GreatRead: "I Don’t Buy Ringtones"

This is not my writing, but I agree with a lot of this! Now, I realize why I listen to more 2000 and past music. I am starting to really hate the music yall! Not hip hop, but the current music that these labels are putting out. But if you ask the label, they say it's not their fault. They say it's not the RADIO's fault. Well you ask who do they blame it on. Guess what they will say. YOU! THE PEOPLE! You buy the music, you call and request it, you are tracking down their myspace pages. YOU ARE MAKING THESE PEOPLE HOT! Lately I've, Camp-Lo, Redman, A Tribe Called Quest, the ATLiens album, Method Man's first joint, The Roots. Man I swear my cd player is stuck in the 90's right now. So sad but true! This is a Great Read that I came accross during my internet travel. I am glad to know that I am not the only one that feels lost out here in the hip hop world. I DON'T THINK HIP HOP IS DEAD, I feel that it's LOST! Read on! (Shout to A Hot Mess)

In the latest issue of Billboard, Jermaine Dupri admits to signing Jason Fox (”Aunt Jackie” dance) because he had a hot single. He signed ole dude to a singles deal and hopes to sell “a shitload of ringtones.”
Then, if he disappears, well, as an old friend’s dad used to say, “tough titties!”
I have a problem with this.
Now, I don’t mind the record companies adjusting their formulas to keep a profit these days, because let’s be honest, most of ya’ll ain’t buying nothing LOL. You get half your singles from here!
But, this is making music more and more disposable. Most of the sheiza songs they are putting out are just flashes in the pan, gone in 2 months if even that long. When is the last time you heard someone REALLY BUMPING “This Is Why I’m Hot”? Yeah, exactly.
It can be said that music is moving away from the album format AGAIN (it’s all a cycle folks), and a healthy digital singles market will be the wave of the future, right? Wrong. A million ringtones sales in my opinion will never be a stand-in for a real GREAT song.
And, I don’t know about ya’ll, but I don’t even BUY ringtones. I have never bought a ringtone in my life, and I always stay with the latest digital stuff. All phones these days play mp3 files, so I just chop them joints up with Audacity and dump onto the phone. Right now my ringtone is the vocal breakdown part from En Vogue’s “Never Gonna Get It (My Lovin’)”. Not this Jason Fox ish, not Huey, not “Same Girl” by R-ruh and Flusher…
I’ve heard so much bad music this week…it’s just disheartening. What is bad music? Well, I do a lot of crackin on folks on this blog, but really, how could I not? I was listening to my Michael Jackson “Ultimate Collection” yesterday and MAN…that’s music! Will I be listening to “Aunt Jackie” for more than 20 years later? No! I think music is dying. Artistically more than sales wise. The craft and art of it has gone by the wayside for ringtone sales and hot singles. You can’t develop and fully nurture an artist if you’re only signing them for single deals…you can, but you can’t.
I think what sums this all up though is that our generation is stuck in a “make that money now!” mindset. We have no Aretha’s, no Sam Cooke’s, no Michael’s, no new *insert blank here*. If you have more than 4-5 albums, you’re considered a veteran LOL. But the musical output and artistic quality isn’t even the same…
Maybe Jason Fox and other of his ilk have some great music stored up in them that will wow us for generations to come. Who knows. Not to single out ole boy though…the cheese does not stand alone!