Sales don't lie... check out Billboard's Hot 100.

They might be playing Guitar Hero to Aerosmith, or whatever, but they are buying hiphop and alternative. Look at the Top 20. Just how many artists there do you recognize the names of?

I don't know why everyone finds it so hard to put themselves in the mind of a 20 year old! Imagine the scenario that you are a kid in the sixties. Your parents HATE the Beatles. There's an keyboard out there that is an arranger, but it ONLY has bigband styles and ballroom. You go 'why isn't there an arranger with Beatles styles on it?' and they go:

Quote:
Originally posted by travlin'easy:
There are a huge number of radio stations in the Baltimore/Washington/Philadelphia/Richmond metro areas, most of which are competing for the same markets. Only a tiny fraction of them play what you refer to as modern music for the younger generation. Hip-Hop and Rap (read Beatles) are nearly non-existent, there's a fair amount of rock, and lots of country. My relatives on the west coast and down south tell me it's the same where they are. If this is the case, I suspect arranger keyboard manufacturers are merely echoing the current demands of the general public and main-stream music industry trends.


What would YOU say?

You're trying to tell me that in the Baltimore/Philly area, there's little hiphop and modern rap and R&B on the radio?! I guess if you immediately hit 'Next' on the dial, it might SEEM that way....

The thing that frustrates me is that Yamaha, Roland, Korg, they ALL have teams of beat programmers making VERY contemporary loops (just pretend they are styles!) and arps for their WS division. Why not put the same teams onto creating fresh beats and styles for arrangers AS WELL...

It's not as if the arranger divisions don't KNOW there's a market for these styles (call them loops!)... WS's outsell arrangers what, 100-1?
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An arranger is just a tool. What matters is what you build with it..!