When did mainstream music go downhill?

Maybe it didn't. Maybe you're just losing your edge.

The last 10-15 years in my opinion. There are some exceptions, but most of what I've heard with respect to Top 40 in the last 10-15 years is very rudimentarily, very boringly formulaic, where it evidences almost no understanding of traditional pop songcraft re how harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, etc. tensions/releases work. There were seeds of some of the worst trends going all the way back to the later 80s, but there was still plenty of well-crafted Top 40 pop music until 10-15 years ago.

It's also interesting that more or less the same songwriting formula that dominates Top 40 now was present in contemporary Christian music going back to the later 90s (although I'd say that contemporary Christian understand traditional pop songcraft, especially in terms of melodies, better than current top 40), but it's difficult to say just how much of a direct influence that might have had, rather than just being a coincidence. After all, it's not as if contemporary Christian sells so well that pop producers and songwriters would have had an impetus to emulate that genre's formula.

Mid 1990's

The last 10-15 years in my opinion. There are some exceptions, but most of what I've heard with respect to Top 40 in the last 10-15 years is very rudimentarily, very boringly formulaic, where it evidences almost no understanding of traditional pop songcraft re how harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, etc. tensions/releases work. There were seeds of some of the worst trends going all the way back to the later 80s, but there was still plenty of well-crafted Top 40 pop music until 10-15 years ago.
Agreed. Mid-late 1980s when popular music started going downhill.
I use to hate the 1980s & like others, considered it a nasty music decade.
However, comparing it to the most recent decades, it looks more favorable.

Therefore, my favorite music decades:
1960s
1970s (tie)
1950s (tie)
1980s
1940s


It's also interesting that more or less the same songwriting formula that dominates Top 40 now was present in contemporary Christian music going back to the later 90s (although I'd say that contemporary Christian understand traditional pop songcraft, especially in terms of melodies, better than current top 40),
CCM began to decline in the late 1990s.

After 8 in the evening.

GOOD SKY YOU'VE GOT HERE McCINTYRE........WELL DONE!!!

Better now than it's been in many eras.
http://www.dogstarradio.com/search_playlist.php?artist=&title=&channel=35


We will put a bullet where your thoughts get processed

Around 1999

For me mainstream rock starting going downhill in the mid 90s. Mainstream pop started going downhill in the early 2000s. Mainstream country started going downhill in the late 90s or early 2000s. Even rap started going downhill after the early 2000s. I'm not sure why all the most popular genres would go into decline around the same time period but it happened that way.

What are words for when no one listens anymore