Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin didn't have much technology, but the songs they made 30 years ago------radio stations are still playing those songs today

And people are going to be playing Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin songs a 100 years from now if this world still be around

1. Today there is more technology in music-----and the music is terrible, music is the worst it has ever been

2. The songs that people are making today, nobody is going to want to hear those songs 30 years from now

Thing is, companies realize that true quality and longevity of music isn't a key selling point as it used to be...they could care less if an album is good in ten years...they just want to make it sell as much as possible when it first comes out. Hence the reason that people focus so much on first week sales, when back in the 80s, albums didn't start moving major units til 2-3 months after it dropped. Thriller didn't even debut at #1 if I can remember, and if it did, it didn't sell much...but about 5-6 weeks later, it took off.

Technology makes it easier for anybody to call themselves a damm producer, and people focus on the elements that tend to catch people's ears the fastest, which is drums, catchy hooks, and catchy melodies. All you need is drums and a few instruments, and the song's lyrics can talk about whatever the hell they want to.

Yeah, white kids do still have rock bands, but that's because the energy in rock and roll is driven by live instruments...which isn't the case for Pop music, rap, or modern r&b. At the same time...many black youngsters see their stars on TV driving the most expensive cars, all carrying that "swagger" that they all look up to, and most of that is driven by individuality...so many young blacks just want to take the path that will focus most on their individual achievements versus achieving this goal through a group. That's why you rarely see any R&B groups in the mainstream, and if you do, they always break up. At the same time, it's easier for companies to manage a solo artist, versus a group or a band. They don't have as many heads to keep up with, and they don't have to panic when some members don't want to come through.

But back to the streets...many black youngsters just aren't as interested in playing these instruments, and it has to do with black culture. The fact that 90% of these kids want to rap, as I stated earlier, makes it a gigantic difference from white kids, when "bands" are still a good connotation. Along with the individuality that these black kids focus on, it goes back to Hip Hop culture being based on battling and the braggadocio dealing with "I'm better than you", which makes it more of a one on one sport. You can also say that it has to do with finances...white kids tend to have the means to buy all types of instruments...but most black kids won't even consider this unless they have a parent who was a musician, and usually that would be a male...and we know the men aren't as present as they used to be.

And overall....the art of the black band has just been washed out. R&B went more pop and hip hop during the late 80's, and this means that companies and artists focused more on the synthesized production versus the art of having a band. I could keep going and going on the reasons that black kids aren't as interested in playing live instruments....it's not seen as being "cool" as it used to be, or as it is for white kids. And most of them want to be some kind of star...so they find it impossible to be a star when you are just a member of a band...which is why they'd prefer being a rapper, producer, singer, DJ, or athlete.

Record companies say they are losing money------with this sorry music they are putting out, it's no wonder they are losing money

Who is going to pay 16 dollars for a CD full of sorry songs

I haven't bought a CD this year------I like real music, and I don't hear any real music out here

1. There was a rap song call Shake your Laffy Taffy-----that song is written on a 3rd grade level

2. A 10 year old kid could have come up with that corny song 

You are 100% right------The GAP BAND grew up playing music in their father's church, and that's how they got good

And they can perform their behind off, and they've had hit after hit

1. Now days if you go to a rap concert-------there is no band on stand, just a rapper and his boys rapping over a SOUND TRACK

2. Why would anybody pay to go and see somebody rap over a sound track

Are we going to have any young black bands to replace Cameo and Earth Wind and Fire when they are gone

Or is that part of black history going to die out

I'm a musician-----and when I go into music stores

1. The white kids are in the guitar department buying guitars

2. And the black kids are in the DJ equipment department

Go to any Guitar Center and this is what you will see

Because we aren't developing very good r&b singers and musicians, we're basically "giving away" r&b to other folk.  There just is no real connection (besides sampling) with younger kids to old school musicianship.  Hell, nowadays any recording with real instruments being played is considered jazz.

--------------------
The Best Of Old School Soul Music