by Nick Vandell

Created on: August 04, 2009

While many would agree that today's music is not quite as memorable as those classics from the past, it should be noted that the body of music available to us today is not only evolving, it is also expanding. When you think about it, the fact that today, in the year 2009, we not only have music available to us from the turn of the Millenium, we also have music from the 90's, the 80's, the 70's, the 60's, the 50's, the 40's, the 30's, the 20's, the beginning of last century etc,.

As we move forward decade by decade, it can be said that the average listener will be overwhelmed by this enormous body of music, so much to the point where they will be forced to listen to whatever a radio station manager decides to select to play on the radio on a particular day and we are beginning to see that happening today.

Therefore, the question becomes, who among the artists will stand the test of time? For example, about a hundred years from now, that would be ten more decades of music; will the artists from the current decade be remembered the way artists like Elvis, Sinatra, Michael Jackson and The Beatles be remembered? We don't really know, only our great grandchildren will be able to answer that.

Many would also agree that creating an original hit song today is probably more difficult than it ever was! This is particularly evident in the number of remakes there are today. Plus you'll notice that utilizing pieces from songs from the past in rap and hip-hop songs are becoming more frequent today.

On the flipside, the reality show, American Idol, in my opinion, was actually a breath of fresh air for this issue. As a result, more talent was discovered by the show as well as featuring artists from the past on the show. This helped to revive an evolving music industry.

Technology also played a major factor in this industry. For example, when the IPod hit the stores, downloading music files became the next craze and as a result, record labels, album sales and radio stations suffered the consequences and this trend seems to continue.

Furthermore, while the IPod is an excellent tool to collect thousands of songs, there is a missing piece that IPod users will probably never enjoy. That piece is the physical album which would include song lists and sometimes biographies of the artists, photos etc. Whether it be the Cover of a Compact Disk or a Vinal Album Sleeve, not having those in the listener's hands loses the spirit of listening to great music and great artists.

It seems that while the body of music multiplies through time, I just hope that my great great grandchildren will still be able to enjoy The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley as we did.

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