Matt this is the best video you’ve ever done. Profound and thought-provoking, concise and persuasive. I share your concerns, they are well-founded. I can only hope that human nature prevails and we choose to revolt against a fake AI-dominated media landscape. If that’s what happens, the vinyl record industry should benefit from the backlash! Thanks for doing this video - best wishes from London.
For me, there's nothing better than digging in a used record store. I stopped even using WhatNot because it's more fun to find records in person. It's also been so cool to see LA record stores helping out those in the local community that have been devastated by the ongoing wildfires. Long live record stores!
Remember how back in the 90’s “alternative” music was such a variety of genres? I feel like everything has to have a specific name attached to it now that comes with a certain look/sound/vibe. In doing so, we miss out certain things because of the name attached to it. Also, I feel that with this pendulum swing of AI and exactness, that people will miss the imperfections of the human creation. Push for and promote the arts
I'd never thought about this before, but I completely agree! One of the issues I've had with the proliferation of short-form video content is its use of "trending audio" and the fact that every creator winds up using the same music. It's more about getting views and less about our own personal taste. I was there for the MySpace era and I loved how everyone customised their profiles to suit their style and their profile song was something *they* loved, not what an algorithm told them was popular. Discovering different songs on people's MySpace profiles was how my taste in music developed as a teen and for that, I'm so, so grateful. I don't hate what the internet has become, but it's definitely not the same. I feel like you saw more subcultures and there was room for everyone to be different.
Yes yes yes! I couldn't agree more with you. I've been finding my mental health is taking a sharp decline, and my constant attachment to my phone is undoubtedly to blame. The best source of self care (I find) is my record collection. Whether it's getting out of the house to visit my LRS each weekend or putting on a record and putting the phone down to listen, it's a huge help in an otherwise digital, screen-based world... and I want to both appreciate and support artists to the fullest extent possible - and (IMO) streaming does neither.
Losing cultural autonomy has been huge in the last 10-15 years. On the flip side, the algorithm gave me some ridiculously good recommendations when it comes to music, so not all is bad. (Funny how the idea of snippets of music on TikTok is somehow similar to finding breakbeats, small chunks of music that people wanna dance to when looped 🤷♂️) But yeah, overall agree!
Algorithms aren't all bad, but I feel like it's a slippery slope. Even finding breakbeats is a more active thought process than being drip fed trends, though.
Yeah, I’ve been recommended some great stuff on YT, Otoboke Beaver, King Gizzard, Carpenter Brut, Gunship to name a few, so the algorithm does work sometimes. However, often my next step is to go a store to get the album, because I know the hunt will make the experience more tangible and memorable and I will find other stuff that I would never have committed to buying/ listening to.
An interesting piece. I think your concerns rest mainly on the younger generations. I’m in my late 50s and I’ve grown up buying records and creating my life’s diary through music. Compare that with my nephews in their late twenties and they haven’t listened to an album front to back in their life! They only cherry pick the singles they have no idea that most of the albums generally recognised as being in the top 10 of all time are concept albums which are supposed to be listen to, front to back. As new generations come through I can only see this getting worse as most won’t own physical music. Most will only have it broadcast to them and that broadcast will be controlled by algorithms that are influenced by advertising and agendas by the owners of these radio shows/podcasts etc. The other main issue with streaming etc is that most musicians don’t get paid enough to exist and so unless other revenue streams come through a certain amount of artists won’t get to their second album because they literally will not have the money to do so and find employment in another industry.
It is definitely more of a concern for the younger generations, and that's because it's where your tastes are formed! Of course they evolve over time, but not having the autonomy to really carve out your identity via your taste is a dangerous thing when it comes to your development as a unique individual, IMO.
I have noticed when I go to parties with younger people at it, all their Hip Hop garbage has EXACTLY the same beats, the same claps, the same loops, with just different mumbling of meaningless lyrics. Thank God there are still Thrash, Metal, and other bands out there with actual bands composed of actual people, playing actual instruments which is NEVER the case with popular Hip Hop. All crap generated on a laptop or Maschine (Push button console).
