Our modern day musicians are constantly compared to the older generation. This is fine & flattering but then people will go as far to say "is ____ the new _____ ?" (I.E. is Lady GaGa the new Madonna)? As if these musicians are going to be boxed in as simply a replacement for another icon/legend rather than creating their own legacy.

Some artists borrow heavily from the past in their own images & music, which is a trend right now. This trend has produced great modern-day music, but is it to cash in on nostalgia?

Outside of music, people reference old values & entertainment, stating things were better in the past. Is this a healthy mindset?

I see no problem with it at all. Music isn't like other things in our society that's supposed to evolve. Music is music at the end of the day and if it's evoking a response form the public, it doesn't matter if it's a revolutionary sound or a familiar sound from the past.

And I don't think it's a cash-in on nostalgia as much as it is as an artist liking something from the past and introducing it to a different generation, which is perfectly fine. If that artist is doing it for the sake of trend hopping, that's another thing.

re: comparing new artists to old artists. That always happens. It's up to the artist to create a name for themselves and break off from those comparisons. If they constantly keep taking from that artist, it's only going to keep drawing more and more comparisons.

I guess the question is whether music IS supposed to evolve or not.