There are some things here, but he misses the mark. I'd say the problem is more that the pop music industry has been so homogenized in order to create the most marketable and catchy music (which he addresses), but this dude is treating genres like they're the problem. Sure, most rap you hear on the radio sucks. It's on the radio. That doesn't mean that there isn't amazing hip-hop out there. Just like there aren't catchy pop-rock bands that are original and have talent. But if you're under the thumb of a rich old white guy in the studio who tells you what your music needs to sound like, then you're going to have a bad time.
He's in the same boat with every other stuck up music critic. You can't judge the state of music by what plays on the radio. why? Because the only thing that plays on the radio are the singles. The artists have to make 5 or 6 of these to get alot of airplay but those are usually reserved for obnoxious artists like katy perry or maroon5.
To trully judge an artist, you need to listen to a full album. Or several of their full albums. Immerse yourself in an artist before you call them complete crap. I've even let a few artists I hate slip by because of the good non-singles on their albums.
Oh yes. An example from my listening history: Motion City Soundtrack's 3rd album, Even If It Kills Me. It is an amazing album. However, the second song, This Is For Real, is the single. It's a bland pop number that I skip every time.
Comments
To trully judge an artist, you need to listen to a full album. Or several of their full albums. Immerse yourself in an artist before you call them complete crap. I've even let a few artists I hate slip by because of the good non-singles on their albums.