assuming reasonable definitions of “new” and “old,” i’d wager there’s been more good old music than good new music for most of human history. it all comes down to numbers- there’s simply more old music than new music! there are factors that i do genuinely think make pop music not as good today as it could be (see: streaming companies), but that’s a rounding error compared to the sheer scale of music history, plus all the bedroom artists making up for anything lacking in today’s pop music.

that said, if you spend any time focused on a specific period or specific periods, it will not take long to find stinkers, if only because everyone has different taste and you’re bound to find something you just don’t jive with eventually. i’ve been in spaces where people who love classic rock for example review classic rock albums and their analyses are sometimes so brutal you wonder if there’s anything they DO like