That is the first thing that comes to my mind when I listen to the radio or watch TV. I am not saying that there isn’t any good music these days but it doesn’t get as much attention as it did some time ago, like when I was in high school for example.

I grew up watching MTV Europe. That started to broadcast in Romania after Viva and MCM and before VH1. So I think I was about 10 when I started watching European Top 20 and Hit List UK, MTV Select or Dial 3 from 1. I can still remember the VJs and they were cool compared to today’s VJs. They were the ones who made me think that I want to be a VJ when I grow up and I can still remember their names. Let’s see: Enrico, Carolyn Lilipaly, Davida, Hugo de Campos, Ray. They were people talking to you not just looking pretty. Then things changed, more exactly MTV Europe was replaced with MTV Romania and I started focusing on VH1 which was great for a while and in a way it still is. Back then the documentaries on MTV were about music, fashion, movies, parties and festivals but also about starving children in Africa, the spread of terrible diseases and drug abuse. They were asking musicians to state their opinion on a certain subject. The MTV European Music Awards were a must watch every year, you knew that you are going to see the best of the best. Back then the best were on TV. Now, I have no idea where they hide because main stream music is, in my opinion, not the best that the industry can offer.

Somewhere between 1999-2003 the quality of music that reached me through MTV, VH1 and other music channels was quite something. After electro pop , grunge and the rise of boys and girls bands, mainstream started to belong to pop rock, to a generation of musicians that wasn’t afraid to let out the fury, the frustration, the fear, to communicate feelings and to send messages. Most music was from the USA. Could have this been related to the recession that was slowly approaching? What happened after September 11? Why was such good music getting so much air on music channels? I am pretty sure that now there are still good bands and artists out there singing, I can find them if I tune in to specific music channels but why aren’t they promoted on the worldwide channels which are watched daily by millions of young people? If I turned on my TV in 2001, in one hour I could see Puddle of Mud, POD, Linkin Park, Bon Jovi, HIM, Muse or Placebo. Nights were dedicated to heavier music and documentaries related to music. Does anyone remember VH1 Behind the Music? Now if I turn on my TV I see bikinis, breasts, shiny legs, long heals, bling and documentaries are replaced with Jersey Shore. The only thing I’ve seen that can actually send a message to young people watching is Teen Mom. Am I watching the wrong channels or is it my turn to say that music nowadays is not real music, not what it used to be, just as my mom and dad used to tell me when I was making all neighbors listen to HIM and K’s Choice. People, when watching TV, where do I have to go to listen to some good stuff? Back in my days a music channel with European audience used to play music that made you think. Now if I watch TV I find myself singing a popish song because it gets stuck in my head as if I were brainwashed. And it makes me dance and sing lyrics that have no meaning, logic or send absolutely no other message than ,shake your booty, get high and make money. On mainstream TV… that kids watch like I used to watch MTV when I was 10.