Traditionalists hold the view that contemporary music spreads violent messages, citing Watain and other black heavy metal bands besides gangta rappers like Easy-E, Tupac and Ice Cube. Contemporary music, though rambunctious and eclactic, does not lack artistic value because it connects with people in today’s society. It would be superflous to say that it lacks originality and creativity. It is incorrect to accuse contemporary music for not having any artistic value.
Today’s music does not lack creativity. Many musicians create music which has a lot of artistic value. Singers like Adele, Nick Jonas and less known Rachel Yamagata and Angie Mattson are musicians who create music which is original and artistically of high-quality. The music created by them is touching and can connect with people on an emotional level. Today’s music does have artistic value in many ways.
Today’s music also has lyrics which are highly poetic, crafted in a unique style. An example of this can be Nerina Pallot’s Idaho which is beautifully crafted and has a melodious rhyme. The song is often considered as a representation of life. Contemporary musicians have also used their music to touch the souls of many individuals. For example, Taylor Swift’s song ‘You need to calm down’ raised awareness about social media trolling and the LGBTQ community. Therefore, if the artistic value is equated with meaning, then-contemporary songs are equally artistic to folk music.
Even mainstream commercial artists create music that is meaningful and incredible. Contemporary music also provides a unique spiritual and emotional experience. An example of this can be Lady Gaga, who uses the word ugly in multiple ways in her music. Similarly, contemporary K-pop music like the music by Korean boy-band, BTS, have songs with social messages. It is considered that their music emphasises on sound songcraft rather than experimentation for the sake of it. Thus, it proves that contemporary music is meaningful in an artistic way.
Contemporary music is also driver of social change. In the majority of the cases, the success rate might be very slow but we cannot deny their artistic value in moving masses with their songs and music into action. For example, Beyoncé has one of the largest platforms in the world and frequently uses it to champion the polarising Black Lives Matter movement. Similarly, pop stars like Lil Dicky and Grimes are using their music and their huge followings to gain vital coverage of climate change. Contemporary music is a medium through which people expresses their feelings, aspirations and fears. As music can very broadly be defined as a means to convey an artist’s message to the audience. Under this definition, contemporary music has artistic value.
There is no denying that there is music that is meaningless and distasteful. Some artists are purposeful in their choice of song, so that media can create the buzz for them to stay relevant. For example, various songs by Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus can come under this category. Avril Lavigne’s song “Dark Blonde” is a failed attempt at a girl-power anthem and proof of artistic snobbery. All these issues may result in the belief that there is a lack of artistic merit in contemporary music. However, not all songs can be judged on the basis of a few bad songs. Therefore, though there are songs that lack in artistic value, not all contemporary songs are similar. Modern people also want to be entertained by music. They are not different from the people of the past; they too crave for music that feeds their soul and connects with them on an emotional level based on present world challenges. The good part about contemporary music is that it has songs that cater to varying tastes and moods of people. Contemporary music has artistic value.
Music is about evolution of social issues and dreams of people. While the wholesome songs of John Denver, Kenny Rogers, or Stevie Wonder do not attract young audiences, they have John Legend, Kanye West and Selena Gomez to keep them entertained and grounded to modern day dilemmas. Contemporary music has artistic value.
