It's all based on the listeners perception and taste... I'd say older listeners would say popular music has been on steady decline since the early 80's, with big business slowly buying up labels and radio stations, and condensing them into huge corporate entities... Though, on the flip side technology has progressed enough that independent musicians, and song writers can work at home and gain a fan base at a fraction of the price that they would pay in the past... This has flooded the market with both good and bad music for listeners, some I think it's kind of a double-edged sword because a lot of these home artists mimic "big label" acts and steer clear of originality, in fear of not making any money... In the past money wasn't the biggest factor in making art and I think big business has skewed this...