There's a ton of thoughtful hip-hop content out there in the underground, but a lot of the mainstream stuff does sound pretty lateral at times. They found a sound that works and run with it.
Buying physical album/s every time is extreme for me. There must be quite the number of bad and expensive albums that were completely business. A middle road might be discovery via internet / streaming, and happily buy when moved.
Be careful here. Everything you are saying was being stated in the 1950’s and 1960’s by the Classical music community, which argued that the two minute Pop song left little room for someone to fully appreciate Bach and Haydn. You make some good points here. Just be aware it was being said when Rock n Roll first appeared.
I would love to run a record /cd album store here in UK. . Unfortunately the costs just don't stack up.. Shop rent + business rates + electric before even paying myself a minimum wage. HMV stores survive on celebrity merchandise whilst new vinyl & cds are pushed to the back of the stores as often they can't compete with the flexible pricing of Amazon . The pre-owned market is dominated by ebay & the discogs platform. Visiting individual stores involves transport & down centre parking. costs .🇬🇧
Honestly not sure I can get behind this one fully. Before it was TikTok shoving the popular flavor of the week music down our throats, it was mtv and radio. This has always been and always will be a constant in music. I’m not to worried about the current climate of music consumption because it seems to mirror everything that’s come before it, but honestly seems a bit better due to the ease of exploring more genres and sounds. Take this for example, some guy hears a song on the radio and likes it, if he’s lucky, the dj will say what it was after it’s done, then he has to go find it at a record store, buy the album, if he likes it, ask people what else is out there like it, ask the shop owners and go down a rabbit hole, purchase by purchase, incredibly slowly. Now picture that same guy now. Hearing a song in a TikTok or TH-cam video, he sees the song, looks it up, checks out the record it’s on, then sees a slew of recommended artists, and gets deep into a rabbit hole incredibly quickly, and that spins into other ones, that takes him to shows, different scenes, genres and albums, and all that can happen infinitely quicker and more excitingly in todays online archive of music. This comment is coming from someone who as a kid obsessed over music but only had the surface level of exposure to what was on the radio and in my parents collection. The discovery of the internet and all of the worlds of music it could take me into absolutely changed my life and brought me here, as a musician who’s toured the u.s, played with some of my favorite bands, avidly collected records and someone who falls deeper and deeper in love with music every day through the power of the internet and what friends reccomend and the grand archive and history preservation of music online. Main point being, record stores are as important as they’ve ever been, and the internet hasn’t done much except create the new way music is passively disposed of, but it does make it easier for people to explore their love of music in a deeper way
I 100% agree that the mass amount of music is more navigable than any other period of time, that's indisputable. I feel like the aggressive way that the Algorithm whiplashes people back and forth makes it easier to succumb to it and not take the wheel themselves VS any other time in history, as well. I also feel like people like you and I are not the targeted group that I am fearing for, in this video, as I mentioned.
@@TooManyRecords I get you, the algorithm does make it easier for music to feel more disposable, however I think it can truly work both ways in some regards, making it easier to latch on and find new music, yet also easier to dispose of art, it certainly has its pros and cons. But your channel was a big part in me discovering new music back in high school! Just wanted to say that, thanks for that!
Hey man, I appreciate this topic. I hadn’t really thought about it. Something I find interesting as well. Is that the music I listen to on streaming has a strong connection to records that I buy or own most of the streaming I do at the back of my head, I’m asking myself. Is this a record I would buy. And when I do bite the bullet, I tend to try listening on Vinyl primarily. All this is to say that if you look at my streaming library or history and compare it to my vinyl that I own, there’s a lot of overlap.
