Musical Media!

Music reflects society on a much deeper level than merely effecting peoples moods; music mirrors the attitudes of its time. For example, the 1950's were a very optimistic almost fairy tale period, and the music typically reflected this by being equally light weight and optimistic. It was not until the late 50's that we saw music with more substance, or in other words, the music that was created actually had a purpose. These songs included valued, intelligent information hidden in the perfectly strung lyrics, that addressed a problem the artist saw needed to be fixed.
Compare that with the 2000's, and the materialistic & superficial times we live in. Marketing and hype is at levels previously unheard of, and again music reflects this change. Too often rags to riches has replaced the dues paying musician, as the preferred or expected route to success.

Technology has also had a major impact on music, on one hand, it has made it much easier and cheaper to produce (which is good right?), but it has also made it exponentially more disposable and "same" sounding. The "anyone" can do it mentality is not without consequence, as it has resulted in a flood of bad to decent songs, with the seldom great song more likely buried in the mix.

The best guitar players spent years "honing their chops" (perfecting their singing ability) and experimenting with different amps / guitars to achieve their unique sound (3-4 bars was all it took to recognize them), now that same sound is stored on a microchip, easily emulated with a push of a button.

Popularity and financial success is more and more used as the device to judge talent and artistic success. How well an "artist" can work the social media game will more impact their career, than how many hours spent perfecting their fretboard or vocal skills.

The art of writing a memorable, meaningful song has taken a metaphorical back seat to performance and image. Which is fairly ironic due to the lack of skill current artists actually posses. Without the technology to "back them up" their live performances are misdirected towards dancing and image, instead of singing.