This is a bit harsh...there is still good music being played by the younger generation Ramble. But you are right, it is nowhere close to being found on the pop charts. And hasn't been for a few decades or more. One has to seek it out more on their own nowadays.
I purposefully carve out time to seek out new music and new artists. It’s so easy to lock into a genre and time. When I was a teen, I saw adults at the pool who would only play what they listened to as teenagers, and decided I’ve wouldn’t do that.
As an adult, I see adults playing their teenage music at the pool, too.
When I was at Tech, I was a music critic at the Technique. It wasn’t based on skill—I wrote features, it was fun writing, and someone had to do it. Looking back, I probably could have scored some concert tickets that way, if I were crafty. We got random college radio music in the mail (yes, music labels mailed us physical media), and I’d rate the albums. I listened to a ton of stuff.
I occasionally listen to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter and not only enjoy a lot of the songs but also get a kick out of the cameos on it by Dollie Parton and Willie Nelson.
I’ve been a Dwight Yoakam listener since at least the mid-90’s, and when I heard Bang Bang Boom Boom with Post Malone, I thought Post Malone rolled out some of the best country tunes in a long time. It’s crazy how pop stars can make good country.
Old Town Road by Lil Nas X rocked the country world, and should have
It is a bit like panning for gold...you DO have to sift through a lot I agree and not everything is going to be a win. The algorithms though save a bit of work by "prescreening" or "filtering" out a lot of stuff. Like you, I seem to have particular tastes and I would be hard pressed to be able to articulate what those are. I would find it easier (just a bit) to describe what I don't like.
The streaming services don’t do a good job of introducing new music. When Sirius and XM were new, I was flying all around and renting cars for work, and I could tune into one of their curated stations and find good new music—even Latin or French.
Now I listen to WXPN, KEXP, WRFG and other “non commercial” stations, because they have a bit more freedom. (WRFG is for Blues, Zydeco, and other old stuff that makes me happy)
You can still get classic WRAS, but it’s not the same as it was.
If y’all have a few sources of new music, I’d love to hear ‘em
