How technology shapes taste

Been reading this comment about research that suggests younger folk prefer mp3s to higher fidelity recordings and it's an example of a pet theory I've been mulling over about how technology shapes taste.

I started thinking about this when I reflected on how many years it took for me to appreciate the sound of synthesizers. All through the 80s I hated them, all those now classic sounds. Then in the 90s I began to appreciate the visceral nature of dance music and soon learned to love the aesthetic.

Then I thought about how Autotune used to be reviled and is now all over and over the top in popular music.

And before long I was thinking how digital mediums like CDs had allowed a wider frequency range, specifically deeper and heavily compressed bass, to be recorded and replayed.

Anyway, it's still a pet theory and it's needs some more thought.

Is the Future of Music Generative?

This is an interesting essay covering a lot of issues surrounding generative music. If you've read a heap of Brian Eno interviews then most of the subject matter is more about whether the music industry would recognise generative music as music but it's a great collection of stimulating ideas.

I've been wondering when there will be a program that registers what the user/s prefer (breaks, ambient, dnb, etc.), what time of the day, what the stress level in their voice says their emotional state would be, etc. and creates bespoke background music according to their previous preferences.

But I guess the real issue is that generative music is yet to become as intricate and accessible as pop music because that is what is marketed to the 'mainstream' as 'music'