Was music better before?

You've probably heard this refrain before. Whether it comes from a self-proclaimed musicologist, an established musician or an avuncular nostalgic, the poor sound quality of today's popular music is often singled out for criticism. With good reason?

In order to provide some answers to this thorny question, it's worth recalling the at least partially subjective nature of popular music - which, incidentally, is true of all art forms. What's more, it has always been both common and convenient to criticize the popular music of an era with nostalgia for the times that preceded it as the sole hobbyhorse. However, it would seem that this type of discourse has recently gained in popularity and taken on unprecedented proportions. Without claiming to be able to definitively settle the question, certain objective elements are nonetheless available to us.