Is Dubstep here to stay?

[CrimsonianKing]

Got it. I think it'll always be there, too many sub-genres, too many fans around the world. Although, i was reading something a few months ago about how the crowds at metal shows are getting smaller and smaller, more people seem to be losing interest in it. Of course the big names are still making a killing no matter what, but i'm talking about the classic but forgotten bands that only the old school true fans will pay to see. I'd get you the link if i can ever find it.

 

On the other hand last time i checked this new prog/extreme metal scene is doing better than ever (Opeth, DT, Messhugah, POS, Mastodon, etc...), so i guess that's where metal is going now (been going for a while, i know).

[kanker.]

music has been stagnant for 20 years now

http://cdn.mydailyflog.com/mdf_images/17/17120/1712088/1712088_2010_307.jpg

Indeed. It's actually more like 30 years....

[Dana.]

Indeed. It's actually more like 30 years....

Old fart.

[MAJUSCULE]

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI0Kwutugeg

 

 

That's so bad. SO bad.

[elsongs]

Happily, I have no idea what you're talking about, although I've heard the term. I assumed it was a genre of reggae....

 

10 years ago, it sort of was. It started out as a variant of drum n bass/2step garage music with a minimalist, bass-heavy dub influence, but today it lost all that and just sounds like digital-wild-boars-in-heat-music.

 

Electronic music is made up of several genres and subgenres that have limited shelf life, with a few notable exceptions -- house, techno and maybe trance have survived trendiness and have shown longevity. But I don't see dubstep lasting 5 more years.

 

I used to be a drum n bass artist/producer about a decade ago. It's still around kinda sorta but for all intents and purposes it's a dead genre. I still loooooove drum n bass. I hate 98% of dubstep though.

[Michael W]

My son and a couple of his buddies are into dubstep. I don't care for it myself.

 

For those of us who prefer more 'tonal' and traditional music, remember that Glee and American Idol are much more popular than Skrillex. And the charts are generally populated these days with musicians such as Adele, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum, Coldplay, Daughtry, Taylor Swift, etc.

 

Now - certainly the merits of these recording artists can be debated as well, but they indeed record 'songs' with melodies, chord changes, lyrics, etc. While I am not a Taylor Swift fan, I would gladly listen to an hour of her recordings vs ten minutes of dubstep. Truly.

 

Yeah, I'm an old fart. So was my father when he didn't like CSNY in 1975. But CSNY was selling tens of millions of albums and selling out stadium concerts in 1975.

 

My son and his friends were into a ton of hardcore metal bands 5 - 6 years ago. Now, I doubt that even they can remember the names of most of those groups.

 

Skrillex is not the Rolling Stones of 2012.

 

Just my two cents.

 

[MAJUSCULE]

I would say that Skrillex is more popular than American Idol. In any case, it's a very different demographic and certainly a very different product.

 

If he isn't, who is? Who do you see selling ten million albums and stadium shows?

[Cygnus64]

I would say that Skrillex is more popular than American Idol. In any case, it's a very different demographic and certainly a very different product.

 

If he isn't, who is? Who do you see selling ten million albums and stadium shows?

 

I've never heard of Skrillex. I've never seen the word in print until this thread, and I read a LOT. I've heard of:

 

Adele, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum, Coldplay, Daughtry, Taylor Swift, etc.

I know who all of them are and have heard at least one song by each.

[MAJUSCULE]

Alright, so Daughtry comes from American Idol, right? Who else from that list? I can think of Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and Clay Aiken (Only because he got made fun of in Foxtrot a few years ago).

[Ken Beaumont]

Carrie Underwood was the 2005 winner she has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist. As of June 2011, Underwood has sold over 22 million singles and 16 million albums worldwide.

 

Taylor Swift as of March 2011, has sold over 20 million albums and 34.3 million singles worldwide

 

In January 2010 Nielsen SoundScan listed Swift as the most successful digital artist in music history with over 34.3 million digital tracks sold.

