RSS FeedThere is no good rating system in music. There is no establishment that filters out all the bands that suck. There are times when I wish there was such a system.
I get it. I understand why it is this way. The gatekeepers of the music biz are naturally insecure people. They know that people’s taste and desire change frequently. Therefore, to keep certain bands on top, it works in their favor to keep discovery of new music difficult. I concede that it is easier than ever to find new music on the internet, but its harder than ever to find new good music. There is so much crap out there; I get frustrated at the time it takes and stop trying to find anything new.
The voice of the people seems to be the only real rating system. Yes, this system, in effect, does rate artists, but not efficiently. There are labels and indies throwing money at the system trying to get their music rated. They are trying to get feedback on their music. Most end up throwing their money away.
It’s a fight for attention. The music has to grab your attention and keep it. As artists, this is huge frustration, because it doesn’t seem to be the best song or the most talented artist wins this battle. It’s the most controversial artist or the one in the big scandal.
Finally, on a more personal note, it would be scary to be rated. In school it wasn’t so scary because one knew the parameters. There was a defined set of standards that one was tested on. In music, no one wants to define standards. And no one wants to say that someone sucks. You’ve seen the hundreds of thousands of people that were encouraged by someone to audition for American Idol. In the end, only one person, Simon, was really willing to tell someone they didn’t have what it takes. Rating would be scary, but wouldn’t we all like to have an unbiased, trusted rating system. One that is not based on radio plays, record sales, marketing dollars, how many friends you have, or the people you know – a system that is based on the music.
-Tyler
August 11th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Do you REALLY want to be rated? I want to be rated – but only if it’s a fair and accurate representation of a general audience. I think that ratings online wind up being badly skewed in one way or another…Let’s say you have a product (and in this case let’s pretend that it’s a common product that we all use in one way or another), online ratings tend to be half 5-stars and half 1-stars (and I’d be willing to bet that at least half of the 5-stars are from the manufacturer
. By the time most people live with the product enough to make a decision on its quality – they’re either too lazy or don’t care enough to review it, or can’t even remember where they purchased it. OR, let’s imagine our product IS music, and we’re given a 1-star from someone who only listens to Death Metal. To me, reviews are only good if we’re given a barometer to base a review off of. I LOVE it when Netflix tells me how “Similar” my ratings are to another user’s ratings. It helps me make a more informed decision on what to expect from the next two hours of entertainment.
August 12th, 2010 at 12:01 am
I’m not sure I’m on board with the rating system, but I’m all for equal access to all music. I’m not sure that you could devise a rating system that would encompass all music. For instance, the skills and nuances that make a great Fusion band are different in almost every way from those that make a good Rock-a-billy band. The rock-a-billy band may make fantastic, catchy tunes, but the players in the Fusion band may be much more technically proficient and polished. I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m just saying I don’t know that I’d want to be a part of the think tank that sets out to devise the algorithm. Cheers!