The Corruption of Music

My Views on Music...

Intro: Music has always interested many since the beginning. It was created to inspire, lift, and motivate all who participate. It is all about divinity, talent, perseverance, passion, and art. People admired accomplished artists who could call down the powers of heaven and change the hearts of many. Music is for the glorification of God. Today, music is not viewed for its talent, but for the outrageous stories, scandalous outfits, and reckless behavior that arises from the individual(s). Music has shifted from dignity, passion, and talent, to whatever goes. What makes you feel good must be excellent. The media shows us that fame, money, sex, and drugs is the way to a happy and prosperous life. Most of us have felt inspired while attending or participating in something divine. We have deep respect for those with exceptional talent, and want to become like them. There is little respect for the drug abusers, the strippers, the DUI victims, and auto-tune over-doers. Even though many confuse shallow quality with real talent and inspiration, there is still hope for the future generation to revolutionize the crass, vulgar trends that exist today.
                                               Music’s Corruption in Today’s Society

   Mainstream contemporary music is a cheap knock off of what it has been, and what it can be once again. Today in society, many people accept all different types of music without any filtering. What is played on the radio, or what is played in businesses, homes, or even on T.V. is usually unquestioned, and easily accepted.  There are two groups of musicians in the world. The first group of musicians is motivated by passion, hard work, expressing themselves, sharing their talents, inspiring others, and connecting with fans. The second group is motivated by fame, carnal indulgence, money, and selfishness.  To be more specific, the hard working verses the lazy. Music has changed in many ways over a period of time. It primary purpose is to invite others to do good. But throughout history, time and music have changed leading people to confuse noise as music and to misunderstand its purpose as well as its divine purpose. There is still hope today for future generations and composers to bring back the quality that was lost in music. As we understand the importance of music and how “good music” is essential in our society, we wouldn’t want it any other way.

What is the purpose of music? What was it designed for? “Music is rightly called the universal language; it is successful in communicating ideas to the masses with minimum resistance. A tool as powerful as music should come with instructions. This is the endeavor of Music and its Purpose: to educate artists in the music & arts arena concerning the power and influence that comes along with the craft. The abuse and misuse of music has left a negative impact on society that has left a trail of destruction for future generations” (Purposeofmusic) http://www.purposeofmusic.com/ Back in time, music was never associated with sex, or drugs. Bach said “Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.” http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/115200.Johann_Sebastian_Bach?auto_login_attempted=true Few songs today (played on the radio, on T.V. or in public places) glorify and give honor to God. It is all about themselves, and the carnal man or woman. Back in the ancient days when music was studied and revolutionized, it was viewed as professional, clean, appropriate, and entertaining or relaxing. Even though technology wasn’t quite what it is today, there was dignity with the association of musicians including hard work. Today music is viewed as lustful material, also vulgar, desensitizing, casual, and harmful.

