The music industry really pisses me off with how many out there are considered "talented" and really are a bunch of idiots trying to catch everyone off guard by doing some stupid, tasteless act while people with real talent aren't noticeable. Pentatonix is a group that should be more known than Miley Cyrus. The music that comes out of their mouths astonishes me to a point where I actually want to listen to new music.

But I can't stand what's considered popular now. I hardly hear any of the bands I listen to on the radio anymore like Motorhead, Megadeth, Dragonforce, Killswitch Engage... Stuff that is tolerable to listen to not this... wrecking ball shit.

It's Saturday night. I have no date. A case of diet coke, and my Rush playlist.

Though not my favorite artist, the one band that has carried me to where I am musically today is Iron Maiden. I honestly don't know where I'd be without their music.

80's metal in general is my thing. Dio, Judas Priest, all the thrash guys (except Anthrax) were part of my upbringing. 70's Classic/Progressive rock is also a huge part of my life. Kansas, Yes, King Crimson, Rush, and Pink Floyd specifically hold a special place in my heart.


Thing is, these performers are going to be on top until we enter a different cultural paradigm. They're not pulling in the cash because they're talented; they're pulling in the cash because:

A) Their style is integrated into mainstream culture in a way rock isn't nor can ever be. Unless they start playing rock in dance clubs, Miley is what we're going to hear on the radio. And let's face it, no one would give a shit about most club music if people couldn't dance to it. It's modern day disco as far as I'm concerned (and I don't hate pop music by ANY means; I even like some disco, but the analogy is what it is).

B) Record companies have decided to put all their money behind rap/pop because of (A). That's the sad reality.

Truthfully, I don't think rock becoming as popular is pop is the best idea anyway. When Dragonforce and Shadows Fall started getting radio play, their was a clear increase in the shittiness of metal concerts. Call me an old man, but I HATE going to metalcore concerts because half the people there aren't even into the band. The obnoxiousness at even prog metal shows is off the charts.

I'm a rocker all the way. I love every type of Rock there is. If I had a Top 5 band list it would probably be...

1. August Burns Red
2. Parkway Drive
3. Deftones
4. Tool
5. Chevelle

The Rock I like the most is never played on the radio and that's Metalcore. It's fast, raw, loud, and intense. The energy is palpable in their music. I don't care if it's never mainstream. I can be happy that I know good music, songwriting, time signatures, and music that isn't manufactured bullshit.

Coheed and Cambria is all I need in terms of rock right now. Their music is just on another level compared to everyone else.

The major popularity of Rock never made it beyond the late 1990s.

Once 2000 hit, mainstream music began its decline to shit. Ironically, that's also when video game music began its rise to popularity.

I have gained more of an ear for orchestral music in recent years, so that's what I'll be sticking to a lot of the time. When it comes to Rock and Metal, I don't even have a set band that I prefer, but rather a set list of songs that I like.

Care to list them?

I'll list ten:

(in no particular order)
1. Fiction - Avenged Sevenfold
2. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
3. She's A Rainbow - The Rolling Stones
4. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
5. Brother - Dark New Day
6. Down with the Sickness - Disturbed
7. This Is the New Shit - Marilyn Manson
8. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne (yes, I actually listen to the whole song)
9. Coming Undone - KoRn
10. How Soon Is Now - Love Spit Love

Mainstream music lacks heart and soul. Rap has lost it's mind and is all about how many times you can say Nigga within 3 minutes. Pop is about what kind of drugs I can mention or how many sexual innuendos I can throw in while children and teens idolize me. Even Country has gotten more mainstream and is just horrid anymore. The only Country singers I can even stand to listen to anymore are Jamey Johnson and Shooter Jennings. Shooter seems to be more about Rock as of late. Now I'm not trying to say that all Pop or Rap is bad. Even some Rock and Metal bands have gone the mainstream route and IMO are atrocious for it. Anyway I guess I'll throw in top ten play list.

1. Anything Tool(mainly Jambi). My fav band of all time. They remind me of Led Zeppelin but better.
2. Reignwolf-In the Dark
3. Fleetwood Mac-Golddust Woman
4. The Police-Roxanne
5. Aaron Lewis-Country Boy
6. Led Zeppelin-No Quarter
7. Tom Jones-Just Dropped In
8. Nico Vega-Beast
9. Jamey Johnson, Twiggy Ramirez, Shooter-You are my Sunshine
10. Clutch-The Regulator

Some are constants. Some are just what I'm currently listening too.

Decent music is and needs to stay underground, or at least just below the surface. Mainstream pop puppets are talentless preening posers for sure, but i'd rather the real music is not so heavily thrust into the forefront, because then it becomes diluted and warped by 'the industry' which is about destroying individuality and selling what's 'in' - sad but true.

If people are going to accept whatever trash is on the radio or tv then let their minds rot. For everyone else there's good stuff just waiting to be youtube'd or google'd, but unfortunately that's not available for everyone and live gigs for local unsigned bands are on the decline.

With that said, boybands and pop sluts do provide one useful thing: something to hate.

