Music transition in the past decade

[gfd43tg]

I noticed that when I was younger, there was a much higher prevalence of bands having popular songs. I'm talking about the late 90s to about 2004. It seems in recent times that music have shifted towards solo artists instead of bands, I was wondering what might account for this.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Have you actually checked through the top 40 for all those years and determined that most of the slots used to be filled by bands and are now filled by solo musicians, or is this just an impression you have?

 

[George Jones]

I guess the solo artist really has got the band on the run.

 

[pat1enc3_17]

I guess the solo artist really has got the band on the run.

well, i would consider, that the band around the solo artist always was there, they are just got discoverd like, Rajesh discoverd the planetary object beyond the Kuiper belt, 2008 NQ17, how Sheldon said ;)

i think the band gets more recognition atm then maybe 10 years past

 

[DiracPool]

I noticed that when I was younger, there was a much higher prevalence of bands having popular songs. I'm talking about the late 90s to about 2004. It seems in recent times that music have shifted towards solo artists instead of bands, I was wondering what might account for this.

Well, I can tell you one thing, I don't think the boy bands are going anywhere soon. Back in my day, we had New kids on the Block and the predictable Block knock offs.

Now we got "One Direction," if they're still even relevant by now. As long as you have 13 year old girls, the boy bands will never go way. Funny how that contrasts with boys, who from my experience like the solo girls more than girl groups. I liked the Runaways but I liked Joan Jett solo much more. Pat Benetar was huge among the guys when I was a kid. And then, of course you have the endless parade of singer/songwriter female artists like Joni Mitchell, Adelle, SW VandeCarr's favorite Amy Winehouse, Tori Amos, Jewell, Alicia Keys, etc. What you DON'T see is the next "Spice Girls." Why is that?

By the way, what ever happened to the Jonas Brothers? I must say I did like that one song they had, Pizza Girl. Don't tell anyone... It's a little slow in the beginning, but's got a catchy chorus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=wFHmBWVTwXg

 

[dkotschessaa]

I noticed that when I was younger, there was a much higher prevalence of bands having popular songs. I'm talking about the late 90s to about 2004. It seems in recent times that music have shifted towards solo artists instead of bands, I was wondering what might account for this.

I think you may be right but I'm not sure how to confirm this.

It does seem we are moving into more idol worship, and people don't care as much about music as celebrity. It's easier to gossip about a person than a band, talk about their rise to success, and what other person they are sleeping with.

And yes, there will always be boy bands, as long as there are not proper fathers who educate their daughters about music.

-Dave K

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Bit tangential but I saw this video recently which or refectory captures how generic pop music is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV2s0UIPOQY

 

[cjl]

Bit tangential but I saw this video recently which or refectory captures how generic pop music is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV2s0UIPOQY

I always enjoyed this video for a similar purpose...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMKW4V51ksc

 

[OmCheeto]

Bit tangential but I saw this video recently which or refectory captures how generic pop music is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV2s0UIPOQY

Love child of Phil Collins and Weird Al?



ps. My favorite song of all time is Beethoven's 9th. Solo artists rock!

pps. In answer to the question, my guess is that it has to do with insecurity. If you're in a band, you can always blame it on Paul, or John, or Yoko, as to who was responsible for poor record sales/bad reviews.

ppps. hmmm... Did that boy band ever have poor record sales? I'd google it, but the sun just came out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cffdcwPGz1s​

Gads, I love that cricket.


--------------------------
I switched the video, as "Mean Mr. Mustard" not playing afterwards, just freaked me out.
I do believe, The Beatles, are timeless.

 

[exo]

Weird Al parodies always crack me up.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Weird Al parodies always crack me up.

I'm liking Word Crimes right now. I think it's a benefit to humanity.

 

[zoobyshoe]

pps. In answer to the question, my guess is that it has to do with insecurity. If you're in a band, you can always blame it on Paul, or John, or Yoko, as to who was responsible for poor record sales/bad reviews.

If, IF, it's even true there are more solo musicians out there now than bands, then it would have to do with the promoters, not the musicians.

IF it's true, I'd assume it's because the managers/promoters find it easier to handle individuals than it is to handle groups. The more people you add in, the more potential for squabbles.

However, no one has offered any evidence it is true.

