Let's take a look at this here. I think I remember when that came out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone%27s_500_Greatest_Songs_of_All_Time
The first one was 2003, that's the one I seen. Was a page in a newspaper. They did a new one in 2010.
Here's the stats of the first list.
Decade, Number of songs, Percentage
1940s 1 0.2% 1950s 72 14.4% 1960s 203 40.8% 1970s 142 28.2% 1980s 57 11.4% 1990s 22 4.4% 2000s 3 0.6%
Then the 2010 revision.
Decade, Number of songs, Percentage
1940s 1 0.2% 1950s 70 14% 1960s 195 39% 1970s 131 26.2% 1980s 55 11% 1990s 22 4.4% 2000s 26 5.2%
My 2 cents about it.. Was music better back then. As time goes on, the combinations of notes an artist can play on a guitar, decreases. Can't do that riff because somebody already used it. So you're pretty much looking at table scraps at this point.
People can make interesting music with today's digital tools. But to get played on mainstream stations, you'd have to sound like what's been done to fit into a genre. You'd have to make a song using the same old chorus verse structure recipe. You can do slight changes to genres but don't change things too much or it won't be that type. As time goes on there is a bit of evolving. If somebody does something that makes people go wow, you start to see others copying that style. But you're still hearing the same old snare and kick at beat timing.
Artists trying to create different music are buried. Tough to try and figure a way to get your music out there. Labels aren't gonna help you if you don't play live, because that's where the money is. And you'd also have to be a typical mainstream genre to get signed.
It's an exciting period though because with digital distribution and monetization, an artist can bypass the need for a label. You can make your own videos. You can do what you want and don't have a label telling you what to do. Lately I've even found a place where I can submit videos to music video tv stations. Also commercial radio stations. Normally places like these don't accept unsolicited material. So that was a bonus. I also got on Vevo, so videos have that watermark. If I could make something good, I stand a chance to get up there on youtube like the popular ones.
A lot of distractions these days with media overload. Only a few hours per day of spare time after work. A lot of undiscovered artists just go, why bother. You'd think with digital tools, there'd be more creative music out there with imagination. But those artists have to shut the distractions off.
Music can be more creative than it was back then. You can do new things. Why have the same old drum kit sound at beat timing. Why not use sound effects. Instruments.. why guitar and typical synths.
I'm testing out making my own melody instruments using sound effects that are in the same key as piano. Shift it a few octaves either way and sometimes you get interesting keyboards which aren't stock synths. How about surprises in the song structure. Throw in unexpected twists and turns. Most songs you hear a minute, the rest is gonna be similar. Might be chorus verse chord changes but I think people are tuning out a bit from music because they're bored. Nobody's making new stuff that makes them go wow.
A problem is, if somebody does make something exciting, how does the artist get their music out there. At least with reddit, there's a hope in hell. Not too many places on the internet anymore where you can go plug your crap and people can check it out. Plus it's easy to just go find the subreddit. If somebody has to use the search bar, it's not happening. So soundcloud there, forget about people finding your stuff thru tags. You scroll down on those, doesn't work.
However, this place is really not supportive of undiscovered artists creating new music. The other day I did a search in r/music of only the "I made this" flair, sorted by top, during the past year. Half a dozen results down, the top was 50 points. Meanwhile, check the new tab on a saturday, you'll have a half dozen bands per hour plugging their stuff. A lot of it sucks but sometimes you'll find some interesting material.
You're wondering why music isn't better these days.. There's problems with no sites where people can discover new music. So artists don't even bother making anything new anymore. And then if you can browse, a lot of it is some kid whipping out boring crap in 5 minutes.
However, from the beginning, when I got my first computer 20 years ago.. I've always thought, all you need to do is make a tune where, when people hear it and go wow, they'd tell their buddies and it'd spread that way. So the problem is, my stuff isn't good enough yet. And that's why if you check my posting history, you won't see what it is. haha.
TL;DR But that's what the basis is, of why music isn't better these days. Two things, riff combinations are getting used up, and artists don't have ways to get their music out there. So they just go screw it and don't even bother creating it as much.