 

Sonny Moore aka Skrillex isn't nearly in the same league.

Couldn't find exact sales figures but his estimated worth is 2.5 million vs. Over $45 million for Swift and $100 million for Underwood. Ms Underwood earned $20M in 2010 alone.

[Michael W]

From Forbes... The World's Highest-Paid Musicians:

 

U2

Bon Jovi

Elton John

Lady Gaga

Michael Buble

Paul McCartney

The Black Eyed Peas

The Eagles

Justin Bieber

Dave Matthews Band

Toby Keith

Usher

Taylor Swift

Katy Perry

Brad Paisley

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Jay-Z

AC/DC

Sean Combs

Beyonce Knowles

Tim McGraw

Muse

Rascal Flatts

Kenny Chesney

Rihanna

 

Forbes - The World's Highest-Paid Musicians

 

Carrie Underwood didn't make the cut because Rihanna, at #25, made $29 million.

 

[Michael W]

One more list (to get a sense of what the general public is listening to):

 

Here are the artists who recorded the top selling songs sold on iTunes in 2011:

 

Adele

LMFAO

Katy Perry

Bruno Mars

Cee Lo Green

Pitbull

Maroon 5

Foster the People

Nicki Minaj

Lady Gaga

Chris Brown

The Black Eyed Peas

Jennifer Lopez

Enrique Iglesias

Wiz Khalifa

Ke$ha

Pink

 

 

[Bobadohshe]

Folks,

 

He's young. He's genuine. He has a unique and solid style and aesthetic. He is not a product of Hollywood or record labels; his shit is entirely his shit. And even though it's not to many peoples taste here, it is very fresh, really bangs and is way danceable. He has emo/screamo songwriting roots and so bridges the gap between two strong youth demographics. And lastly, he makes a bunch of dudes 40 and older on a forum on the internet get grouchy and say 'I don't understand that thur music'.

 

Add all that up and that's why your kids love Dubstep and love Skrillex. He's nominated for a Grammy. He's on the UP and UP. Sonny Moore / Skrillex is more embracable as a REAL personality than anyone else to come out of electronica in the past I can't remember how many years. His look is not an affectation, it's HIM. Kids DIG that.

 

You can compare him to those stupid lists of top grossing artists but that doesn't speak to his cultural impact with youth. And as an artist he is very much a newcomer. We'll see where he's at in a couple years. Who knows, possibly flash in the pan. But it's too early to tell yet, and I think because of the above reasons, he has real staying power.

[MAJUSCULE]

Thank you Bobby. You put the nail right through the board.

[elsongs]

Carrie Underwood was the 2005 winner she has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist. As of June 2011, Underwood has sold over 22 million singles and 16 million albums worldwide.

 

Taylor Swift as of March 2011, has sold over 20 million albums and 34.3 million singles worldwide

 

For a long time, I thought Taylor Swift was an American Idol finalist. Then I looked up her Wiki page and found no mention of AI...heh. Learn something new every day.

 

Jewel was the Taylor Swift of my generation.

[Griffinator]

Jewel was the Taylor Swift of my generation.

 

So Taylor Swift got her start with what was supposed to be a super-genuine, honest, Joni-Mitchell-throwback folk record, then turned around and went slutty pop diva on her second and subsequent albums, completely abandoning the guitar and songwriting in general?

[Joe Muscara]

Hahahaha Griff.

 

From all appearances, Taylor Swift has stayed genuine. I've seen interviews and features on her, and she seems for real. That's not to say I enjoy her music, but I appreciate her sincerity.

 

And check "her" out in this clip. I think it says it all.

 

http://www.hulu.com/watch/311547/saturday-night-live-buble-duets

[Tonysounds]

I would say that Skrillex is more popular than American Idol.

 

You would be wrong.

 

If he isn't, who is?

