How do you feel today's music compares to the sounds of past decades? Better, worse, or just a matter of perception?

It's a matter of perception and what genre of music we're talking about. From the mid-2000's to now, the rock/metal music scene has been getting exponentially better in my opinion. And while there are some great bands who came before my time, I like to think of those as my parent's schtick.

As for rap music, it's taken a fall recently in my opinion. Rap hasn't been listenable SINCE before my time the way I see it. With deaths like: Tupac, Biggie Smalls and Eazy-E shaking the industry, the new rap artists who have stepped up afterword just don't compare.

The pop music scene is confusing to me because it's a relatively new type of music. There isn't really a "classic" pop artist. And the girls who sing pop are either; talking about the same thing over and over I.E: Taylor Swift. Or are just drunk white Party girls I.E: Ke$ha. In the end, it's not at all a good part of today's music

As for Country, I can't remember a time when I didn't like country music, probably because most of my family are neckbeard Hicks. Either way, where I live, the only good shit they play is country music.

That's my opinion on the music scene today.

I think music has gotten worse in some aspects and better in some aspects. Like the sound is different and IMO sounds a lot better. But some of the songs you hear on the radio nowadays, the content of em, is basically trash.

Electronic Music has made great strides in the last five years, especially in North America.  Dubstep, Garage, Drum N Bass, Downtempo are some genres that were extremely popular in Europe for decades but are starting to gain a mass following here in the States.  I'd say that things are definitely on the upswing.

I'd like to think I'm being an old fogey and it's a matter of perception, but I've heard kids complain about it.  Again, I hate to be Mr. Fight the Power, but corporations have kind of killed the idea of music on a mainstream market.  Bands are put together in studios and really have zero following or chemistry or soul and it shows in the music.  Granted, there are also artists out there in multiple genres who've opened up their own labels, and that usually produces something more enjoyable on a spiritual level.  I can't explain why.  Maybe it's because you know that a talent or band worked to get someone's attention, to show that they're something special, and it actually shined through the recording.  

Country is shit now, though.  I was a 'fan' when I was a kid due to proximity and all, but I eventually learned what good country was, and there aren't many good country artists left that aren't trying to be pop or rap.  

Rock is dead.  Jack White tried reviving that one, and I feel like other similar studio bands sucked the wind out of those sails.  Foo Fighters are still out there though.  So are Queens of the Stone Age I think...Still, not as prevalent as it once was.

Of course, and then there's the youtube and talent show factor that's just shit on music for 10 years running.  I can't really shit on nepotism, though.  I like the Strokes.

As for rap, there's always been the good and the horrible, and the horrible's always outweighed the good.  I'm sad Odd Future broke up, but I like most of the artists that were in it, and Childish Gambino's good.

And then there's the transcending presence of a band like the Gorillaz that gave me hope.  Heard they're coming back.  Hope so.

Speaking primarily as a metal head, things seem to be going more mainstream. It seems to me that bands like Bring me the Horizon and Of Mice and Men have brought a pop-like formula to the genre, creating angsty music with no real substance other than "Hey, can't you see how angsty and edgy we're being!?" It seems like every riff in a song anymore is the same set of triplets in differing order, and the lyrical content is less about problems facing society and more about inner thoughts kind of issues. What frightens me the most though, is that solos are starting to die out and be replaced by breakdowns. Solos are supposed to be the part in a song where the you showed the world that you had a virtuoso guitarist in your band. That's what separated the real bands from the fly-by-night garage metal bands. Now it seems like everybody with a two-car garage at their parents' house in the suburbs and a soundcloud account can make a passable metal band. Why? Because all of the shit they listen to now is easy as fuck to play. Metal rarely be easy to play.

Everyone wanna be Fetty Wap but no one wanna lose an eyeball.

Everything is a matter of perception though, friends. Everything in the entire world is a matter of perception except for science.

It just invokes around perception. My music (Rap, R&B, Hip Hop, Indie, at times Rock) that were played back in the late 90s, early 00s were so genuine and comfortable to listen to. Rap music back then didn't contain women, drugs, or money unlike today. You would often listen to the storytelling, either it is listening to the rapper's lifestyle, the world revolving him/her, corruption, etc, and I am speaking of guys like 2Pac, Common, Biggie, Rakim, Eazy-E, Nas, Eminem etc. Now we just got videos of bouncing cars, women twerking, random people smoking blunts and drinking alcohol. When you had to listen to R&B, you will here the traditional essence of love, relationships and passionate affection of the music. Guys like Nelly, Ne-Yo, Mario, Omarion, Jaheim, hell even Bow Wow were producing such music, but now they have been stuck at this time copying today's trends by having women twerk, drink alcohol, and on and on and on.

It seems like these days everyone wants what is hot at the moment, not what will stand the test of time. The music industry turned into the Fashion industry, where you have to be good looking and talentless to get a major record deal these days.

Chucky P. wrote:

Everyone wanna be Fetty Wap but no one wanna lose an eyeball.

LOL