Middle man... you have a point on the age issue.... and yeah I tend to agree,  if you're much over 23 no matter what sex you are, or how talented..... your chances for success fall off exponentially from that point forward IF..... you are trying to be an artist on the stage selling records and merchandise.


However, there are no age limits or beauty requirements for  songwriters. Simply put, if you can deliver  the goods.... hit songs, it doesn't matter how old or ugly you are.

Should "modern" be defined as music that sells records and merchandise and songwriters that write to people that sell records and merchandise, you both have points...but I don't believe that is what defines "modern music".

I've come to my on conclusion since one hasn't been offered, that I've read and agreed with, about defining "modern music". 
I think it depends on the experience and taste of the one listening. Each person can have different views on which musicians and what styles they consider modern, because  critiqueing art is an opinion. 

So I believe the OP's music will not sound modern until he decides it does.

  Modern music? I think many times people call it modern
if the "sound quality" is very good. Todays advancements
allow even a home recording to be done in a pro manner.
However it takes skill and talent to do so. So even with
the tools one many never accomplish that.
 
  Pro and modern may be interchangeable words. Songs
and or mixes may sound or be called dated simply because
they are only so so in quality. Performance has much to
do with a song having a dated sound or not.

   Good is good, great is great, average is average. A
persons perception of a mix or song is just that. If
one person calls a song or mix dated is it? Maybe, but
it depends on how good and knowledgeable, talented
and skilled that person is and also if they are biased
or not.

  Everyone is not qualified to be a judge. It takes
knowledge to be a judge. And even judges have
views which may influence a decision.  Then there
is the "compared to what" subject. Is a song
or mix dated or modern? Compared to what?.

  And back to the performance subject. Is the
performance good, bad or O.K? One may view
a bad performance as a dated sound or a great
performance with an awful recording as dated.

  Yet at the same time take a simple performance
and do a bang up high quality recording/mix and
be called modern.

  It's easier so say a song/mix is bad, O.K, good or
great with more validity
 

spacey


I've come to my on conclusion since one hasn't been offered, that I've read and agreed with, about defining "modern music". 
I think it depends on the experience and taste of the one listening. Each person can have different views on which musicians and what styles they consider modern, because  critiqueing art is an opinion. 

So I believe the OP's music will not sound modern until he decides it does.

 
I think you're right - it definately depends a lot on the experience and taste of the listener - if they perceive it to be modern,then thats what is - or at least in theirs eyes..um ears ?!!
I've thought about it a bit tonight and have come to the conclusion that there really is no modern sound in terms of actual 'music' being played,or at least not the stuff we get on MTV,charts,radio,TV etc.
I listened to some dance tonight and the progression was like this E minor,G,C,and B7. The melody was really pretty simple - mainly diatonic,apart from when the progression went to the B7,and the singer used a D sharp to lead back to the E.
I thought man,take away the kick,the snare,and the synths,and this song could of been written 400 years ago !!! I like the song,and I'm not knocking it cos it's simple,but modern as in not old LOL ?? Nah,I don't think so. That takes us back to the question of wheter it's the production that makes it modern or not I guess...cos the harmonic frameworks are for sure the same as what they always were.
The problem from a production point of view of what is modern is that it changes so quickly !! How about the 80s drums and vocals with the big reverbs on them for instance ? These production values have almost completely gone the other way now (Less is more). Modern production seems to be in state of flux. What's big today,could be nothing tommorow. I think theres massive potential in music production and I hope I don't come across as some smart arse putting the world to rights lol,its just my opinion at the end of the day. But modern music - hmm the more I think on it,the more it seems like a marketing tool.Eg it's the latest - got be up on these things or you're no longer cool kind of thing. Maybe thats a bit cynical sure,but I do know plug in manufacturers,VSTs etc use this kind of strategy,so it's a fair point to make.
Yeah I definately feel the modern sound is in the medium (the recording).You could go from there and argue that anything from 1900 (or when ever the first record was made !)is modern huh !! Ha,like you said its all about the listener perceives it at the end of the day...but thats my take on it
Kev
 

from wiki:

