thriving. only now can artists become famous without ever touching a radio station. mp3 revolution. custom radio. myspace, etc. records will never go out of style. because memory bytes will never be as physically tangeable as an album. it's the same reason money will never go out of style. as far as recycled trends, when were they ever original? it's only "postmodern" now to wear them like a costume party.

Music is far from stale. Right now is an exciting time to be a musician. Its so much easier to get your music recorded/heard/bought than it has ever been before. Anyone who thinks music is getting stale needs to broaden their horizons and listen to some different genres of music. You can't listen to only what is on the radio. Find some live venues, check out GarageBand.com : GarageBand.com . Heck there's lot's of good new music out there and its easier to find than it has ever been!
Do't go by someone else's limited perspective. I've got everything from Hank Williams to JFAC in my music collection.

Only if you look at music as something patched together by labels and the media. In that case, I think it's a stale narrative and was more interesting in the past.

But there are always good songs, and nobody has heard everything, so complaining about it seems pointless.

I don't think were destined to hear rehashes of old records from now on, since nothing we listen to is actually that old, relatively speaking.
A lot of what we listen to has can only be traced back to the last century. It seems naive to assume music transformed as much as it did throughout history, but will remain static from 20th century onwards.

I don't see how anybody could think the Internet is a bad tool for spreading music all over the world. It may not be in everyone's best interest, but if we're just talking about spreading music, it's incredibly effective.
Illegally downloading isn't okay. There may be no way to stop it, but essentially the artist should be compensated for their work.

Yes, I absolutely use the Internet to find new bands. I still buy a lot of CD's, but I haven't bought a music magazine or listened to the radio in years.
I find the Internet is far more effective than magazines or the radio ever were. Without it, there are dozens of bands I likely never would have gotten into.


It seems there are currently a lot of artists who pride themselves on being as derivative as possible.
Like getting called a watered down version of Joy Division or Talking Heads or the Velvet Underground is something a band will strive for and it defines them more than any of their songs.

At the same time, I don't think showing your influences is automatically a bad thing (as long as the songs are good), or that there needs to be large music movements. My favorite album so far this year has been the Cat Power record and it exists on its own. Any thoughts of scenes and influences fall away, and it just becomes about the music.


Probably most of it is from looking for something on Amazon.com and being led to related artists. And also this site.

Do you think the current state of music is thriving or stale?
Depends where you look. The mainstream is as stale as ever (mind you it's much better than the late-nineties). I guess it depends more on vapid bullshit pumped out by major labels, there are some good almost mainstream acts. "Independent" music is always thriving.

Are we just destined to hear rehashes of old records from now on, or is music still as exciting as it's always been?
I think if you count "old" as like Led Zeppelin and above, then yes. There will always be lazy musicians who are happy if they get the cheque for essentially using the same formula as a well-known older (then innovative) act. It's easier to go for the nostalgia card.

Is the Internet a good or bad tool concerning spreading music all over the world - should we all still purchase our own copies from record shops, or is it OK to (illegally) download music? Where would you draw the line? And do you use the Internet to find new bands rather than say, buying music magazines or listening to the radio?
I believe the internet is a great tool for musicians. It allows them to get their music out in much easier ways. However I still support the music industry and buy CDs, as everyone should do (at least once in a while). I think illegally downloading an album to see if you should buy it is alright, but in place of supporting the artist, no. They did (in most cases) bust their ass to put it out, and people should respect that. 90% of the new music I hear is learned via the internet.

Would you say that there are still large music movements taking off, or is everything now going in circles and reverting back to previous movements?
Yes and no. I say yes because there seems to be a big trend in 80's inspired stuff (fine by me), and no because most of the good stuff uses bits of it to make an overall new and interesting sound. A lot of musicians today are surrounded by tons of internet and blogger hype, it'll be interesting to see how many of them actually stick around and release good albums down the road.

How do you find out about new music?
Mostly on MySpace/last.fm, sometimes from friends and see opening acts/festivals etc.

imo, rock, pop & folk music peaked in the '60's and '70s

i haven't heard a new band excite me in a long time.

why aren't more people trying to be unique?? Amy Winehouse is the only one who comes to my mind.

Wendy O. Williams- will someone please try & copy her?

the last good shows i saw were the Germs (with the actor singing) and New York Dolls.