i was watching a video with traditional music from my region and thinking about how since the 90s there has been a massive "popification" of its elements, and by sheer repetition this frankestein version has basically overtaken the traditional artists' place and how that sucks because the new versions, though obviously catchy (it's pop after all), are so generic and formulaic
but then i realize i'm also sounding like an elitist boomer
so at which point does complaining about market forces stealing aspects from and then repressing traditional culture stop being valid? in fact, is it ever valid? or just an excuse for vapid conservatives resisting progress? am i a new kind of the conservative socialists marx was railing on in the manifesto? :sadness: _
Wouldn't this be dependant on how you phrase your criticism? Conservatives don't really object to commodification of culture per say, just when culture becomes commodified by the "wrong" people, or marketed TO the "wrong people". Only people I've ever met who objected to commodification in general were leftist, or at least has been wearing the appearance of leftism.
Pop music has existed forever. Back in the 1960s, you had it with the early Beatles and later the American copy of them in the Monkees. Before that in the 50s, there was a form of pop music in the early rock and roll scene, and before that, there was Rag Time Jazz. All through the 30s and 40s, evangelicals literally thought that Jazz music was Satanic cause it was largely made by black people. This reputation associated with Jazz led to it being used often in Noir films to give them a more dark atmosphere.
As for cover songs, those too have existed forever. Johnny Rivers covered Chuck Berry's Memphis Tennessee not even 5 years after the original was released and it became a hit for Rivers. There are many examples to be made throughout decades.
Music is something that is supposed to bring people together in the end. I think there are cases to be made and anger towards the music industry for making it all about money and taking the soul out of music. I was a gigging musician through most of the 2010s. Being in clubs with my band and having moments where everyone in the building would cheer and sing along to a song, was quite uplifting and made me realize that it's possible to bring people together, even if it's just for one night.
Conservatives whining about music usually has been around moral arguments (the music is making your kids act bad!) and it hasn't changed at all since the panic over Jazz music. We don't so much hear about the Satanic crap anymore cause evangelicalism is dying out and the younger generations are rejecting religion. Marilyn Manson was the last music figure who really held any power that made them lose their shit. He was their antichrist back in his day. But before him, you had this stuff in every decade. The music industry got smart around the 80s with Heavy Metal and started specifically marketing Metal bands for shock factor as they realized it made the stuff sell. These days, it's mostly rap music they complain about, but that has been a dog whistle for them since the 90s.