Really appreciate you doing a video like this that is not just the same old click bait about the future of the music industry and if vinyl is dying etc…or the decline of this or that. I would totally agree with you that what is happening with AI is scary…but it can also be cool in some ways. I think it’s all about how it’s used and we need to do a better job of setting parameters and limits with it. It can be great to get the bullet points on things and even recommend music you might not know within a genre you are new to…but it’s all negative with generating music and fake headlines…it needs limits. Also…if this mirror effect thing is true…why can I still not understand or enjoy MF Doom despite listening to Mmm Food and Doomsday too many times to count? Hahha. (This is not just me trying to trigger you) With your point about TikTok and being fed musical tastes I agree with your point totally, but on the other side of things, maybe there are a lot of people out there that like to be fed their musical tastes and are totally happy just sliding down that water slide of whatever they are given…we might be the outlier in that we are looking for more to our music than something to bob our head to. Some people like background noise and some people like music that makes them feel something and evokes something more. We want the more so obviously this top 40 is not geared towards us yet we still love certain parts of it. For those of us that want more, that’s where you are amazing and record stores come in. I have gotten so many good artists I have missed and overlooked from just talking to you and sharing my tastes with you and learning yours. I completely agree that the human interaction cannot be replaced and should not be replaced. The algorithm will never understand the human emotion and the feeling behind music. Great video!
sorry I was too triggered by the DOOM comment (ALL CAPS WHEN YOU SPELL THE MAN'S NAME) but in all seriousness... thanks for the thoughtful comment. I think you're right about many people not wanting to dive deep, but my concern is that they aren't even given the opportunity to know that about themselves. I think there's a merit to both sides of the argument, for sure. My bigger fear, though, is that this gets worse before it gets better. I think we're at the tip of the iceberg.
@ really good point. Whether people think they want the opportunity or not doesn’t matter if they can’t have the opportunity… I agree with you…I think it’s only going to get worse from here and we are going to go into a really narrow funnel of what is available. It’s kind of already happening with only solo artists succeeding and the band idea basically being eliminated…but that’s a whole separate scary conversation…
Hey Matt! Hope all is well my friend. I’ve recently decided I’m checking out from everything. No more social media or news for me. I’m very disappointed at the state our country and how ignorant a majority of people are. The perfect storm changed us between social media, politics, covid, etc… NOW AI like you pointed out. Not even renewing my TH-cam premium. All I need is family, dog, nature, and my records. I hope I get to your shop some day! Really sucks I don’t have a cool record store anywhere near me. Take care!
I kinda disagree. Once can argue that there’s no more monoculture anymore. Everyone listens to what they want, watches what they want, reads what they want, etc. and they choose do all that WHEN they want.
I don't think a monoculture is the right move either, but my argument is that many people aren't listening to what they want, they're listening to what they're being told to listen to. We're closer to a monoculture than not when you think about it, related to algorithmic recommendations and TikTok hiveminds...
Couldn’t agree more. Too bad half the country decided to obliterate the economy because they’re afraid of trans kids and immigrants. I fear most record stores won’t last another two years.
A record store owner would not un-promote their store, so I guess that's somewhat of a bias. While it's nice to have them, decent ones aren't close enough for me to make the trek to them. Plus, they almost never have anything I'm looking for. I still buy stuff, but nothing on my "wish list". Boo AI.
Matt this is the best video you’ve ever done. Profound and thought-provoking, concise and persuasive. I share your concerns, they are well-founded. I can only hope that human nature prevails and we choose to revolt against a fake AI-dominated media landscape. If that’s what happens, the vinyl record industry should benefit from the backlash! Thanks for doing this video - best wishes from London.
I really appreciate that! I think it's one of my best too, and of course the ALGORITHM has stifled it views-wise. Ironic, no? ;)
Ha! You may have to cut the audio content to a side of vinyl and sell it in your record shop!
For me, there's nothing better than digging in a used record store. I stopped even using WhatNot because it's more fun to find records in person. It's also been so cool to see LA record stores helping out those in the local community that have been devastated by the ongoing wildfires. Long live record stores!
Yeah, the LA stores are doing so great at supporting the community (and the kind folks donating these pieces!)
I have a purchase coming. After it arrives I'm deleting the app.... again lol
Such a great video, Matt! Good food for thought for sure!
I don’t remember “algorithm” being a thing during the MySpace/Yahoo Groups era and life was just fine.