 Music today is acceptable in any way, shape, or form. You don’t even have to be a good singer to be in the lime light. You can think, say, or do anything you’d like as long as it feels good, and is likeable to the crowd. And for a bonus feature we’ll even have you sing into a machine that will do all the work for you and match the pitch perfectly. We will even make sure that you sound good on stage while you lip-sync to recordings. While searching online, the following question and answer arose: “Why does music today suck so bad? Because Pop and R&B artists like Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, Drake, Jason Derulo, LMFAO, Selena Gomez and other lame autotune artists are taking all over the music industry. Their music is about teen love, sex, violence, dancing. It's just full of dance beats and auto tune. I agree that music today sucks real bad and I have no clue how we're gonna get the good music back!” http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_music_today_suck_so_bad Luckily, another person expresses the same opinion about today’s music by saying: “Music is a powerful thing. It evokes feelings and has the power to bring people together. Music is also a way for people to express themselves and share ideas, whether through poetic lyrics or throbbing anthems. But today, artists are not known for their music, but for how extravagant their outfits are and how many times their wealthy relatives can get them out of jail. And thus music is lost. Pop and rap music has evolved into a shallow, image-obsessed industry that conforms to what the public wants to hear and see, eliminating the focus on the actual music. Mainstream music is no longer composed of emotion, but instead themes of money, sex, and fame. Pop and rap performers are notorious for their run-ins with police, their latest diet, or their most recent affair. Photos and rumors fly while the music is ignored. Not all musical groups or soloists begin like this. Many of these artists are original and talented, but they may feel the stress of being underappreciated and turn to the money side for support. Often their songs are written by experts who know what is appealing to a certain age group, and the musicians' faces are plastered on as many magazine covers as possible. Soon their supposedly new and improved songs can be heard blasting out of car windows. But these songs are empty shells, devoid of creativity and the original thirst of the artist to make an impact or convey a message. Countless pop and rap songs today fit into a very slim mold -- not just the music, but those who perform it. Some female musicians struggle with eating disorders because of the increased attention of the media and the public on their looks instead of their musical talent. Most popular songs follow the same pattern -- singable, with a catchy beat and a flashy band. These songs teach listeners that what's on the outside is important, and money matters. These messages are also shown through music videos containing sexual themes, as well as people wearing ‘grills’ and other decorations meant to show their wealth. Many rap videos promote the ‘gangsta’ image, encouraging people to act tough, embrace violence, and swear. These videos can propagate false views of African-Americans. MTV is not helping. It has become increasingly racy and plays only what the public wants to hear. And unfortunately, the majority seems interested in either sickly sweet, generic pop or stereotypical, bleeped-out rap. Kids and teens everywhere are swimming in these songs, which are often degrading to women and minorities, and inappropriate…None of this is to say that all pop and rap music today fits this mold…A lot of high-quality pop music exists as well. Although some talented musicians thrive, the entire music industry has devolved into something that's almost unrecognizable. Music is no longer just for pleasure, but instead is a huge part of the economy. It is valued for its power to influence people everywhere. Not only does the music business make money from songs, but lots of useless products carry rap and pop stars' names and faces. Why do most teenagers exclusively listen to pop and rap music when so many other genres exist? Maybe it's because everywhere we look, we are bombarded with the same music: on the radio, on TV, on the computer. At school, pop and rap are discussed religiously. Perhaps they have never listened to anything else. Or maybe peer pressure is part of it. Another reason some people listen to popular music is because it is easy listening, with no abnormalities, since anything unique is considered weird. There is no solution to the ‘pop problem.’ It's called popular for a reason -- many people enjoy it. People who like pop and rap music are the same as people who like rock and punk music -- they are just fond of a particular genre of music. It's not a heinous crime, and there's no easy way to sway their views. Still, many artists are ruined because of the increased focus on money and image. My suggestion is not to buy into music like this when you can explore something new. Expand your horizons. Dig up your parents' old records and CDs. You never know what you might find.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/mainstream-music-is-about_n_1069230.html “In today’s entertainment, sex is not the melting embrace of two lovers, forever sharing their hearts, lives, and selves. It’s not even ordinary lust. It’s lust on steroids, and its raging. The new sexual norm, messaged in music and video, is sex as a personal entitlement.  Instead of connecting two persons in mutual, fruitful, and self-giving love, sex is a solo act. The narcissist takes center stage, gratifying him or herself sexually with any number or combination of males, females, and even animals. Nothing’s ‘perverted’ anymore, because sex is just a thing you do to feel good. So if you ‘wanna,’ then do anything you ‘wanna.’ Teens immersed in the music culture sit for a daily tutorial—through lyrics and images—in narcissistic, abusive relationships. For boys, the sexual script is self-obsessed, aggressive, impersonal and demanding. It throbs with lust, contempt, and, often, sheer brutality.  No love, tenderness, or kindness in sight. Women—whether flesh and blood, or virtual on the pornographic screen, serve male pleasure. The model for girls is no better. How to relate to men? Taunt, flaunt, and spar. Physical aggression—often girl-initiated--only ups the sexual tension. Pain tangles with desire, retaliation, and sexual conquest. The big lie: a sex object is ‘wanted,’ so sex means power…. The music industry is “on message,” without a doubt. Sex is a solo act—enjoy it whatever way you want. It’s a message that ushers in sexual perversion, violence, and death. And it's dominating the culture.” http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/cw/post.php?id=517

             Even though the world is in a corrupted state, there is still room for hope. We can hope that future generations will recognize the imperfections and make a change to our society. It has been said by many that one person can make a difference. In many instances, good music has existed during the noise and corruption. Douglas R. Callister said: “Some have grown up on a steady diet of musical french fries…‘There is no music in hell, for all good music belongs to heaven.’ It would be punishment enough to go to hell and not hear a note of music for all eternity.” Neal A. Maxwell said: “We … live in a world that is too prone to the tasteless and we need to provide an opportunity to cultivate a taste for the finest music. And likewise, we’re in a world that’s so attuned to the now. We need to permit people to be more attuned to the best music of all the ages.” http://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/06/our-refined-heavenly-home?lang=eng#footnote10-04206_000_017

The future can be brighter for all of us if we take a stand to crass, vulgar, and distasteful music. As we focus on the good, we can override the influences of evil. We can choose the best of many things and be examples to others and share our good music with others. The music will speak for itself and touch the hearts who listen. We never know the impact one inspired song can have on many.

It has been proven that music was originally used for the praising of God, as well as inspiring and motivating good. Music has changed and gone the opposite direction and has been abused for several years. Subliminal messages like sex, drugs, profanity, racism, prejudices, disrespect, and dishonor bombard our minds as we drive in the car, watch T.V., attend entertainment attractions, and use the internet. However the mess in this miserable world, we can always shine our light and inspire by sharing our good music with others. Anything with substance is light, the things that are shallow are of darkness. May we develop our talents to do good, and enlighten this darkened world with light and make a change in society to create more peace, happiness, and safety.