Rick Beato "The Top 10 songs are sh*t".

[Peggy]

Rick's analysis of the Top 10 is quite interesting.  He touches on many points that are discussed or are in the undertones of discussions.  One thing is.. whether it's a song or not a song ... similar components or not, these are on the Top 10 Spotify's Global list.. I think he tries to find something good to say about each of them..but it's a struggle for him and to the conclusion by saying "The Top 10 songs are sh*t". I think maybe he's changed the title since yesterday to "The Top 10 Songs are horrible."

 

Do you think he makes his point? 

 

 

[Talk To Bears Music]

He made the point with a vengeance. It blew my mind how acceptable things like over-repitition, overuse of that gawdawful Auto Tune, minimalist beats and no real harmonic content has become. 

[HoboSage]

He's entitled to his opinions.  But, I think he should have kept them to himself and to private discussions with others.  This went way beyond analysis: He was trashing these songs.  I personally find it very distasteful when a musical artist publicly trashes the creative works of other musical artists.  Millions of people love these songs.  He's insulting them too.  The world is full of non-artist art critics.  We shouldn't be criticizing the works of each other unless criticism by peers is being asked for.  Anyway, that's how I feel.

Edited April 13, 2023 by HoboSage

[Pantonal]

Nice to see a conversation here actually get some engagement. I think it's important to note here that Rick is not an artist. He's a former producer who has become an influencer on Youtube. As an influencer his opinion is what he offers. People watch his videos because they have come to respect his opinion. This particular video offers some strong opinions on the Top Ten Songs globally. Most are negative but some are actually positive and I don't think anyone who watches Rick's videos would feel differently regarding the opinions he has expressed. Personally, I agree with the opinions he expressed. So, to Hobosage, Rick's opinions are how he earns his living, so not expressing them would not support his lifestyle. The world is full of non artist critics because there are people who care what they think.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Pantonal

[HoboSage]

8 minutes ago, Pantonal said:

I think it's important to note here that Rick is not an artist. He's a former producer who has become an influencer on Youtube. As an influencer his opinion is what he offers. People watch his videos because they have come to respect his opinion. This particular video offers some strong opinions on the Top Ten Songs globally. Most are negative but some are actually positive and I don't think anyone who watches Rick's videos would feel differently regarding the opinions he has expressed. Personally, I agree with the opinions he expressed. So, to Hobosage, Rick's opinions are how he earns his living, so not expressing them would not support his lifestyle. The world is full of non artist critics because there are people who care what they think.

He's a musical artist.  If you're a musician, record producer and songwriter - you're a musical artist.   https://artists.teamwass.com/music/rick-beato/  So, let's agree to disagree about that.

 

I have watched and liked many of his videos.  I think he crossed the line here - regardless of whether he did it to make money.

[VoiceEx]

Thank you for sharing this! Well, I don't usually follow content of this sort, but I have seen some of his other videos. I tend to agree with @HoboSage about how this video of his is not up to par with some of his other content. However, I would like to approach this from a different angle.

 

I think that his opinions are actually rather 'tamed', if compared to, lets say, other more aggressive content creators. He also hasn't used his influence to attempt a boycott on any those artists. So to that end, if I were to 'accuse' him of something, it wouldn't be over crossing a line. But rather, It would be, for making a dull video that literally anybody could make in less then an hour 😅

 

In addition, I expect from a certified educator to provide a much deeper analysis and to add more value to their content. That's not what I'm seeing in this video, and that's my problem with it 👍

Edited April 13, 2023 by VoiceEx

[Steve Mueske]

Here's the thing, he's got a great ear, and I love the videos he's done with Animals as Leaders and Polyphia. He's a guitar guy. He likes guitar stuff. As do I, but...

 

At bottom, this has little to do with an actual critique. It's a sales pitch for his book. "Look how quickly I can identify pop progressions." The implication being that if you buy his book, you will too. A lot of what he says is spot on, but there's nothing inherently wrong with three chord songs. 

 

I'd have been much more interested in the idea of "safety" in commercial music and approaching it from a cultural critique perspective. Why is pop music often safe, ultimately? What are the benefits, the pitfalls?

 

But it's an ad. We can't forget that. The part that absolutely sucks for me is that it's just another form of naked capitalism, and he does it at the expense of other artists' work. This is not new in any form of cultural criticism. But it IS stale, selfish, and disappointing.

[Reid Gibson]

I totally agree with Rick. With little exception, most of theses songs are garbage. Background music at best. Whatever happened to melody, harmony, something meaningful to say, a real hook, intrigue?

[Mahesh]

As much as I see the objective truth in some of the things Rick says in the video, I agree with @HoboSage, @VoiceEx and @Steve Mueske. It felt like the video was done in bad taste or at least with a whole lotta bias; sorta like "I'm gonna listen to these songs just to find the first bunch of things I can pick on to make my point and justify the title of the video"

 

That is anything but critique. He's already made up his mind about the songs before he even heard the song in its entirety with some of them. Surely there's a better way to do this especially for someone like Rick whose musical knowledge and experience I do respect and enjoy. 

 

 

[MikeRobinson]

What has always struck me about this video is that, when Rick plays the actual music of each piece, it sounds much better than the published recording.

 

And, beyond that, he's basically right:  "there's nothing there."

 

As Lucy told Schroeder in the Peanuts comic strips:  "Did you know that Beethoven now comes in spray cans?"  Yeah.  It used to be what broadcasters were the most afraid of:  "Dead Air!"  The "AutoTune Buzz" that Cher championed in "[Do You Believe In] Life After Love?" becomes the "new normal," and the entire sound is as though it was squeezed through a toothpaste tube. 

 

Each of these songs could have been so much more, if they had only taken the time and not resorted to an empty formula. I simply do not like to hear: "musical tropes!"

Edited April 27, 2023 by MikeRobinson