Auto-tune is ruining music.

So I'm sure that all of you that listen to radio stations that play "R&B/Hip-Hop/Rap" have noticed the overwhelming glut of music featuring the 'auto-tune' effect (for the musically retarded, that's the computer-sounding effect on the vocals). Simpler variations hit the scene in the '80s in such hits as "Computer Love" and were reintroduced by Cher in the mid-to-late '90s, but are probably most popularized by the 'crunk' rap "artists" like Lil Jon and the Ying-Yang Twins during the early-to-mid '00s.

I used to make jokes in the studio to Scot about hooking up the auto-tune to my vocals so I could take less vocal takes. Read: jokes. Yeah, he made a comment then that I've modified and assimilated into my musical views:

Auto-tune is for completely talentless idiots. Anyone who jumps on the bandwagon is shamelessly exploiting the current fascination with what could be described as the music industry's Game Genie: an easy way to cheat your way into singing in correct pitch/tune, much as the Game Genie allowed early cartridge-run system video gamers to cheat their way into winning games they couldn't have otherwise, or were too lazy to work through the old-fashioned way.

Don't get me wrong, I have an NES Game Genie, and for a brief time had a Game Boy one as well when I was a pre-teen. I have used lots of cheat codes in my video game travels (as I play and have played much more than I care to admit). Some would compare Auto-tune to effects pedals that people use for their instruments. I'd agree with them, if the artists using them (and if it were conservatively) were actually playing instruments too. Panic at the Disco used it sparingly in "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks," and I'm not gonna dog on them because they're not artists solely relying on their vocals (and sometimes minimal instrumental talent) to make music, as almost the entirety of the artists in the aforementioned genres do.

It's getting much later than I want to be awake for, and I'd love to rant further on this topic, but I'm sure I've exhausted all my relevant piss and vinegar and don't wanna devolve into shit-talking. Thanks for listening, and let's boycott all Auto-tune music so this shit goes away.

K bye.