Ever since the expansion of the internet age, there has been so much more access to things like information, art, and people. I often hear people, particularly people who have gotten beyond the 18 to 30 range (which is the age range we know that most things are made for) complain about the things currently being made. I have come to the realization that most new things are not going to be for me because this is not the era I’m growing up in. Even with as much time as I spend on the internet, I do not always get the latest trends and that is fine. I can always find the things for me.
It feels strange to me to hear people complain about music when streaming platforms have put so much music at our fingertips. We pay for these subscriptions and we can pretty much access any kind of music we like. You can stream everybody from Muddy Waters, P-Funk Nation, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and so on and so forth. People used to either have to listen to the radio or try to go to a record store to get to new music. We literally have it in the palm of our hands, but instead of enjoying that fact, many seem to prefer complaining that this music is not jumping into their ears. It seems that people have gotten so used to the convenience of algorithms that they have forgotten that you have to teach your algorithm what to bring you. But also, why complain that new artists don’t sound like your favorite artists when all of that good music is so readily available to you?
For me, I not only like to take advantage of the fact that I can go through music that I have always loved so easily, but I also use my streaming services to explore music that may not be new, but is new to me. I have done deep dives into so many artists’ catalogs by searching for them and going through their albums. I’ve discovered music that I love going back decades. I’ve listened to all of Earth, Wind, & Fire, Curtis Mayfield, Aretha Franklin, Labelle, and I’m still discovering new renditions from Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson, and Nat King Cole. I’ve gone through to listen through all of Outkast’s albums and discovered or rediscovered faves. From Hip Hop classics to little-known Soul music that has shaped so much of the music that we grew up on, I am always taking advantage of my ability to access so much music. I have discovered why some of the artists that are legends are legends. I have been able to connect the dots between Jazz, Funk, Disco, and Hip Hop and R&B. I love riding around and becoming more and more well-versed in the genres of music and artists that have made some of the best music there is.
New things are great, but please understand, there is so much that already exists that you have not yet enjoyed. There are obscure albums from the 70s that I am still discovering. Not to mention the fact that many great new artists are independent, so they do not show up on algorithms or in new release playlists. You have to go out of your way to discover amazing things, but with the amount of money many of us spend on streaming apps, more of us need to be getting our money’s worth. Go back and look into why some artists are considered great. There is no reason with the sheer amount of things readily available to us that we should be complaining about what is lacking. The mainstream might be lacking, but there is plenty still out there. There is some amazing album that came out in the summer of ’87 that may be your favorite. Most of that music does not really age because it was never about the time of release. We’re still catching up to Missy Elliott. I just feel as if people need to focus less on what we don’t have and more on what we do. You may be surprised to discover that you’ve missed out on what you are looking for. Fall down the rabbit hole and see what related artists might have for you. Some artists release music that is always worth a listen.
Content and data is the new gold, so it is being pumped out constantly. It can be frustrating to pick through and find things, but it’s always worth it. There is great art being produced all of the time. We cannot simply rely on things to fly up and smack us in our faces. Go look through genres, look into artists similar to your faves, and give random mixes a try. There is so much to explore via the devices most of us keep in hand. Instead of doom-scrolling through nonsense and picking fights with strangers, let’s instead find the things that we can enjoy and get through our lives with music. I will be coming back with some playlists to guide people in their discovery. Retrain your algorithm and these things will in fact start to come to you. Take advantage of your resources so that you can find the good where you are.
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