I Know You're Angry, So Am I...

In this episode I address comments from my previous video "The Real Reason Why Music is Getting Worse." I share some eye-opening data from Google Trends to show how interest in music has waned over time, as well as explore the reasons why, and what it means for the future.

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[RickBeato]

The best way to counteract this alarming trend is by educating yourself and becoming a more knowledgeable musician so that great music can make a return. This is why I'm passionate about teaching and have created comprehensive music learning courses and software to support this process. Check out my Ultimate Bundle below if you're interested, which contains all four of my music programs.


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[fenderjazzbrian]

“If it’s new to you, it’s new.” Truer words were never spoken. I’ve argued with music snobs too much about this.

[stephstevens]

I'm really happy for my neighbour's kid. I can hear him practising his drums and keyboard almost every day. I can hear him improving too

[anthonycecire]

Rick, you said the magic word: "work". Creativity demands work.

[TimboLR]

The human condition is always to take the path of least resistance. Watching the world go by on social media on a smart phone is the very definition of “least resistance”, and that’s why people (all people, not just youngsters) don’t “practice” or learn to play instruments, “it’s too hard”, just like you said Rick. But to be fair, if the internet, smart phones and social media had been invented in the 1950’s, none of the great R+R bands of the 60’s+70’s would have ever gotten together, because all those teenagers would have been watching videos on their phones instead of playing guitars and drums, just like the kids of today.

[ricksmith]

I’m 76…..your perspective on the intricacies of all genres of music is intellectual, extremely well researched, and passionately insightful. In other words……you be on top of it…..and that’s why I watch your content and learn for it every time I watch your videos. Music is ageless and so is your insightful deep dive understanding of music. Rock on, Rick.

[dodgeanderson]

I was telling fellow musicians about the Led Zeppelin II story. I empathise completely. I’m trying to get my grandkids interested in what I’ve spent my life to learn. Prediction. They won’t nor neither will anyone. This is the same as the other way I spend my life. Building cars. Making things. These are lost arts. Thank you, dear Rick. I feel a kinship but I don’t know what the answers are. I can only remain to hope - while I enjoy myself continuing to learn and impress those who do not have a clue how to play, ride, build, ski, fix, create, write, invent, repair, improvise, hope, dream…

[iggrjtu]

Spot on Rick! I'm 62 as well and when I attended the Berklee College of Music in the Summer of 1981, I was encouraged by both staff and fellow students to practice TEN HOURS per day. There is a reason for that...natural talent or not, you will see extreme progress as a musician if you put in the time. You can even be kinda unfocused in your practice if you rock TEN hours per day and still make major progress. "As a musician, should at least put in 8 hours per day of practice...same amount of time as a person who flips burgers. At least do that much." -Steve Morse

[captainobvious]

I'm 43 and have a 17, 15, and two 12 year olds. Around the 3:25 mark you nailed what I've observed - Music isn't really an interest of my kids. I mean they know of some individual popular songs they encounter out in the wild, and they know the tune of a lot of video games, but they don't really have any focused interest in music like we did being teens in the 90s. We all had our list of bands and entire albums we were constantly listening to, and it was sort of a main topic you used to interface with other people our age. Learning what someone listened to was definitely in the top ten.

[coolbyrne]

I think part of the problem is the price of concerts. At risk of saying "Back in my day", I could see 3 or 4 concerts a year as a teenager, and sharing an experience with a singer/band was one of the best ways to make a connection with them. How do you do that today, when concerts are now a luxury you save up for? With that comes the unfortunate consequence that you have to pick and choose who you see, so of course, you're going to see the band you already know. Who can afford to be a casual concertgoer? Today, I'm priced out of anything that I would've taken a chance on in the past. I can't even afford to buy tickets for people I've already made the connection with; how can I afford to make new ones?

