> there's also a ton of absolute pap from that same decade

While this is no doubt true, the rate has plummeted from (say) 15% greatness to 0% greatness among commercial music. The business model has changed, with 360 contracts and producer-centric, sales-hyper-focused development. There's great music out there, but it's not being produced by the big labels any more, and that's something truly, and unfortunately, new.