I would disagree. I have a vast musical library spanning as far back as the 1200’s, if you count modern reproductions of music pieces. I think the problem is that it’s now too easy to make music, whereas before, it required a certain amount of talent to get signed and to be successful. These days, anyone who looks pretty can be a pop star, regardless of musical talent. There’s a formula for pop songs and how to launch them into fad-status, so I definitely have seen a major decline in what I consider to be music quality, over the past 10 years.
However, there is plenty of quality music still being produced. It may not make it into the mainstream, but it is there if you look for it. I think the greatest shame musically is that we reward the mediocre pretty people by awarding them contracts, and the people who shed blood, sweat, and tears for their craft are largely overlooked. This is why I rarely listen to the radio. One, there is an utter lack of musical diversity. You hear the same songs, the same artists, over and over. BORING. I’d much rather listen to my iPod, where I have everything from classical, to swing, to Celtic, to 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, up until today.