Backstreet's back ALRIGHT!

What's lacking in mainstream music is an actual knowledge of music.

Very few artists today know key signatures, chord progressions, scales, or even play an instrument. At that, most of them don't even write their own songs.

This is why I cherish Lady Gaga as much as I do. She actually possesses musicianship.

Lady Gaga may know music but she also embraces the mainstream pop scene a little too much for me to like her.

There are some shitty rock bands though. Linkin Park had started sounded crappy as the years have progressed. Avenged Sevenfold has a very generic sound. Same thing goes for Volbeat.

Their latest album maybe. Wouldn't say that for their previous few albums.

I still enjoy it anyway. I hope Satan does too.

I can't even look at Avenged Sevenfold and Linkin Park as Rock. But Korn really started to decline there for awhile although I've heard people say the newest album is a lot better. I still haven't listened to it yet.

On the contrary; she embraces her love of show business, which comprises a variety of art forms.

Lady Gaga has stated on occasion her discontent with the music industry and how it lacks art. However, people tend to look at her costumes (all of which have an underlying meaning) and assume she's a puppet of the corporate hounds.

Lady Gaga is really one of the few genuine artists around right now. Her true love and passion for music, as well as her skill in it, is the reason I adore her.

Honestly, I have to disagree with PickleMendip. Underground artists need to rise up and take control of the music industry. They are really all we have left when it comes to genuine artistry.

If all that is true you get a really thin line between the likes of Lady Gaga and the likes of say a Nikki Minaj. Too thin a line for me to be able to tell a difference. I realize Gaga is intelligent and has a real musical background. I see it and I understand it. But as far as stepping out from the rest of the female pop group I don't see it.

For those of you who don't know- I'm only 15, so, know this as you read my post.

I absolutely HATE mainstream music. Te likes of Mikki Minaj and Miley Cyrus just pick at my soul, that's not real music! I feel like I'm not part of the generation I'm in- I look up to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Metallica, Lynyrd Skynrd, I love the classics! I'm glad to see newer bands taking inspiration from warriors of rock from the 60's, 70'2, and 80's.
Here's a list of popular OLD bands I enjoy;

Def Leppard
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Metallica
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
KISS
The Rolling Stones
Guns n' Roses
Aerosmith
Queen
and the list goes on.

Here's alist of old bands I DON'T like;
I'm not a real big fan of most of Boston's work. That's about it.

List of NEW peformers I like;
DISTURBED!!
Five Finger Death Punch
A7X
and pretty much all of the other newer bands, exept...

New performers I DON'T like;
Linkin Park
Staind
All variations of rap and hip-hop, and R&B.

And now, you see how I feel about music. See, I really do not see why people my age enjoy what they do so much, when we have so many better bands today ADN from yesterday that suffice for music full of soul. I mean, here's a real thing;

60's; Beatles; "I want to hold your hand."
Today; Nikki Minaj; "I wann fuck you!"

Literally, that's how it goes! You can tell when music has soul behind it, and todays more popular genres NEVER have soul- just lust for cash.

Tell the difference with your ears instead of your eyes.

I couldn't agree more.

I can't stand these celebrities, they aren't musicians. The music they put out is garbage: Mile Cyrus, Justin bieber, Kanye West, Lil Wayne. All of them have done nothing but ruin the music industry. It's just baffling that these people can be talentless and still be famous for doing and saying stupid shit.

If she did more of that and less of fucking R. Kelly I'd be happy with her. "Do what you want" is only one song I know but it proves to me she is little better than the mainstreamers of today. That YouTube video was actually awesome and I enjoyed it but she's a sellout. We all know she would love to do more of that but the money isn't in it. The money is in riding rapper dick and singing about becoming somebodies whore.

I will say that she is extremely talented and gifted. Id rather listen to her than most mainstream female stars. She reminds me of a crazy mix of Michael Jackson, Marilyn Manson, and Cher. If she could just add the writing style of Maynard James Keenan in there then I'd stop hating on her.

I will agree with this, Lady Gaga DOES have great meanings with her music. I adore her message with Born This Way, and that's the problem with the industry these days.

I don't understand what's so great in trying to make songs that have very little meaning to a point where there's none at all. I like songs that have messages behind them like Foster the People's Pump Up Kicks, a song about school shootings. I like these messages.

But again, going back to that... Not going to call her a name, Miley... She is a true example of why I would rather be comfortable listening to 93.9 FM with their constant Christmas music, even if I have to sit through the songs I hate. She's wrecking the industry... oh I get the wrecking ball pun, with her useless songs that has it where we're all supposed to get that she's 21 or whatever and that she's no longer associating herself with the Disney image. You get people like this in the industry that they begin being the models of the industry and then people tend to follow what they do in their music rather than follow the message behind the music.

It sickens me because I used to do that with Lady Gaga, ignoring the fact that her music DOES have a meaning behind them. I only cared that she was ruining the industry with her whacky outfits and such, never did I thought that her music had anything up until I realized that she does send powerful messages... Born This Way literally woke me up with that.

See Miley?... you twerp.