Has Music Got Worse — Or Are We Just Older?

Rick Beato compared the 1984 Grammy Song of the Year nominees to 2026.

On paper, 1984 looks insane:
Michael Jackson.
Sting.
Lionel Richie.
Michael Sembello.

Today’s nominees:
Lady Gaga.
Bad Bunny.
Bruno Mars.
Kendrick Lamar.

So… did music get worse?

Or did we just age?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

We don’t fall in love with “the best music.”
We fall in love with the music that hit us when we were young.

I’m pretty sure 60-year-olds in 1984 complained about MJ and Sting too.

Fragmentation changed everything

In 1984:

one mainstream
shared culture
fewer lanes

In 2026:

thousands of niches
fragmented audiences
personalized feeds

There is no single “best music” anymore.

So what’s the answer?

Music isn’t worse.

It’s different.
And we’re different too.

That’s not decline.
That’s context.

Transcript

I saw an interesting video by Rick Beato where he compared the 1984 Grammy Song of the Year nominees to 2026.
And honestly, 1984 looks insane on paper.

But here’s the real question:
Is music worse… or are we just older?

1984: Michael Jackson, Sting, Lionel Richie, Michael Sembello.
Today’s nominees include: Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar.

If you’re 60 today and you don’t connect with the 2026 nominees, that’s normal.
I’m pretty sure 60-year-olds in 1984 said the same thing about MJ and Sting.

We don’t fall in love with “the best music.”
We fall in love with the music that hit us when we were young.

In 1984, we shared the same mainstream.
In 2026, music is split into a thousand lanes.

So is music worse… or just different?
Comment: WORSE or DIFFERENT.

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