Much of what is heard when turning on the radio will sound similar in one way or another. Whether it be artists repeating the same lyrics over and over again, or singers using a similar electronic dance sound. The variety of music in the world used to be something to appreciate. There was R&B, rap, electronic, among others, along with these genres came artists such as Beyonce, Keith Urban, and Drake.

In the past few years, many artists have begun to sound more and more similar to each other.

It’s safe to say that what is considered to be “good” is probably going to have an electronic sound. Halsey, All Time Low, and Imagine Dragons are some artists who have fallen victim to this.

Halsey used to have an indie pop style that did not sound like any other artist. This is not the case for her latest album, which uses cliche, repetitive lyrics and overall sounds like it could be a different person making music under her name.

Imagine Dragons, on the other hand, has changed, but not in a negative way. A few years ago, their music would have been considered rock. Today, they incorporate more of a pop sound to appeal to a larger audience.

Some might use the claim that everything in the entertainment industry has been a series of copying everyone else’s ideas. That claim would be true, but when multiple musicians start to do this, it starts to become stale and unoriginal for listeners.

If it’s wrong to copy what other artists are doing, why do these songs become so successful on the radio? This is another argument made when debating this topic.

There have been many points in time where music and pop culture changed and at first, people hated it. However, people grew to appreciate it for what it is. The current problem now is that people often don’t want to hear something new. Instead, they stick to a style of music they already know, and as a result, artists think they have to change their music to be successful.

Is this the end of having a variety of music to listen to, or will artists come to the realization that we have enough people making the generic pop, electronic sound? Hopefully listeners will help revive the diversity of sound that could once be heard.