No Wonder There Are No Posts Here...

1. 68

   6 String Veteranposted 13 years ago

   ...'contemporary music' is too broad a name. After all, there's contemporary classical, contemporary jazz, contemporary rock (Kings of Leon), ...pop (Bieber), ...etc., etc.
   
   What is 'contemporary music' to you? Betcha it's different than the next guy's (or girl's) answer.
   
   
   -6SV

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      Phoebe Pikeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I know exactly what you mean. I have a long list of bands that I consider contemporary, but I doubt a lot of people would agree with me on them.

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      lady_love158posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It's any music of the current time.

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   kmackey32posted 13 years ago

   Ummmmm, shit IDK.....lol

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      twobmadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      mmm I afraid if you would agree but I think contemporary might R N B.

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         6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         You mean you have some contemporary R&B groups to mention?

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            twobmadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Not necessarily to be as a group... but there too are contemporary R&B groups. However i am not saying that contemporary music is limited to R&B. I am just saying that R&B seems to be the most popular one in this contemporary industry.
            There are also modern rock which are favorite by a lot of people today.
            P.S none of above i mention are my like.. I go for Classic rock regardless of any new genre of the world

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            1. 68

               6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Absolutely right: 'contemporary' is a label directed more towards the R+B side of things, as well as the Christian.
               
               Why is that? I never hear of 'contemporary Country' music, even though there is such a thing. Heck, all musics have a 'contemporary' element: the CDs that are released most recently LOL (I know it's not that simple).

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                  twobmadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  I guess. Shania  Twan, Taylaor Swift... can be called as country or country pop singers.

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      6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well, what band(s) do you like who are 'contemporary' (simply meaning they are not classic rock / R&B, 70s or 80s funk, etc.)?
      
      I'm sure there are two or three names you have from off the top.

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3. 81

   camloposted 13 years ago

   I might be wrong, but to me, in this context, 'contemporary music' is any music of the present age. Because that covers so much music, 'contemporary music' as a category is an extremely broad term, as the OP says.

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   1. 68

      6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That would be correct, generally speaking. However the music industry's definition of 'contemporary' is different than, say, a dictionary's. In fact, let's go there (to a dictionary) for a minute to make that point clearer for everyone:
      
      According to merriam-webster.com, 'contemporary' means 'marked by characteristics of the present period'.
      
      Simple, right?
      
      Not so. Case in point: 'Contemporary Christian' music is a different genre than 'Gospel', regardless of whether or not the 'Gospel' artist is contemporary.
      
      ...What the heaven is going on?
      
      There's a whole can of worms involved with that one, as anyone who does a little research will see...so on to some other Industry Definitions:
      
      'Urban' is different than 'Urban Contemporary', yet both are contemporary.
      
      ...And both of the above differ from 'R&B' although the artists currently under 'R&B' are contemporary themselves (go figure).
      
      THE ROCK SIDE of things--HM in particular--is more to the point, thankfully. Some HM sub-genres are Thrash, Death, Metalcore, etc. 'Contemporary' is no where to be found in the many, many demoninations (oops, Freudian slip...I meant denominations) currently available, and growing.
      
      However, I recently encountered a Rock genre that came the closest to claiming 'contemporary' status: Post Rock. So I guess that would be 'Contemporary Rock'? At this point I have to rely on the stability of Classic Rock and simply say that I am Dazed and Confused.

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         camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         You've got me totally confused there.
         I would have thought 'contemporary soul', for example, would be soul of today rather than that of the 60s, or whatever.
         The contemporary music of Beethoven would be music listened to during the life and times of Beethoven.
         Hmmm ...

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         1. 68

            6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            In the case of 'contemporary soul' you're correct. And it would be great if the Industry's categorizations were that clear. But let's do away with logic at this point and look at the fact that the underlying motivation for all the smoke + mirrors here is nothing else than--you got it--profit.
            
            And the acquisition of profits often entails the bypassing of logical methods. So the Industry is not confused, to be sure. They are the 'confusers', if you will--making things seem more involved than they really are--in order to make more money out of the situation.
            
            It is far easier to make money out of 100 genres rather than 10. Just like trying to sell 100 lemons. The seller would make more $ claiming that some of the lemons were from S. America, some from N.Zealand, some from Calif., etc., rather than saying they were all just 'normal' lemons.
            
            -Bad example, possibly--I'm not sure if lemons are prevalent in S.Amer or NZ--but the higher prices would  be justified by the categorizations whether they were true or not.
            
            Now I will admit human nature does play a role in this. We categorize in order to understand better, and that tendency does not die. Also, personal achievement plays a part as well. you know, like:
            
            **I was the one WHO INVENTED THE TERM 'Soft Metal', or whatever** LOL.
            
            ...Like 50s DJ Alan Freed who was credited with the invention of 'Rock + Roll' as a musical term (Rock + Roll, by the way, simply meant having sex in a car's back seat. In that light, 'Christian R+R' seems pretty funny).