 

In terms of record sales, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5, OAR, Lil Wayne, Kanye, JayZ, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Drake, Nikki Minaj, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Justin Bieber, Rianna, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Toby Keith, Avril Lavigne, the truly repugnant Nickelbager, Nickelback, Zac Brown Band, and apparently even Scotty McCreary (last years Idol winner) and LMFAO. In fact, a quick look at Billboards Hot 100 doesnt show Skrillex until #69. And further perusal of the Hot 100 show everybody lower than Skrillex has hits above Skrillex.

 

Who do you see selling ten million albums and stadium shows?

 

I just answered the first part; as for stadium shows, many of those artists, and others whose record sales wouldnt indicate it, like U2, Stones, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Sting, Jimmy Buffet, Phish. That said, Skrillex isnt doing stadiums, hes doing festivals with 30-50+ other acts. Frankly, without a(n) (un)healthy dose of DMT, X, or some other mental derangement chemical, I dont think half his fans would be able to tolerate that music. I know as a sober person, I couldnt, even live, and I tried.

 

Reminds me of the old joke What did the Grateful Dead fan say when the drugs wore off? God, this band sucks.

 

[Tonysounds]

Alright, so Daughtry comes from American Idol, right? Who else from that list? I can think of Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and Clay Aiken (Only because he got made fun of in Foxtrot a few years ago).

 

Scotty McCreary; Adam Lambert; Carrie Underwood; Jordan Sparks; Jennifer Hudson. Just off the top of my head.

[Tonysounds]

Folks,

 

He's young. He's genuine. He has a unique and solid style and aesthetic. He is not a product of Hollywood or record labels; his shit is entirely his shit. And even though it's not to many peoples taste here, it is very fresh, really bangs and is way danceable. He has emo/screamo songwriting roots and so bridges the gap between two strong youth demographics. And lastly, he makes a bunch of dudes 40 and older on a forum on the internet get grouchy and say 'I don't understand that thur music'.

 

Add all that up and that's why your kids love Dubstep and love Skrillex. He's nominated for a Grammy. He's on the UP and UP. Sonny Moore / Skrillex is more embracable as a REAL personality than anyone else to come out of electronica in the past I can't remember how many years. His look is not an affectation, it's HIM. Kids DIG that.

 

You can compare him to those stupid lists of top grossing artists but that doesn't speak to his cultural impact with youth. And as an artist he is very much a newcomer. We'll see where he's at in a couple years. Who knows, possibly flash in the pan. But it's too early to tell yet, and I think because of the above reasons, he has real staying power.

 

No argument on any point. But when the question is asked "he's more popular than American Idol, and if he's not, then who is?", then those figures tell the story. Cultural impact and popularity aren't necessarily the same things, although they can dovetail. Just ask The Pixies and Nirvana. Both had cultural impact, but only one was "popular".

[Cygnus64]

You can compare him to those stupid lists of top grossing artists but that doesn't speak to his cultural impact with youth.

I weep for them.

 

I like to think of myself as "different", being a classical geek who has played about every style and who tries to stay open-minded, maybe I'm not. That said, I listened to 3 Skrillex tracks on Youtube:

 

He doesn't have particularly strong melodies or progressions. That's a basic tenet of music since pre-medieval times and still is. For the record, neither did John Cage or Stockhausen, and they are basically $2000 Jeopardy! answers now. :laugh:As far as a musician, his musical vocabulary is ridiculously small. i-VI-VII gets really old really quick.

 

He might be a lot of good things: innovative, a skilled lyricist (I have no idea), a good performer, producer etc. I don't have any point of reference, don't know anything about him. If he is all those things then good for him. But musically, he can't write a melody at this point judging from the 3 I heard.

 

In conclusion, I wish Mister Skrillex all the best. Keep playing/triggering those 3 chords for the kids, but please stay off my lawn.

[ProfD]

As far as a musician, his musical vocabulary is ridiculously small. i-VI-VII gets really old really quick.

 

But musically, he can't write a melody at this point judging from the 3 I heard.

 

In conclusion, I wish Mister Skrillex all the best. Keep playing/triggering those 3 chords for the kids, but please stay off my lawn.

