Has modern pop music lost its generational aspect?
"Generational" might not be the correct word. What I mean is that pop1 music from the 20th century transitioned from one style to another in a way where decades could have pretty distinctive sounds. 50s music was different than 60s was different than 70s was different than 80s. What I'm wondering: what is your perspective on pop music style change from 2000s to 2010s to today?2 Has it changed or does it sound the same as it did 10-20 years ago?
The reason I ask is that I listened to a pop station recently and it seems barely different than when I was in high school pre-2010. Taylor Swift is still incredibly popular, and listening casually to other songs, I had no guess on what year they were actually produced. It could have been 2012 or it could have been last year. I don't know if I'm just getting old and I've lost my ability to keep up on the nuance of current trends or if it's that pop music has stagnated the same way Hollywood movies have - art that is analyzed and meticulously designed to appeal to the widest audience possible.
[1] - I'm defining "pop" as Billboard Top 40 or equivalent.
[2] - I think this only applies to "pop" songs. I haven't noticed the same trend in sub genres such as country, rap, latin, or metal. I am also sure the extent of style variation over time depends on the country.
Taylor Swift is pop music for millennials and older. Listening to the radio is for millennials and older.
This is like listening to a metal/rock band from the 80s/90s that happens to still be active, watching their latest song on cable TV, and deciding metal music hasn't changed all that much.
If you want to see what music the next generation is into, you need to use the spaces the next generation is using. For example check out what's trending on tiktok.
Pop music has unquestionably evolved over the last 20 years. In terms of structure, the influence of electronic dance music on Top 40 songs has significantly increased - consider the prevalent use of 'The Pop Drop'. Texturally, there is a greater emphasis on non-organic sound design. Harmonically, things have indeed simplified, with more songs only staying in one key. Where the changes are most notable, to me at least, are the mixing and mastering stage, where there is an even more noticeable plastic sheen for Top 40 songs. Top 40 songs have always been pretty flawless when listening to the mix - but the clarity that is here now is crazy.
It's hard to say - time always plays that illusion on us, but what the trend I've noticed most recently is that so many pop hits are remixes of an old song or use heavy samples from them (especially from '90s songs), and are very formulaic. For example, David Guetta & Bebe Rexha's "Blue", or Cardi B "Players", etc. Originality does seem like a struggle more and more (same thing with Hollywood films). And lastly, another trend is that so many pop songs and albums always have to be an ensemble or at least duet of popular artists, songs that "feature" someone else maybe to appeal to multiple fanbases.
Taylor swift is an interesting case because she went back and re-recorded all of her early albums. So, many of those old songs are getting airplay again.
I think looking at only by decade isn't really that useful since you have certain powerhouse artists with longevity that can dominate the charts. I'm thinking think Adele, Beyonce, Taylor Swift. If you push it out to something like 2 decades, you can see a huge shift from the sound that was popular in 2000 vs what we saw last year.
That said I do sort of see what you're saying however, I think it has less to do with changes (or lack thereof) in the sound and more to do with the loss of influence by both radio stations and major record labels. People have options now. There has a been a consistent erosion of market share by major labels which is why these major labels are buying up independent labels. Streaming represents 84% of music industry revenue in 2022 and with given that there are non-music platforms like Tiktok playing a big role, I can't imagine that'll change. The strategy maybe similar to what happened with big beer companies during the growth of craft beer aka go from making a select set of products (eg Miller, Miller Lite, Miller Highlife aka Molson Coors) and instead focus on acquiring smaller brewers to create a portfolio that covers all tastes aka ImBev.
My general belief is that in the past, labels + radio were the only real options for music for the masses. Now that people can easily find music that suits their taste via streaming and without the need for radio , I could see those who still look for "top 40" music being more and more homogeneous to the point where "top 40" no longer represents a zeitgeist of current music, but instead a somewhat codified sound in the way "classic rock" or "alternative rock" has become a genres.
I largely agree with the premise and am surprised the most obvious thing hasn't been said yet.
It is the internet, smartphones, and streaming.
In a few short years, nearly everyone was online all the time, and on top of that, everyone had access to all the music ever. It completely killed the monoculture that existed in the previous decades that were easily identified by their sounds. There was no longer a bottleneck like a radio station that decided what everyone heard, which in turn influenced the sound of new music. Now that everyone has access to everything, it seems that it has sort of plateaued to me as far as evolution of popular music.
On the other hand, the fact that there are a million little subcultures that can exist in their own bubbles, also means there are an equal number of self contained micro genres.
To me, the biggest thing I've noticed that I thought was legitimately new in the past decade or so is the super adhd hyperpop thing like 100 gecs. And even that is largely a reinterpretation of existing styles more than it is the natural evolution of a specific type of sound.