2009: What's In and What's Out

Wicked Local: Newburyport, MA has posted thier annual guide to 'What's In and What's Out.'

Their section on Music is pretty spot-on.

"In music, it’s hard to say who’s in, but we can tell you what’s out: discovering new music on the radio. This is because after spending millions to analyze why the industry is failing, radio executives have decided the best bet is to keep playing the same 25 songs over and over again, until the audience dies. (This is not true of satellite radio, which would be great, if it were free.)

Instead, people are discovering music on blogs, and then going out and buying those artists’ CDs or downloads. So the Recording Industry Association of America is, of course, trying to wipe them off the face of the earth. The last thing they want is people actually discovering their artists, which would throw off the delicate balance of the industry, which involves selling as many Coldplay albums as humanly possible. Coldplay is in.

Britney is back in, because we are nothing if not forgiving, and we have a soft spot in our hearts for unstable wackjobs. Which reminds us, Amy Winehouse is in.

Madonna is in on the charts with her bestselling Hard Candy LP, but out in the court of public opinion thanks to her dalliance with A-Rod, everyone’s least favorite Yankee (and that’s saying something). We’re all still awaiting the day when Madonna starts to perform in a nice, tasteful pantsuit.

Meanwhile, Beyonce is in as a singer, an actress, and the latest celebrity to pretend to change her name. (In case you haven’t heard, she is … Sasha Fierce! And we are … slightly embarrassed.)

Indie rock is in, with the likes of Spoon, the Hold Steady, Death Cab for Cutie, Conor Oberst and TV On The Radio making a bigger splash than ever. Good thing people had blogs to hear them on.

After working on their new album for 15 years, Guns N’ Roses are back in. So what if Chinese Democracy doesn’t sound as good as all the ’90s albums they recorded in two weeks while drunk? Meanwhile, Slash and any other original members of the band are out, since Axl’s the only one left. Where have you gone, Izzy Stradlin?

Every year we wait for Bruce Springsteen to go out, but it never happens. In the next few months alone you can expect a new album, a new tour, a Super Bowl appearance, a likely stop at the inauguration and possibly an Oscar. But don’t worry, Bon Jovi is still out. (Kidding! He actually had the top grossing tour. OK, he’s still out.)"