Remember how back in the 90’s “alternative” music was such a variety of genres? I feel like everything has to have a specific name attached to it now that comes with a certain look/sound/vibe. In doing so, we miss out certain things because of the name attached to it.
Also, I feel that with this pendulum swing of AI and exactness, that people will miss the imperfections of the human creation. Push for and promote the arts
I'd never thought about this before, but I completely agree! One of the issues I've had with the proliferation of short-form video content is its use of "trending audio" and the fact that every creator winds up using the same music. It's more about getting views and less about our own personal taste. I was there for the MySpace era and I loved how everyone customised their profiles to suit their style and their profile song was something *they* loved, not what an algorithm told them was popular. Discovering different songs on people's MySpace profiles was how my taste in music developed as a teen and for that, I'm so, so grateful. I don't hate what the internet has become, but it's definitely not the same. I feel like you saw more subcultures and there was room for everyone to be different.
the MySpace example is a perfect counter-thought to the current way of expressing yourself
An important reminder. Thanks for this.
Yes yes yes! I couldn't agree more with you. I've been finding my mental health is taking a sharp decline, and my constant attachment to my phone is undoubtedly to blame. The best source of self care (I find) is my record collection. Whether it's getting out of the house to visit my LRS each weekend or putting on a record and putting the phone down to listen, it's a huge help in an otherwise digital, screen-based world... and I want to both appreciate and support artists to the fullest extent possible - and (IMO) streaming does neither.
Great video, Matt. You’ve inspired me to play records more often than I usually do. Thanks, man!
Mission accomplished
Losing cultural autonomy has been huge in the last 10-15 years.
On the flip side, the algorithm gave me some ridiculously good recommendations when it comes to music, so not all is bad.
(Funny how the idea of snippets of music on TikTok is somehow similar to finding breakbeats, small chunks of music that people wanna dance to when looped 🤷♂️)
But yeah, overall agree!
Algorithms aren't all bad, but I feel like it's a slippery slope.
Even finding breakbeats is a more active thought process than being drip fed trends, though.
Yeah, I’ve been recommended some great stuff on YT, Otoboke Beaver, King Gizzard, Carpenter Brut, Gunship to name a few, so the algorithm does work sometimes. However, often my next step is to go a store to get the album, because I know the hunt will make the experience more tangible and memorable and I will find other stuff that I would never have committed to buying/ listening to.
So many thoughts! Let’s discuss next time I’m in the store…
we actually have a record for you...
Hair is looking sick lately! Keep it up! Haha!
An interesting piece. I think your concerns rest mainly on the younger generations. I’m in my late 50s and I’ve grown up buying records and creating my life’s diary through music.
Compare that with my nephews in their late twenties and they haven’t listened to an album front to back in their life! They only cherry pick the singles they have no idea that most of the albums generally recognised as being in the top 10 of all time are concept albums which are supposed to be listen to, front to back. As new generations come through I can only see this getting worse as most won’t own physical music. Most will only have it broadcast to them and that broadcast will be controlled by algorithms that are influenced by advertising and agendas by the owners of these radio shows/podcasts etc. The other main issue with streaming etc is that most musicians don’t get paid enough to exist and so unless other revenue streams come through a certain amount of artists won’t get to their second album because they literally will not have the money to do so and find employment in another industry.
It is definitely more of a concern for the younger generations, and that's because it's where your tastes are formed! Of course they evolve over time, but not having the autonomy to really carve out your identity via your taste is a dangerous thing when it comes to your development as a unique individual, IMO.
Never knew I enjoyed prog rock until I started buying records in the prog realm
I have noticed when I go to parties with younger people at it, all their Hip Hop garbage has EXACTLY the same beats, the same claps, the same loops, with just different mumbling of meaningless lyrics. Thank God there are still Thrash, Metal, and other bands out there with actual bands composed of actual people, playing actual instruments which is NEVER the case with popular Hip Hop. All crap generated on a laptop or Maschine (Push button console).
