I think the main reason a lot of music currently is so shallow and even considered popular is because it's so overplayed. If you only give people a choice of one pile of junk over another...what will they pick? Think of it like a school lunch menu

where you'll find something to like just because you have to eat something.
Of course, there are the rare times something good comes along in the popular catagory. But even then, the good stuff gets overplayed to the point even it becomes annoying.
To me, it seems music is more becoming about who looks good on camera. As if radio needs a pretty face

but then you have album covers, tours, and the biggest part of getting big in the music biz: the music video. I think that is complete opposite of what it should be.
Not that all old music was great, but look at some of the artists from the age before music video. They weren't model material, but they had talent and could actually pick up a musical instrument and play it. I find it hard to call today's singers musicians at all.
Yeah, the voices of the current 'artists' aren't bad. But they don't sound any different to me than the person who got chosen to sing at your high school prom because they could hold a tune...but they really weren't anything special.
I don't listen to the radio much at all anymore. I just can't find anything worth it since most stations have a playlist consisting of 100 songs at most. That makes for a really crappy rotation. Thanks to amvs, I actually have a great way to find obscure but great musicians (not just singers or dancers

) other than word of mouth.
Living in a college town, there are two really good used music stores uptown that have a good variety and cheap. It was and still is a guessing game for the most part when I look for new sounds. I wish more people would try thinking for themselves when it came to music tastes.
I know everyone who listens to the radio chooses to do so, but they have no idea about the vast amount of talent just beyond the fringe of popular music. I never did find 'popular' to be another word for 'good'.
Perhaps if the music industry and giant label holders keep losing money to file swapping, they can learn a thing or two about music over sheer promotion and image.