Science: Pop music today is louder, sounds the same

[Gahars]

You've probably heard the complaints before from the grumpy old men of the world. "Turn that music down! It's so loud!" "That junk all sounds the same to me!" "Matlock's not on the tv!"

Well, there's nothing we can do about that last bit, but scientists have decided to work on the first two. The researchers compiled a large collection of pop songs from 1955 to 2010, and then worked to analyze their contents. The results may just surprise you (or confirm your suspicions).

A team led by artificial intelligence specialist Joan Serra at the Spanish National Research Council ran music from the last 50 years through some complex algorithms and found that pop songs have become intrinsically louder and more bland in terms of the chords, melodies and types of sound used.

"We found evidence of a progressive homogenization of the musical discourse," Serra told Reuters. "In particular, we obtained numerical indicators that the diversity of transitions between note combinations - roughly speaking chords plus melodies - has consistently diminished in the last 50 years."

They also found the so-called timbre palette has become poorer. The same note played at the same volume on, say, a piano and a guitar is said to have a different timbre, so the researchers found modern pop has a more limited variety of sounds.

Reuters

So, if you hate the likes of Justin Bieber, this is great for you; you've got science on your side now.

 

[Forstride]

Cause we really needed a study to realize this.

 

[Hadrian]

Though obviously they probably just did pop music and not other forms of music that doesn't sell as well.

 

[Luigi2012SM64DS]

No shiz.

 

[FAST6191]

If you prefer your "science" to have more actual science

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Fb3rWNWDA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhA7Vy3OPbc

 

[The Catboy]

I have been saying this for years, but now I have evidence to back it up

 

[Clarky]

thought this was proven quite a while back? hence why people had gone back to vinyl due to it offering better dynamics than cds or mp3s

 

[DiscostewSM]

As people lose their hearing in a year's time from listening to music, musical artists have to increase the volume so the people that were losing their hearing can perceive the music at the level it was before. A year goes by, and those same people have lost their hearing even more from the increase in volume from before, so the musical artists increase the volume once again.

It is one giant loop.

 

[Clarky]

As people lose their hearing in a year's time from listening to music, musical artists have to increase the volume so the people that were losing their hearing can perceive the music at the level it was before. A year goes by, and those same people have lost their hearing even more from the increase in volume from before, so the musical artists increase the volume once again.

It is one giant loop.

does make sence, and in recent years you do see a lot of people listening to music on portable devices using headphones

 

[shakirmoledina]

tell me about it. the best music i have heard is of assassin's creed 2 - revelations... why? city of rome, nova roma, Altair and Darim, roman countryside etc etc.
Beautiful soft music that can relax and charge anytime you hear it.

 

[pubert09]

So, if you hate the likes of Justin Bieber, this is great for you; you've got science on your side now.

I love science!!!

 

[chavosaur]

I blame britanny spears.

 

[Hadrian]

I blame britanny spears.

You can blame Tiffany & Debbie Gibson too.

Actually at least her stuff was varied, at least you knew it was her. Seriously most pop now is pretty much the same due mainly because of the samey production.

 

[Hyro-Sama]

Now that there's evidence, can a lawsuit be filed against Ms. Bieber?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Oh god yes. I knew it, I knew it all along.

 

[chavosaur]

On a serious note, I actually blame auto tuning today. Thats just one factor of making all pop sound the same. That and screwing with our ears to make people who sound horrible sound less horrible or equally horrible.

 

[Veho]

I blame the publishers' need to sell as many copies as possible. Everything has to be cookie cutter and similar to some other well-selling work and nothing is ever allowed to be outside of the box for fear of sounding too strange and scary and audience-repelling. So pop tends to be samey vanilla crap.

 

[FAST6191]

As people lose their hearing in a year's time from listening to music, musical artists have to increase the volume so the people that were losing their hearing can perceive the music at the level it was before. A year goes by, and those same people have lost their hearing even more from the increase in volume from before, so the musical artists increase the volume once again.

It is one giant loop.

Although age related hearing loss/reduction/degeneration (and to a lesser extent noise induced hearing loss although I would contend that is a different kettle of fish) is certainly a real problem I would argue against that being the sole reason in favour of the stuff linked on those videos and general tests that say if it is louder the average person will say it is better and even those trained to listen will sometimes say it is better which led to people normalising audio or worse.

Another choice video
Metallica Death Magnetic - How to lose the Loudness War
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRyIACDCc1I

Edit- forgot I never said anything about the actual matter at hand.... I am half inclined to wonder about scales, timing and such that have been known for hundreds of years perhaps (give or take some regional differences in scales and things like the rediscovery of diminished fifth/tritone and what have you) and wonder if this indeed means not an awful lot.

 

[BORTZ]

To be honest, i cant stand anything popular. Im not saying that to be a hipster or anything, but remember when we all had to listen to the same music on a boom box? Music had to be good back then. Now that we have our own music players, headphones and shiz, we can all enjoy our own shitty music alone. Music no longer has to be good, just good enough that certain people like it. Back in the 70s and 80s music was awesome...

 

[Hadrian]

remember when we all had to listen to the same music on a boom box?

The chav scum over here have downgraded to listening to their shit music via tiny mobile phone speakers.