There's a ton of thoughtful hip-hop content out there in the underground, but a lot of the mainstream stuff does sound pretty lateral at times. They found a sound that works and run with it.
Buying physical album/s every time is extreme for me. There must be quite the number of bad and expensive albums that were completely business. A middle road might be discovery via internet / streaming, and happily buy when moved.
Will you be doing any other ‘Vinyl intervention ‘ anytime soon, or perhaps ‘what I bought home from the shop’ ?
Yes and yes
You make your future like you make your music 😉
Great topic. I had a few things typed out here, but then it sounded a bit ranty. In short, yes we're probably cooked.
I want to read them!
All this is so true, and yes it is scary and kind of worrying
Be careful here. Everything you are saying was being stated in the 1950’s and 1960’s by the Classical music community, which argued that the two minute Pop song left little room for someone to fully appreciate Bach and Haydn. You make some good points here. Just be aware it was being said when Rock n Roll first appeared.
Sounds like someone who just read the book Filterworld. Great read on the flattening effects on the culture that algorithms have increasingly caused.
I would love to run a record /cd album store here in UK. . Unfortunately the costs just don't stack up..
Shop rent + business rates + electric before even paying myself a minimum wage.
HMV stores survive on celebrity merchandise whilst new vinyl & cds are pushed to the back of the stores as often they can't compete with the flexible pricing of Amazon .
The pre-owned market is dominated by ebay & the discogs platform.
Visiting individual stores involves transport & down centre parking. costs .🇬🇧
Honestly not sure I can get behind this one fully. Before it was TikTok shoving the popular flavor of the week music down our throats, it was mtv and radio. This has always been and always will be a constant in music. I’m not to worried about the current climate of music consumption because it seems to mirror everything that’s come before it, but honestly seems a bit better due to the ease of exploring more genres and sounds.
Take this for example, some guy hears a song on the radio and likes it, if he’s lucky, the dj will say what it was after it’s done, then he has to go find it at a record store, buy the album, if he likes it, ask people what else is out there like it, ask the shop owners and go down a rabbit hole, purchase by purchase, incredibly slowly. Now picture that same guy now. Hearing a song in a TikTok or TH-cam video, he sees the song, looks it up, checks out the record it’s on, then sees a slew of recommended artists, and gets deep into a rabbit hole incredibly quickly, and that spins into other ones, that takes him to shows, different scenes, genres and albums, and all that can happen infinitely quicker and more excitingly in todays online archive of music.
This comment is coming from someone who as a kid obsessed over music but only had the surface level of exposure to what was on the radio and in my parents collection. The discovery of the internet and all of the worlds of music it could take me into absolutely changed my life and brought me here, as a musician who’s toured the u.s, played with some of my favorite bands, avidly collected records and someone who falls deeper and deeper in love with music every day through the power of the internet and what friends reccomend and the grand archive and history preservation of music online.
Main point being, record stores are as important as they’ve ever been, and the internet hasn’t done much except create the new way music is passively disposed of, but it does make it easier for people to explore their love of music in a deeper way
Sorry for the crazy long comment, feel free to hit me with an “I ain’t reading allat”
I 100% agree that the mass amount of music is more navigable than any other period of time, that's indisputable. I feel like the aggressive way that the Algorithm whiplashes people back and forth makes it easier to succumb to it and not take the wheel themselves VS any other time in history, as well. I also feel like people like you and I are not the targeted group that I am fearing for, in this video, as I mentioned.
@@TooManyRecords I get you, the algorithm does make it easier for music to feel more disposable, however I think it can truly work both ways in some regards, making it easier to latch on and find new music, yet also easier to dispose of art, it certainly has its pros and cons. But your channel was a big part in me discovering new music back in high school! Just wanted to say that, thanks for that!
Hey man, I appreciate this topic. I hadn’t really thought about it. Something I find interesting as well. Is that the music I listen to on streaming has a strong connection to records that I buy or own most of the streaming I do at the back of my head, I’m asking myself. Is this a record I would buy. And when I do bite the bullet, I tend to try listening on Vinyl primarily. All this is to say that if you look at my streaming library or history and compare it to my vinyl that I own, there’s a lot of overlap.
wizard spotted
I, for one, am not cooked.