[NovaRedBaron]

I'm an old guy who recently took up guitar again after 55 years and I am hooked on it. I practice and play every. It's a joy. My concern is that social media has become a cheap substitute for real life experiences. One of the greatest joys in life is the feeling of satisfaction one gets from overcoming a difficult task or experience. I have faith that as time goes by more and more people will recognize that there is more to life than what social media has to offer. Young people are very smart and most will eventually figure this out once they realize social media is using them for the purpose of someone else making money off their precious tiime.

[theaccidentalsenior]

I admire your passion about music and your dedication to the details. I don’t have that expertise in music. What I do enjoy is listening to music of varying types. What I do enjoy is being able to sing along, walking or running to a beat, and having a relationship with the words - good or bad, happy or sad. I am glad I am not always angry about the details and simply enjoy.

[Beckola]

What you said is right on. I am 72 and when I record, I play my instruments all the way through the whole song. I don't cut and paste. I play guitar everyday. I also play keyboards, bass, and mandolin. Sometimes I just sit down and start noodling on the guitar and almost always come up with an idea for a new song. I come up with lyrics in the shower. I compose Rock, Blues, Ballads, Folk, Celtic, Classical, Electronic, Country Rock, and Traditional Chinese music. Thank you for the video Rick.

[MrBrownsforever]

The internet is the best and worst thing to happen to humanity simultaneously in it's existence.

[jimcarlin]

I was listening to the the Third Brandenburg during a work out. A younger guy comes over and asks what I am listening to. I said the Brandenburg. He looked puzzled Bach - classical music. I filled in the gap for him. His face wrinkled up. I look up at him and said - I have some classical that will get your attention - he just laughed. I pulled up the the 9th symphony (Yes - That ninth) - put on the second movement - gave him the ear buds and hit play. He froze in place - his eyes went unfocused. He didn't move for about 2 minutes. He tried to hand my buds back. I said - try this. I put on vivaldi's Winter - he froze again.

He handed me the buds back and walked away. A while later he walked over with his phone in hand - What was that you played?

Beethoven's ninth symphony - listen to all 4 movements, Vivaldi's Four Seasons - winter. There's 500 years of great music to try.

Every time I see him now he asks for more recommendations.

The kids know nothing about music but bless their souls when they actually listen - they are mesmerized.

[hymnsfordisco]

Alternative perspective on the declining search trends: The internet now compared to 2004 is much more consolidated and much less exploratory in how people use it, at least in the sense of the websites visited. People tend to stop searching for something broadly on Google when they have a preferred app or website that provides that thing. For example, the search popularity (in the US) for "video" peaked in 2013 and "youtube" peaked in 2014. This is despite the fact that people in the US spend much more time on YouTube and online video now than they did in 2013-2014. Once people know where to go for videos on the internet, they don't need to search anymore.

[turtlevalley]

I am 73 and recently restored my vinyl collection (jazz and rock mostly) as a major source of pleasure. My adult kids and I send clips of music to each other almost daily. I have been so pleased to share some of the things that I learned about thru your channel (e.g. Guthrie Govan). There are days when I think the future is lost, music and so many other things too, but all we can do is to keep learning and share the wisdom.

[petecrane]

You are SO onto something here. Something very important and bigger than music. Society is changing, and the widespread addiction to social media is frightening. It's affecting the quality of EVERYHING.

[dtoften]

It is deeper than this. People are more isolated than ever before. Things have moved from listening to the radio at home with family and friends back in the 1920s to playing the new record with family and friends in the 1930-50s to driving around with friends with the radio on in the 1950-70s to today where spotify is a solo event or surfing internet with spotify on in the background alone. People used music as a media to meet and talk such as dance halls to concert trips to just hanging out. Now more people than ever are lonely and isolated. I dont' know if it is the immediate gratification that we have now or the hurry up rat race or depressing outlook of kids nowadays.

[OutOfPrintHardcore]

u are using google trends incorrectly, you should have used 'topic' instead of 'term' because the term searches are being conducted within streaming apps themselves. no one uses google in this manner anymore because most music has become consolidated on streaming platforms.