How Soulja Boy Ruined My Generation

               What happened to the radio? It used to be the instrument that highlighted the best artists' music. Artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, and James Brown wouldn't have had the stellar careers that they've have without getting their music out to the mainstream masses. Times have clearly changed with major record labels that are only signing safe (artists who sound similar to previous acts) artists and are afraid to put money behind anybody who is different. The major record labels dictate what is played on the radio, mostly consisting of party or club music (do we really need to be dancing in the car at seven in the morning), then the same 10-15 songs are replayed every hour with no room for anything new. With Madonna clones like Lady Gaga and every new R&B artist trying to emulate Michael Jackson, how are we supposed to get any original content from played in the mainstream? The answer is simple, we can't. If you want to hear anything innovative, you're gonna have to look elsewhere.
               However, artists nowadays have more outlets to present their material than previous generations. The internet is the best way for upcoming artists to get out their music is to put it on the internet with the goals of reaching their focused audience. While the financial gains may be smaller for these artists, at least they get 100% of the profit, as opposed to signed artists who get about 10% of money from album sales and shows.
               The lack of innovation and originality in music isn't neccessarily the fault of mainstream artists. They are simply following the blueprint that has been laid out by the labels that they are signed to. Some of them are afraid to try anything different because it might negatively affect their record sales, which could lead to them being dropped from the label. Things like this keep the music industry stuck in the mud and very few seem willing to go against the status quo. The system is clearly broken, but I don't expect it to be fixed anytime soon, so if you want to hear something different, you're gonna have to turn off the radio and find another route. With my cynical views in this post, hopefully, I'm conveying how frustrated with the system.

Albums to sway you: Radio Free Edition
These are two of the best albums I've heard this year. You can download them for free by clicking on the links below. These albums are being given away for free by the artists, they are not stolen from the internet. These are from the artists' official websites, not some random website, so give them a listen.
The Kid Daytona- The Interlude
Stalley- Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music)