I miss that chance of discovery by being put into an AI algorithm bubbles. Bookstores and record stores are very similar.
I agree!
I miss buy a cd in the shop
Really appreciate you doing a video like this that is not just the same old click bait about the future of the music industry and if vinyl is dying etc…or the decline of this or that.
I would totally agree with you that what is happening with AI is scary…but it can also be cool in some ways. I think it’s all about how it’s used and we need to do a better job of setting parameters and limits with it. It can be great to get the bullet points on things and even recommend music you might not know within a genre you are new to…but it’s all negative with generating music and fake headlines…it needs limits.
Also…if this mirror effect thing is true…why can I still not understand or enjoy MF Doom despite listening to Mmm Food and Doomsday too many times to count? Hahha. (This is not just me trying to trigger you)
With your point about TikTok and being fed musical tastes I agree with your point totally, but on the other side of things, maybe there are a lot of people out there that like to be fed their musical tastes and are totally happy just sliding down that water slide of whatever they are given…we might be the outlier in that we are looking for more to our music than something to bob our head to. Some people like background noise and some people like music that makes them feel something and evokes something more. We want the more so obviously this top 40 is not geared towards us yet we still love certain parts of it.
For those of us that want more, that’s where you are amazing and record stores come in. I have gotten so many good artists I have missed and overlooked from just talking to you and sharing my tastes with you and learning yours. I completely agree that the human interaction cannot be replaced and should not be replaced. The algorithm will never understand the human emotion and the feeling behind music. Great video!
sorry I was too triggered by the DOOM comment (ALL CAPS WHEN YOU SPELL THE MAN'S NAME)
but in all seriousness... thanks for the thoughtful comment. I think you're right about many people not wanting to dive deep, but my concern is that they aren't even given the opportunity to know that about themselves. I think there's a merit to both sides of the argument, for sure. My bigger fear, though, is that this gets worse before it gets better. I think we're at the tip of the iceberg.
@ really good point. Whether people think they want the opportunity or not doesn’t matter if they can’t have the opportunity…
I agree with you…I think it’s only going to get worse from here and we are going to go into a really narrow funnel of what is available. It’s kind of already happening with only solo artists succeeding and the band idea basically being eliminated…but that’s a whole separate scary conversation…
Hey Matt! Hope all is well my friend. I’ve recently decided I’m checking out from everything. No more social media or news for me. I’m very disappointed at the state our country and how ignorant a majority of people are. The perfect storm changed us between social media, politics, covid, etc… NOW AI like you pointed out. Not even renewing my TH-cam premium. All I need is family, dog, nature, and my records. I hope I get to your shop some day! Really sucks I don’t have a cool record store anywhere near me. Take care!
Hey buddy!! Great to hear from you. I do hope that you'll make it out here would be great to meet you finally.
I kinda disagree. Once can argue that there’s no more monoculture anymore. Everyone listens to what they want, watches what they want, reads what they want, etc. and they choose do all that WHEN they want.
I don't think a monoculture is the right move either, but my argument is that many people aren't listening to what they want, they're listening to what they're being told to listen to. We're closer to a monoculture than not when you think about it, related to algorithmic recommendations and TikTok hiveminds...
Couldn’t agree more. Too bad half the country decided to obliterate the economy because they’re afraid of trans kids and immigrants. I fear most record stores won’t last another two years.
Let Matt cook
yes chef
I buy "too many records" to be cooked 😏
A record store owner would not un-promote their store, so I guess that's somewhat of a bias. While it's nice to have them, decent ones aren't close enough for me to make the trek to them. Plus, they almost never have anything I'm looking for. I still buy stuff, but nothing on my "wish list". Boo AI.
Yeah, it can be rough if your area doesn't have a good store. Maybe you should start one!!
@@TooManyRecords I run a small music store, but people don't come out for records
i don't know who you are talking about but your not speaking about the people i know!