Researchers find pop music is too loud and all sounds the same

[anthonydt06]

Music sounds the same since most of the pop songs you hear are produced by a few of the same hollywood producers, and it sells. They don't really care about the quality of the product as much as they do the bottom line.

[landtuna]

Music sounds the same since most of the pop songs you hear are produced by a few of the same hollywood producers, and it sells. They don't really care about the quality of the product as much as they do the bottom line.

It's always been about the bottom line but now there is technology to supplant the lack of talent.

[Darth_vader]

*cough cough*Autotune*cough*

[atlantaboy]

There's plenty of new music that doesn't "sound the same" - Clear Channel just won't play most of it, and therefore it's not considered "pop" (The Lumineers, for example, are currently #27 on ITunes, just off Alternative play)

Don't understand the loudness thing - if you turn Rihanna up to Volume 30 on your car stereo, it's just as loud as turning the Rolling Stones up to Volume 30 - is this article trying to prove that people LISTEN to modern pop music at louder volumes?

[landtuna]

There's plenty of new music that doesn't "sound the same" - Clear Channel just won't play most of it, and therefore it's not considered "pop" (The Lumineers, for example, are currently #27 on ITunes, just off Alternative play)

The testing was done on "pop" music so unless there are Alternative songs also considered pop they may not have been tested.

Don't understand the loudness thing - if you turn Rihanna up to Volume 30 on your car stereo, it's just as loud as turning the Rolling Stones up to Volume 30 - is this article trying to prove that people LISTEN to modern pop music at louder volumes?

How could you possibly test LISTENING sound levels without measuring it at the listeners ears?  No, the tests were directed at the recorded levels.  It is a time honored tactic of advertisers to boost the emphasis of a recording so make it sound louder without actually turning up the volume.  I believe that is what they addressed.

[atlantaboy]

There's plenty of new music that doesn't "sound the same" - Clear Channel just won't play most of it, and therefore it's not considered "pop" (The Lumineers, for example, are currently #27 on ITunes, just off Alternative play)

The testing was done on "pop" music so unless there are Alternative songs also considered pop they may not have been tested.

That's the whole point - the reason most Alternative songs in 2012 aren't considered "pop" is because corporate pop radio won't play them, regardless of how popular they are/how much sales potential they show

"Pop" music, in term, sounds the same, because anything that sounds different is relegated to Alternative radio

[atlantaboy]

It is a time honored tactic of advertisers to boost the emphasis of a recording so make it sound louder without actually turning up the volume.  I believe that is what they addressed.

This makes no sense to me - if this were true, changing your car radio from CHR to Classic Rock would result in a lowering of the volume of the sound...

[landtuna]

That's the whole point - the reason most Alternative songs in 2012 aren't considered "pop" is because corporate pop radio won't play them, regardless of how popular they are/how much sales potential they show

"Pop" music, in term, sounds the same, because anything that sounds different is relegated to Alternative radio

I suggest you contact the study owners and ask them that question.  I am not a big fan of categorizing popular music to fit the station image.  Rather, the station should play the music their listeners want to hear. 

[landtuna]

It is a time honored tactic of advertisers to boost the emphasis of a recording so make it sound louder without actually turning up the volume.  I believe that is what they addressed.

This makes no sense to me - if this were true, changing your car radio from CHR to Classic Rock would result in a lowering of the volume of the sound...

You ever listen to a US-based AM music station then punch over to one south of the border?  Suddenly you will find much more emphasis, reverb and other "noise".  The volume won't change but the effect on your ears will. 

[carolinaradio]

There's plenty of new music that doesn't "sound the same" - Clear Channel just won't play most of it, and therefore it's not considered "pop" (The Lumineers, for example, are currently #27 on ITunes, just off Alternative play)

Don't understand the loudness thing - if you turn Rihanna up to Volume 30 on your car stereo, it's just as loud as turning the Rolling Stones up to Volume 30 - is this article trying to prove that people LISTEN to modern pop music at louder volumes?

I don't think it's fair to count Clear Channel as the only one not playing certain genres/artists - I don't hear Cumulus, and certainly not CBS jumping on anything "different"...

In fact, I listen Channel 96.1 in Charlotte daily and they aren't afraid to step outside of the rhythmic pop genre that dominates the CHR charts.  They added the latest from Fun., Matchbox 20, and Train quickly, just an example.  Fortunate to get them well here as my hometown CHR (B-93.7) is a little more rhythmic and continues to be slow and dull (seriously, "Boyfriend" in power rotation while nearly ignoring Ellie Goulding?).