 

[collinsmark]

A second ago I figured it wouldn't be very difficult to get some data. One just needs to look at top-40 lists per year and count how many are bands and how many individual artist names. Here are some examples:

• Madonna -- person
• Pink -- Another person. That's Alecia Beth Moore Hart's stage name, so that classifies as a person.
• Blondie -- That's actually a band, not a person. Debbie Harry was merely a member of that band.
• Joe -- Person. Short for Joseph Lewis Thomas.
• Fleetwood Mac -- I'm going to go with band on this one. The band's name is an amalgam of some of the members' names, but I suppose I'll still call it a band.
• Santana & Rob Thomas -- Crap. Santana might be short for Carlos Santana, but some might say that it's the band he founded. But beyond that, there's two individuals total. How does that fit?
• Lady Gaga -- Person?
• Nelly -- Person. Stage name for Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr.
• The artist formerly called Prince -- I give up.

I think this might take more effort than I thought.

 

[zoobyshoe]

The OP asserted that the late 90's was dominated by groups. I decided the late 90's started in 1995 and googled that year, only to find this, pretty much opposite assertion:

1995 was a year of powerful performances from solo artists. From Seal's beautifully measured reading of "A Kiss From a Rose" to Alanis Morissette's barely contained rage on her debut single "You Oughta Know," pop music audiences tuned into the solo voice.

http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/1995top10.htm

There don't seem to be many top 40 lists. It seems to be more top 100 songs lists, for a given year. Someone so inclined could go through these and find the proportion of solo vs group top 100 songs for all these years. I don't know what the lists might be based on, though, and two different lists for the same year might differ.

My guess is that the apparent ascendancy of one or the other at any given time is the result of random grouping.

 

[Mmm_Pasta]

I hate threads like these. It's mostly because of the focus on popular bands/music. When I opened the thread I was expecting something more along the lines of a discussion about experimental bands, avant-garde stuff, etc.

I wouldn't really consider a shift from bands to solo artists much of a transition - especially when the musical structure remains pretty much the same. Although, I'd say most people listen to pop music largely for the lyrics.

 

[256bits]

From
http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-biggest-singles-of-2013-2709/

These are the top selling singles - they don't say how much $.
Albums might be different. And persistence. Are some of these One Hit Wonders? Is this worldwide?

I wonder where Michael Jackson fits in on this.
He is the best selling Dead Artist.
Or are they counting only alive people.The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles Of 2013

1 BLURRED LINES ROBIN THICKE/TI/PHARRELL
2 GET LUCKY DAFT PUNK FT PHARRELL WILLIAMS
3 WAKE ME UP AVICII
4 LET HER GO PASSENGER
5 LA LA LA NAUGHTY BOY FT SAM SMITH
6 ROAR KATY PERRY
7 THRIFT SHOP MACKLEMORE/RYAN LEWIS/WANZ
8 JUST GIVE ME A REASON PINK FT NATE RUESS
9 COUNTING STARS ONEREPUBLIC
10 MIRRORS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
11 POMPEII BASTILLE
12 WAITING ALL NIGHT RUDIMENTAL FT ELLA EYRE
13 CAN'T HOLD US MACKLEMORE/RYAN LEWIS/DALTON
14 LOVE ME AGAIN JOHN NEWMAN
15 BURN ELLIE GOULDING
16 WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN BRUNO MARS
17 I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE TAYLOR SWIFT
18 SCREAM & SHOUT WILL I AM FT BRITNEY SPEARS
19 I LOVE IT ICONA POP FT CHARLI XCX
20 DEAR DARLIN' OLLY MURS
21 HO HEY LUMINEERS
22 STAY RIHANNA FT MIKKY EKKO
23 SUMMERTIME SADNESS LANA DEL REY VS CEDRIC GERVAIS
24 ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (TEENAGE KICKS) ONE DIRECTION
25 TALK DIRTY JASON DERULO FT 2 CHAINZ
26 THE MONSTER EMINEM FT RIHANNA
27 I COULD BE THE ONE AVICII VS NICKY ROMERO
28 WE CAN'T STOP MILEY CYRUS
29 WHITE NOISE DISCLOSURE FT ALUNAGEORGE
30 RADIOACTIVE IMAGINE DRAGONS
31 HOLD ON WE'RE GOING HOME DRAKE FT MAJID JORDAN
32 I NEED YOUR LOVE CALVIN HARRIS/ELLIE GOULDING
33 BANG BANG WILL I AM
34 SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW LILY ALLEN
35 NEED U (100 PERCENT) DUKE DUMONT FT AME
36 PLAY HARD DAVID GUETTA FT NE-YO & AKON
37 WHAT ABOUT US SATURDAYS FT SEAN PAUL
38 WILD JESSIE J/BIG SEAN/D RASCAL
39 THE OTHER SIDE JASON DERULO
40 DRINKING FROM THE BOTTLE CALVIN HARRIS FT TINIE TEMPAH

 

[256bits]

From Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_worldwide

there seems to be quite a few solo singers top rated from the past years.
Wiki branches out from the regular pop music as it should be.