Technology's Effect on Music

In the past ten years Auto-Tune has been the death of real music, just as Charles Manson killed Sharon Tate. While the program didn’t hold a gun to music’s head, it was the mastermind behind the decline of raw emotion. In the 70’s and 80’s music was more than just perfect figures and dance moves, music was real. When someone got up to sing in front of an audience they really sang, there was no other option. In the 2000s though, whenever there’s a performance it’s commonplace to sing to a track. Because of Auto-Tune most of us don’t even know what our favorite musicians really sound like.

Whenever you see performances from the 70’s and 80’s what do you think of the vocals? Do you think they’re not as fine-tuned as performances from the 2000’s are? If you do you could be right. It’s really easy to see the subtle differences in performances from the last 25 years brought about by technology. Just compare Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas to I Wish by The Secret Handshake and you’ll see what I mean. There was more passion in music in the 70’s and 80’s whereas in more recent years it looks like everyone is just out to sell records and make a quick dollar.

Whenever I watch the video for Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac it strikes me how gritty the sound is. Before Auto-Tune there was a simplistic nature to music. Sure there were elaborate productions during performances, such as Electric Light Orchestra’s monstrous space ship they used in concert, but the music itself was very pure in contrast to the standards set by the CFO’s of the record companies in more recent years. The idea of a live performance involved instruments and singing unlike performances from the late 90’s and on. It was a complete sensory overload in the 70’s and 80’...

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...becoming a bit overdone in my opinion. While it’s entertaining, not everyone is going to like it but they’re still entertainers. Music is meant to be enjoyed, whether it’s jazz, pop, classic rock, or electronica.

Music hasn’t been the same since 1997. Now everything is too perfect and saccharine sweet. In the 70’s and 80’s music had meaning and feeling but it seems as though we’re losing that spark. While music is simply entertainment, wouldn’t you rather listen to a human instead of a mechanically altered voice? Music was so pure 25 years ago. It didn’t have to be perfect to sell, the message just had to be there. People worried more about the lyrics than their looks. Now it’s the opposite. The lyrical content is lacking intelligence and creativity but those pop singers sure do look good. With the rapid pace that technology is evolving what will the future bring?