JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Is Songwriting Dead?

We know whats been happening in music in general, but is the craft of songwriting a lost one?

Nope not at all first because the art itself is so broad. It's only what's VERY popular that has some people, sorry true "MUSIC" lovers, older and in the more conventional sense confused. At a loss for the qualities and things they miss.

Remember some people love music mainly because of THAT particular music not "Music" as a whole.
So many of my 80's friends musician or not loved the look, and the chicks and the show more than anything.. So lets think if you're drawn heavily into those things than the music goes with it. Heavy Metal hair Bands! Today that is HIP HOP and alike, all the way or at least 80%.... When you love music you love all music!
There is still great & good stuff being written all the time always will be.

Fast answer - The sole songwriter, who doesn't sing and look beautiful or play in a band is the one who is GONE. Or lets say struggles the most in every way.


Does anybody listening to music out there aside from the ones who make music themselves, care about great song craft? Or great lyrics? or even great melody?

Again most music is geared to the young anyway, who else waits on line overnight for tickets, hangs posters all over there room, spends much of there money on following there favorites and talks about them all the time, spreading the word. KIDS! That's who.

And know they don't think about "Songwriting" the fading art
Just like they don't think about who builds the cool cars they want SO BAD! I here great melodies all the time in today's popular music. Will it be remembered in 50, 100 or 200 years form now? We won't know. I don't think so, why" I think we've have learned that there are only so many who get to be
Bach's Beethovens,Beatles and Stevie's each century

I think it's "Move me or Lose me"
Great sound, seems to trump great song and great performance.

Well again I'll mention the three P's as they are the MAIN drive behind what you hear.
Producers - Pro Tools - Pitch Correction. Great sound however as ALWAYS usually been a part of either great music or popular music great or not.... Labels spent plenty in the past.
Yes the biggest artists are totally doing what you'd expect these days "Following there time" It's not time to be a GREAT musician that was last century! We forget we are OUT of the last century now.


I guess it's logical. When a jazz cat practices 8 hours a day just to be a competent Jazz player, who really cares? Other Jazz musicians. If a Jazz guy throws a concert for 100 people 99 of them will be other jazz musicians.

Not so, the die hard fans of it still exist for now, but yes most will be musicians and sophisticated music lovers. Not Snooki and friends. This is part of why the 60's & 70's remain the greatest decades in popular music of the last one hundred years. It had EVERYTHING in it. And I do mean everything!

NOW, pretty much yes nobody cares, that's because the days of Jazz also being POPULAR music is over and done with! It's been filtered out just like some other things. Starting with "real Instruments"


Nobody cares how much time and dedication he put into it, and how he probably destroys most musicians making millions on a strict musical level. But so What? What does your great musicianship have to do with me?

No "kids" don't really care, if they were young and Louie Armstrong and his like are playing on the radio every single day like in the past then they would care and realize. Very simple, you can't know about things you never see or hear, unless somebody shows you! Who's gonna show them? There Dad born in 1990?

I respect lots of the people making music today, and I do and have done "everything" with music and I do mean everything!

I'm a musician and producer as well as a songwriter and I KNOW what people want, it's about Entertainment and coming off cool.
Yes the singer and dancer makes the BIG bucks kinda always been that way. It's just now all the other great stuff is weeded out and left off the MAIN charts and TV overall.

It's never gonna be fair, it's something you must except, do first because you love to do..
Lets say Usher or Justin Timberlake comes over to my house. He stands up and sings and slides around with those patented dance moves. I'll praise him and say wow he's better than i thought. No Teddy P but better than I thought. Now he's done, how much singing and dancing can you do over the same two chords?

And now it's my turn... But many young artists even if they "know enough, to know better" have there possie's and after they leave here it's the over the shoulder friend say's "Man that guy is whack dont let the 50 more things he did then you beat your head, your the [naughty word removed] man"
And I don't boast or speak out in confidence because of my abilities, because I think who I am, I DO "Know Better" meaning I know what true greateness is and It ain't me...
I leap out with confidence because of my EFFORT I'm proud of how hard I worked my whole life and sacrificed.



Anyway, is it something we should just do, like the poor jazz musician, for our own achievments? and not worry about any reward? Or do we stop this nonsens and get us some kick ass recordings of the catchiest songs we can think up?

hmm...