Is it me or does sound quality matter anymore?

I am just sitting here thinking and I felt inspired to blog. Is it me or does sound quality really matter anymore? The reason that I ask is because, a lot of artists now days record their own music and even attempt to mix & master it by using presets or just random settings. Sometimes it results in a radio hit but it sounds like trash sonically compared to the clean, hot and banging tracks of the 90's and early 2000's before the digital revolution. Now I don't want to sound like the guy who is holding on to the past because I am not, I embrace the now as well as the future. But, somewhere between the now and the past, quality seems to have been replaced by the radio hit and the radio hit has given a lot of artists the belief that a radio hit equates to quality. Well it doesn't.... That is why you have artists that are one hit wonders more than ever..Where are The Shop Boyz, DFL of Laffy Taffy fame, even Souljah boy has seemed to have fallen off the cliff. This goes doubly for Christian rappers because you represent God and you are mandated to put out your best but often the music is distorted, thin and just plain bad. Don't use free 99 as an excuse (because you do everything yourself), you can have the best song in the world and with a bad mix & master, you deprive the song of it's potential.


Quality makes you stand out from the crowd and gives you a better chance of sustaining a career for years not just months. Look at Jay-Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Jeezy, T.I., Bun-B and Christian rappers like Lecrae, Da Truth and the like. They produce quality from the lyrics, to the beat, to the recording, down to the mixing and mastering.

Let's get back to quality this year and put out good music that will stand the test of time. That is where you will reach your audience and realize your goals!