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               twobmadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Although I won't agree with all your research result, I appreciate what you are doing. peace. . I should correct you like this, " We categorize in order to confuse us better." .
               Who says Rock N Roll means sex in a car's back seat?

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                  6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  It was 1950s slang for "fornication in the back seat of a car". Been recorded in plenty of documentaries. What did you find out about it?

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                     twobmadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I am not doing the researching though. just curious. but i doubt if the slang will exactly implied to the term Rock & Roll.
                     However being a Christian we have to be careful in choosing the right music for the church.

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                        6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Very true. Another interesting musicology tidbit: "Jazz" was 1920s slang for fornication. So the 'Bible-thumpers' aren't so off the mark after all...

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4. 78

   mega1posted 13 years ago

   That word "contemporary" when applied to any entertainment is just so bogus it isn't even funny!  same with "modern"  - if they mean "new" then that means even less.  I like to group music by genre and the decade it is made in, even though that really says nothing about it's style or type or who it appeals to.  Over-classifying anything in the entertainment world is risky, tricky and sometimes really dumb. 
   
   oh and "world music"  meaning to some: anything that is foreign to them, or to some Americans, anything that is not American -  that term makes me laugh (with a small sneer)

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      6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Coincidental: I just posted in the World Music section (not much going on there at the time so let's see...)

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5. 75

   stclairjackposted 13 years ago

   seems like a lot of energy wasted on difining labels imposed on music by those who wish to profit fro and controll it,... music only realy comes in tow catagories,... the good stuff, and all the rest of the crap that aint good.... and good music, as beauty, is in the eye or ear of the beholder.

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      stclairjackposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      and once again i look back at my own poor typing/spelling skills and wonder how i have not been expelled from this realm, bodily.

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      6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well, I'll simply quote / repost, if you allow me...nothing wrong if the truth of this statement is seen 2x in a row:
      
      "music only really comes in two categories: the good stuff, and all the rest of the crap that aint good.... and good music, as beauty, is in the eye or ear of the beholder."
      
      There you have it.

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6. 0

   china manposted 13 years ago

   Contemporary in art (and music is art) is defined by its use of new methods of producing it, its content of new ideas relevant to the society of today, and its application across genres.  I will go look it up if this is not 100% complete or correct if you like.
   
   So contemporary in its time would include the fusion of voice  modified electronically that appeared maybe 10 to 15 years ago for example. Blue beat (Reggae) that tied a specific beat to a specific style of music - at the time it emerged, same with Rock n roll and the Beatles were a new kind of music in their day.  I cannot hear any Contemporary music at this time.  The kind of music that fuses two past styles, like classic rock (as a clear example) would not be Contemporary.

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      6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      In one sense, 'contemporary' simply means perpetual. In this sense, as long as music is being produced, the stuff on the top of the pile--that which is most recent--is contemporary.
      
      Style-wise, however, 'contemporary' can't be applied to 'retro' artists or 'nouveau-soul' artists, etc.
      
      The Industry Definition is the most confusing--may I ask: what is it?--as it aligns itself to neither of the above, but is perhaps a code-word for something the music execs solely understand.

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         china manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Nobody can subvert Contemporary - it is a thing in itself that is defined by art.  With a small c it just means 'in company with' pretty much.  Confusing the two is also normal but misleading.  You pretty much nailed it with your explanations of the origins of the word 'Jazz' and 'Rock n roll' words that described new music in terms of its age and emergence.
         
         To put it another way, the christian religion was Contemporary at one time, then it split in two, schism, and then on into cults and the many introverted groups we see around us, all unoriginal and grouping around some internal representation, like the original schism that divided over the single point of whether the eucharist was THE  body of their christ or a representation of it.
         
         Only music that is genuinely NEW in its style, content and reflection of a new movement within society can be Contemporary.  I am not aware of any at this time.

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7. 61

   tony0724posted 13 years ago

   I am listening to alot of contemporary polka music these days.

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      stclairjackposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      polka?.. wow.. i laughed myself to pieces at the thought of starting a polka/heavy metal fusion group last week, it kept me gigling for days actualy. the thought of the t-shirts emblazoned with the name "polka-slam",... all the little kiddies convinced that the tuba was the worlds largest brass bong. if i could find someone who plays alternative acordion,... and mabey acid banjo,... i'm gigling again just thinkin what the tour buss would look like,... or smell like for that matter,... sourkraut?
      
      no disrespect intended, i just had to share just to see if i could get the awfull thing outa my head,... take some solace in knowing it didnt work, i'm gona go to sleep with this twacked image on the back of my eyelids... probubly wake up singing "i dont want her, you can have her, she's too stoned for me"

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         6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         The Mighty Mighty Bosstones come close...they'd just have to add an accordion LOL.

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      6 String Veteranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      @ Tony0724  I can see the word being applied to that genre, just like Klezmer: what's being done there now is a far cry from the original.

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