's what's popular.
I wish this was always the case. That way fans can be forced to hear what the artist wants and likes to make, and if they don't like it, then fine-- they can leave. Otherwise it would be great if people stuck around to listen to and experience the ever-changing styles of the same artist, rather than walking away and finding someone else to fit their supremely narrowed love of any particular genre.
Either way, it's the choice of the fan to listen, and the choice of the artist to create, and why either are there in the first place.
Finding a nice, neat equilibrium between the two would be awesome, but there is no such things and there will never be.
Both sides continuously lose and gain utility when preferences for either side change, and they will still just have to keep fighting to reach their ultimate artistic goals -- creating good shit and having it received well, and listening to good shit and liking it.
At 4/22/13 07:15 PM, Envy wrote: EDM? It's music in general. It's more about marketing than music now.
This is sad but true. Everyone who makes music nowadays should be looking into how to market it properly (if they want to be heard, that is).
At 4/23/13 09:42 PM, frootza wrote:At 4/22/13 07:15 PM, Envy wrote: EDM? It's music in general. It's more about marketing than music now.This is sad but true. Everyone who makes music nowadays should be looking into how to market it properly (if they want to be heard, that is).
0 bomb ARIA charts!
At 4/22/13 05:20 PM, Buoy wrote: I don't know if it's killing EDM, but it's true what he says. For many, many EDM subgenres, once you've heard one song you've heard most of what that genre has to offer. And it's definitely a more dominant trend in EDM than in other arenas..
House and dubstep-like genres in particular have a certain glamour to them these days, which attracts lots of artists who are primarily there for the fame. Naturally they listen to what's already popular and start making cookie-cutter copies (which is a bit easier with a pirated copy of FL and Massive than when you have to assemble a band).
which they subsequently upload to their Soundcloud account where they follow a bajillion people and post 'sick wobs m8 check out my tracks' on everyone's uploads
Yep, this is the problem I have with EDM....not enough variety or interesting things in it. Occasionally, you do get something really stand-out and stellar, but overall, most of it sounds the same.
The real issue with why it seems that 'EDM' is dying, is that the culture of 'EDM' is nothing more than party music, drinks, drugs, and dancing.
There were never such issues, nor should there be now, with any actual genres of music that get labeled as 'EDM'. House music has it's own scene, as does Dubstep, DnB, Trap, Trance, Techno, Breaks, etc... It's when the focus becomes about success and cash/money when a scene starts to die.
It's only been EDM since it got big again in North America, and seeing that EDM isn't a genre, but a blanket term for all electronic music that can be danced to, I'm not concerned with it dying or continuing to go on like it is.
Saying EDM is a genre, is like saying "Guitar Music" is one. Comparing House to Drum n Bass is like comparing Country to Death Metal. I say go back to acknowledging each genre as it's own entity again. Sure they can co-exist, but no need to give them a label and decide to call a massive number of genres the same thing.
Electronic Music will never die, going on 30 years since House music came around, and it's been influencing 'pop' music ever since.
At 4/22/13 04:56 PM, johnfn wrote: I don't think I really understand. Is anyone claiming that the literary industry is dying because "anyone can open up a word processor and write a thriller"?
I laughed so hard. This is fucking genius.
You sir. I approve.
At 4/25/13 10:08 PM, Ryskie wrote: Electronic Music will never die, going on 30 years since House music came around, and it's been influencing 'pop' music ever since.
^ +1
SUCK MY KICK
imo, success isn't killing edm
it's the fact that there's too many people making it + the ease of making it that's the problem
At 4/26/13 03:22 AM, Yoshiii343 wrote: imo, success isn't killing edm
it's the fact that there's too many people making it + the ease of making it that's the problem
I guess this comes down to the definition of success. If a lot of people hear something and like it, then that would be called success, in this thread's definition in particular. But if this thing everyone is hearing is "crap", then that means people are being exposed to "crap", and if this happens with lots of crap, then all anyone is ever hearing in the genre is crap.
So I don't think it's success that's killing EDM, but like Yoshi said, the ease of making it can contribute to shitty sounding stuff and then when a large percentage of shitty stuff gets popularized, then that's the problem..
wtf nothing is killing electronic music.
what a bizarre thing to say.
if you think electronic music sucks today then you are not listening to the right music. there has never been a better time for music. whinging about a thing is so flaccid and dis-empowering, even if the thing does suck.
i really don't know how some people get out of bed in the morning.
Just another case of Hipster.
"It's popular now? Man... I remember the good old days when it was good because no one but me knew about it..."
Audio/BBS Mod
News: Bye bye Skype - Music: Tonight Will Be The Night- Art: Kira
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Success isn't killing it; it's setting the standard.
Once your stuff sounds on par with the successful people, you can choose to raise the bar higher.