I doubt the guy is overly concerned with his musical literacy considering his "formula" has generated him about $2.5M and counting.

[Mogut]

He doesn't have particularly strong melodies or progressions. That's a basic tenet of music since pre-medieval times and still is. For the record, neither did John Cage or Stockhausen, and they are basically $2000 Jeopardy! answers now.

 

So give up, and never stray from the "tenet"?

 

 

[Bobadohshe]

He doesn't have particularly strong melodies or progressions. That's a basic tenet of music since pre-medieval times and still is. For the record, neither did John Cage or Stockhausen, and they are basically $2000 Jeopardy! answers now.

 

But Cage and Stockhausen weren't all the rage with the kiddos. And Cage And Stockhausen make poor dancing music.

 

His progressions are solid enough. I love harmony just as much as anyone here, believe me. But there are more ways to develop music than through harmony. Skrillex knows how to develop a theme, and he knows how to make a composition flow. And there are melodies in there. This isn't an overly lyrical music though.

 

I would just caution against trying to set parameters for what makes music successful and why his isn't, though the discussion can be a worthwhile one.

[Tonysounds]

You have to know the rules before you can break them, or rather, break them in a creative way. A monkey flinging poop at the wall is still a monkey flinging poop at the wall if people are paying to see it. There is a big difference between a monkey flinging poop at the wall and Jason Pollackbut Im not sure what it is.

 

Or, if this helps clarify things, even if 199billion are served, McDonalds is still $hit. In this case, $krillex is making money (but not American Idol money, since Maj has used that as the bar), and $krillex might have cultural impact (and that remains to be seen as he obviously didnt invent dubsteb), but like a Big Mac, $krillex is missing a plethora of good ingredients that separate a good burger from a $hitty burger.

 

Wubba wubba wubba wubba Whooooomp.

 

[Bill H.]

The best Skrillex tracks have strong hooks in them, and are solidly constructed. I don't think it matters if you can't hum them.

 

The guy transcends dubstep and has made it into something else. If you listen to dubstep much 99% is just horrible - mind numbing repetitive junk that only an 11 year old could love. Skrillex has taken the form to an new level that's miles above what any other dubstep artist is doing.

 

That list of top artists of the year - he's more influential than all of them put together. It's been a long time since I've seen the style of one guy creep into pretty much all popular music styles the way Skrillex has recently.

 

The problem I see for the kid is that he seems to be cannibalizing himself a lot. The strongest Skrillex tracks are now over a year old. It will be interesting to see how (or if) he can move forward.

 

If not the Skrillex phenomenon will be so 30 seconds ago.

[Tonysounds]

Such idolatry on this thread!

 

How funny that his influence is already being declared. Like evolution, influence can only be measured by what comes after it.

 

Ill take it back: lets just call it premature adulation.

 

[CrimsonianKing]

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-toilet06.gif

[ProfD]

I would just caution against trying to set parameters for what makes music successful and why his isn't, though the discussion can be a worthwhile one.

I don't know mayne. It is an old conversation/debate.

 

"Musicians" have always derided "Popular" music for one reason or another. But, it hasn't stopped folks from making music by any means necessary.

 

The reality is, one doesn't have to be "trained" or "qualified" to make music. Personally, I'm glad so many "illiterate" musicians have been responsible for some of the most happening music heard around the world.

 

IMO, regardless of whether or not Dub Step or any other style/genre of music is one's cup of tea, it is better to understand the circumstances, environment, climate, motivation, etc., under which one makes their music.

 

That understanding might also enable "educated" musos to make their own sh*t bump in da club and/or ring up at the cash register.

[RABid]

How do kids find new music? Small town radio has hardly changed in 50 years. I never hear electronic music on the airwaves unless it is a crossover pop hit. The Sirius XM electronic stations are mostly boring crap that sounds like elevator music with a house beat. I'd love to find a way to discover new electronic music other than rolling the dice with compilation CD's.