This confuses skill for song writing ability. There are 1000s of world class jazz players that can play back to you anything you play them. But they are nobodies because they aren't capable of writing music people want to listen to. That's the hardest part. The Ramones are terrible musicians, but locked into something our collective consciousness liked. You can't practice or engineer that.
>The Ramones are terrible musicians, but locked into something our collective consciousness liked. You can't practice or engineer that.
I don't have enough perspective to really know, but it seems to me the record companies were a lot better at identifying this ephemeral quality decades ago, and then pushing it into the mainstream. If the Ramones came around these days, they'd probably go nowhere, but back then someone figured out that people would like listening to their music and pulled the strings to get their music into the public consciousness.
>But they are nobodies because they aren't capable of writing music people want to listen to.
Yep. I've even seen this with plenty of well-known musicians over the years. They achieve fame as part of some band, but then they join up with some other top-tier musicians from other bands as part of a "supergroup", and the result is completely underwhelming: technically very good, but just not all that interesting to listen to. So, many times, it seems that the "magic" came from a particular combination of people writing music together, at a particular time.
> aren't capable of writing music people want to listen to.
That puts most of it in a nutshell. If they -can- write music people want to listen to, they need to get it to people's ears.
My problem as a listener with dollars in my hand is: how do I find that music. (Else, I can make do with what I've got... but it's not fresh! or new!)
At one time, there was a system that got it to my ears. It was a radio with a great DJ who named the song and the artist after each track, so I could walk to the record store. Or else a good friend played their copy.
That system is gone. NOW those musicians haven't got a way to get to my ears. In case they find it, I'll keep listening around.
> At one time, there was a system that got it to my ears. It was a radio with a great DJ who named the song and the artist after each track, so I could walk to the record store. Or else a good friend played their copy.
But there is a system, and it's better at hitting more people. They post it online to somewhere with a list of people who like that type of music (Youtube, Tiktok, etc). If it is something people want to listen to, they share it and it propagates through those circles - no need to go to a record store or bring it to a friends house. Eventually it hits the older "mainstream" channels - radio, your Spotify recommendations, etc.
No idea what you're talking about. The system is still there. Instead of a DJ speaking the artist and song name to you, you can look at your phone screen and read it. Spotify weekly playlists are fantastic for discovering music. You can check forums or use the Google. You can talk to people. If you still want to be spoonfed what you're supposed to like, you are always free to turn on the radio for some brainless consumption, just like the good ol days.