"Modern: In contrast to the pre-modern era, Western civilization made a gradual transition from premodernity to modernity when scientific methods were developed which led many to believe that the use of science would lead to all knowledge, thus throwing back the shroud of myth under which pre-moderns lived. Truth was available to be discovered by empirical observation, and that the world's problems could be solved by applying the appropriate methods and apparatus to the issues.
The term "modern" was coined shortly before 1585 to describe the beginning of a new era.[2] The European Renaissance (about 1420–1630) is an important transition period beginning between the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times, which started in Italy.
The term "Early Modern" was introduced in the English language in the 1930s.[5] to distinguish the time between what we call Middle Ages and time of the late Enlightenment (1800) (when the meaning of the term Modern Ages was developing its contemporary form). It is important to note that these terms stem from European History; in usage in other parts of the world, such as in China, India, and Islam, the terms are applied in a very different way, but often in the context with their contact with European culture in the Age of Discoveries.[6]

[edit] Postmodern and contemporary

"Postmodernism", coined 1949, on the other hand, would describe rather a movement in art than a period of history, and is usually applied to arts, but not to any events of the very recent history.[7] This changed, when postmodernity was coined to describe the major changes in the 1950s and 1960s in economy, society, culture, and philosophy. Sometimes distinct from the modern periods themselves, the terms "modernity" and "modernism" refer to a new way of thinking, distinct from medieval thinking. "Contemporary" is applied to more recent events because it means "belonging to the same period" and "current"."

I've only got a short window of time to post, because my wife wants to upload videos and photos for family :-)

I agree with a lot that's been said.

I don't think the term 'modern' is appropriate because modern and old influences can be used in a 'contemporary' format.  If you break down a contemporary song down to the piano for example it be like something from the 50's.

Another example; look back at the birth of Midi, the digital age opened up a can of worms, unfortunately in the earlier days of digital sounds and processors it sounded 'thin' but it did influence the 80's sound and style.  Eventually over time up to current... digital sounds and processors have improved, fatter, richer sounds with greater detail.

Mike_McCue,  thanks for your constructive and honest critique, what you said makes a lot of sense.  You gave me ideas, such as incorporating brief change (bridge for example) within a song arrangement, a bit of nostalgia (old style 60's to 80's) could work really well within a contemporary style such as electronica hip hop, progressive house.

This topic has turned out a lot more interesting than I expected! Again, thanks everyone for all your excellent posts! Greatly appreciated!  :-)

So does anyone of any forums with a younger listening audience where we can post stuff to get a better gauge?

I think we all just need to be aware of a few things when creating music with regard to preventing it from being stylized for lack of a better word.

1. Effects will date your music. For example, gated massive room drums are 1980s sounding. However you can gate toms today just to get the resonance out of the mix. Same technique but adding too much verb is the defining issue.

2. Bad reverb is bad for everyone.

3. Robotic Autotune will eventually make the music today sound old.

4. Poorly tracked or computer generated sounds rarely keep a listeners interest. It immediately detracts the ear from the song.

At the same time there seems to be some long term trends in place that while indicative of today's music will probably be with us for some while to come. The SSL buss compression sound; it's snappy, its pumped but we like it on everything. CLA and his brother have made quite the living on that sound. Although, I saw recently he is now mixing on a Sony desk but with either an SSL or C2 compressor at the end. That's a definite Sonic Stamp.

In the country genre, the CL1B is the vocal compressor of choice and its on everybody's vocal in Nashville. Big, breathy and clean. This too is a standardized Sonic Stamp.

There are others like the Mastering Chains that many people use.

The point being, that the sonics of the instruments or the voice can lower your inspired song to amateurish status. Most listeners will never get past this and hear the song. In my experience few of the people that make the decisions on what will be signed/sold/presented, have the imagination to hear a good song masked in amateur sound or production. Your safest bet is to take your prized inspirations to a studio you trust and focus on production. Better chance that way. But if you must go the DIY route, then focus on what is in the market place versus what was.

munmun


So does anyone of any forums with a younger listening audience where we can post stuff to get a better gauge?

+1