European Mainstream vs. American Mainstream Music

[toasters]

I was on irc earlier discussing music with skyline, lord_day and southpaw when I started to think about whether popular music is different in Europe. In America the mainstream (rock) consist of bands like Fall Out Boy, Paramore and the like. Bands like the Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party are more "indie" or whatever you'd like to call it, certainly somewhat under the radar. Are these bands mainstream in Europe? If so, are they looked down upon in the way that emo music here gets put down? Is the typical mainstream rock band of Europe similar to the typical mainstream rock band of the United States? What do you guys think?

[rambo5252]

well in the same genre (ie. rockvsrock) its pretty much the same, but as for the most popular it looks like (this is onley french so....) soft rock sorta it popular in europe and rap/r&b/hip hop stuff is popular in america, but alot of cultures are blending and this is just what i persieve from my french studys(witch isnt much yr 1 french lolz)

[乳头的早餐谷物]

Pff. Europe and America both get it good compared to Australia. The mainstream here is just Rolf Harris and The Wiggles.

[sheganican]

well if you mean current music with alive people, then yeah it'd be fallout boy, but if you mean most popular music, i scarcly think todays music could even come close to beating Queen, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, etc. i think we can all admit that, in america, music has gone downhill since the 80's

[乳头的早餐谷物]

well if you mean current music with alive people, then yeah it'd be fallout boy, but if you mean most popular music, i scarcly think todays music could even come close to beating Queen, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, etc. i think we can all admit that, in america, music has gone downhill since the 80's

Billy Joel is the only American on that list?

[sheganican]

well if you mean current music with alive people, then yeah it'd be fallout boy, but if you mean most popular music, i scarcly think todays music could even come close to beating Queen, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, etc. i think we can all admit that, in america, music has gone downhill since the 80's

Billy Joel is the only American on that list?

was that a question? I dont know, the beatles are obviously British, but spent a lot of their musical career in america, and that is why they're on that list. i can name more.

[乳头的早餐谷物]

well if you mean current music with alive people, then yeah it'd be fallout boy, but if you mean most popular music, i scarcly think todays music could even come close to beating Queen, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, etc. i think we can all admit that, in america, music has gone downhill since the 80's

Billy Joel is the only American on that list?

was that a question? I dont know, the beatles are obviously British, but spent a lot of their musical career in america, and that is why they're on that list. i can name more.

It was a statement of confusion because Billy Joel is the only American on that list. I wasn't sure whether those examples were supposed to directly link up with your point about the state of American music.

[Lenny]

Pff. Europe and America both get it good compared to Australia. The mainstream here is just Rolf Harris and The Wiggles.

Oh, an perhaps The Veronicas. I think they're the only music to come out of Australia in a while, not that I listen to their things.

I think Pop isn't too different between places - except language, of course - for the simple reason that popular music can now be easily sold world-wide. For example Australia gets most of our pop from America, but also Europe and Asia to an extent.

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[SlappyMcGee]

British People love Oasis.

Rollingstone says,

"Hey, Brits, what are your favorite albums?"

And what album tops the list?

Not just -one- Oasis album, but two.

Way to go, guys.

[rambo5252]

ya you cant beat the classics in music.....but i hate that like metallica have started becoming mainstream in america.....if i wanted to hear people scream alot id throw my brother in the dryer

[KinGAleX]

Um, Metallica are one of the softest, most gelatinous shitty metal bands on the planet. Yes, I would rather throw my brother in the dryer than listen to them, but I think I'm making a different point.

I do agree with the original point in this thread. Watch Never Mind the Buzzcocks to see the rockstars of today's UK, and compare that to the style of music you would see in the Rock category on some form of MTV award, or whatever goes on in popular music these days. UK music tends to lean a lot more towards what I would call post-punk revival, or shitty indie rock. American music tends to be unabashedly shit.

[Ad]

British People love Oasis.

Rollingstone says,

"Hey, Brits, what are your favorite albums?"

And what album tops the list?

Not just -one- Oasis album, but two.

Way to go, guys.

Nobody in Britain has ever picked up a copy of Rolling Stone. Ever.

[T3chno]

Pff. Europe and America both get it good compared to Australia. The mainstream here is just Rolf Harris and The Wiggles.

There's nothing wrong with the Wiggles. Hell, they taught me how to make a fruit salad. >:3

[Lenny]

Wiggles are good. I saw one of their first concerts, when I was 2 or something. :D

[wolfgang]

The music industry is so globalised that I don't really bother to differentiate between European and American mainstream music, a lot of music trends spread throughout the anglosphere, I rarely pick up any strong national identities coming through in the music I hear on the radio these days.

Which is just a symptom of the homogenous state of mainstream music, which is quite unsuprising considering mainstream acts have to cater to as wide an audience as possible and big labels are quite risk averse these days. Not that there's anything wrong with making music that most people can enjoy, but it often sounds a little bland to a more than casual listener.
The quality of music being made hasn't dipped, but often you have to dig around to find the best stuff. Having said that, Radiohead do deserve their place as one of the most popular bands in the world.

I'm not sure if I could decide whether I prefer American or European music overall (I know you didn't ask the question), I think I might ponder for a while and post again. Question: would Jimi Hendrix count as part of the British Invasion?

[Deathconciousness]

Besides the point that all the bands listed in this thread are horrible


You people are taking British mainstream to mean European mainstream. I severely doubt that Finnish and Swedish mainstream bands such would be considered mainstream in Britain or America.

[mintnut]

It all depends on what you consider mainstream. Here in England, mainstream means pretty much coldplay, keane, hard fi, bloc party, the kooks etc. Unless you're female, in which case, there is also a good possibility you'll be enthused by girls aloud.

As for american music being shit these days...you're wrong. There are plenty of brilliant american bands, bands who are for the most part doing far more interesting stuff than their british counterparts.

If you want to find the best music though, go to Scotland.