We’re all aware that music, like any other art form, evolves.  It has trends.  These trends change, fade away, and eventually return.  Some for the better, others for worse.

I was born in the early 80′s, which means I was witness to a huge swing in the music pendulum come the early 90′s.  In the 80′s, we had Twisted Sister, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Guns N’ Roses,   10,000 Maniacs, AC/DC, and plenty more.  And it was cool…in its time. If I had to describe the late part of the decade in one word, I would say: Reverb.  (Obviously that’s not the only difference; here I use “reverb” to describe the extravagant amounts of unnecessary delay and reverb along with hair metal guitar solos and tight leather outfits.)

Then came the 90′s, which introduced us to Soundgarden.  Stone Temple Pilots.  Nirvana.  Korn. Pearl Jam.  Sepultura.  Beck.  Rage Against the Machine.  Radiohead.  And many, many more.  Stripped down alternative rock.  Music with some raw emotion to it.  Lyrics that pushed the envelope in a different direction.  Each decade has its own artists that do this.  And we can appreciate them all accordingly.  I have to admit, though, that I am glad to have experienced the 90′s at the time that I did.  I was  a 13 year-old, keeping a blank tape in my deck so that when Bulls On Parade just happened to get airtime, I could hit record (and miss the first 7 seconds of the song on every recorded attempt).  This music was stuff that I could relate to.  Along with thousands of other kids, we threw out the music that our parents listened to (I must insert here that I was one of the exceptions: I did listen to my dad’s music.  He turned me on to White Zombie, Johhny Lang, B.B. King, and a lot more).  We found a new genre of music–music that we could identify with and hold on to.  Music that our parents wouldn’t understand.

Fast forward to 1999.  We start seeing another shift in the music trends.  You start hearing less and less alternative rock on the Top 40.  2001 we start seeing the emergence of “emo” music.  2006.  The bands still have long hair, but now they use straighteners to manage it.  Similar to the perms of the 80′s, only straighter.  2010 and it seems as though Pearl Jam should almost be on the classic rock station (I feel so old!).

One of the big reasons I was pursuing a career in the music industry was because of the music that I loved and was influenced by.  However, once I started getting into the industry, I realized that “my” music was not popular anymore.  Could I truly enjoy myself working in an industry where the music just wasn’t my thing?  Upon more reflection, I started realizing that the music industry and its trends are, for the most part, cyclical.  Sure, I was discouraged going into the industry because I was seeing more and more mediocre talent “making it” while the truly talented musicians were left in the dust because they didn’t have the look or the marketability.  It’s become much more about image than it is about the creativity and talent.  The record labels decide what they think we will like and then create a group or solo artist to fit the bill.  Autotune is hugely popular as an “effect” instead of the original intention of minor and transparent pitch correction for the occasional vocal error.  (On a side note, I am for the most part disgusted by the blatant abuse of Autotune and the masses of people jumping on the band wagon)

Had I been born a decade earlier, I would have been saying the same thing about the reverb-drenched vocals and snare drums of the late 80′s.  Thinking that music was in a downward spiral.  Then, just a few years later, the garage bands that had been getting the door slammed in their face time and again finally got some recognition.  They got it from the kids that were tired of listening to music that was all starting to sound the same.  They listened to music that was stripped down and real.  Minimalistic in a sense.

This is where we are headed.  A revolution where the real talented groups will take the helm and lead us into another decade of truly great music that will remind us why we listen to music in the first place.  I tell artists and bands that I work with to avoid the overuse of Autotune.  Invest in vocal lessons.  Practice.  The music of the next decade is going to be a stark contrast to what is on the radio today.  People will get tired of it and listen to something else.  If you are a musician, play what you want, not what you think people want to hear.  Your time will come.