In the apst century, technology pushed music forward but not just in the way people generally think (=synthesizers, electric guitars etc.) but also other things like the change from 78 rpms to vinyl and stuff like multi-tracking, radio and records spreading music from all around the globe in manners that were impossible earlier etc.

Technology obviously still impact music but I feel that nowadays, the impact has less to do with sonic novelty and more to do with new distribution-methods of media, sites lke youtube and spotify, various recording technology (think protools or cubase or fucking fruity loops or whatever). That has in turn led to things like famous *and* obscure old music from the past being easier available than ever before which has led to more post-modernism, the relative death of the album format etc.

All those things are very important of course but they don't really have to much to do with new *sounds*. Sure, you had something like the auto-tune craze which feels very distinct to the '00s but it wasn't really too different from stuff like vocoders or talk-boxes, just a minor variation...

Also, the fact that the computer, at least in theory, has become a bigger folk-instrument than the acoustic guitar ever really was (seriously, at least in the western world, almost every household has a computer; NOTHING is stopping anyone from using it to make music) aslo means that I suspect the computer will be just as likely to be a vehicle for "innovative" styles as the acoustic has been for a long time (=not very likely at all); the time when only cutting-edge acts like Stevie Wonder or Kraftwerk had access to the latest technology are long gone.

Basically, the idea that computer-based music will lead to music where "everything is possible and can be done" like some believe, I don't buy at all, if anything, the sheer convenience on basing music on presets and patterns and stuff will win out, convenience always does...

Also, it's worth pointing out that prior to the new technology in the 20th century, musical phases often lasted for decades, at times even centuries (see some forms of folk-music); technology speeded up the evolution in the apst century quite rapidly but it would be naive, even retro-futuristic, to believe that the rapid change will continue; I think it could be safely argued that evolution in the last decade or so has slowed down quite notably.

Sure, new trends and fads come and go but how novel/radical do they really sound? Often, they are retro or post-modern. Maybe dubstep was "new" but it still gives me a 90's vibe; same with a lot of the Hip-Hop styles in the apst decade that seemed to draw more from overlooked/forgotten shit from the past like Miami-bass or 80's electro than sounding truly new.

And the new trends and fads don't really change the sound of popular music as a *whole* like they used to do more-or-less, no, everything co-exists more-or-less, it's just the popularity that differs really...