Beers, Buds, and Babes

Today I would like to take some time to talk about music. Due to a recent release of Asher Roth's single "I Love College," I have been led to ask myself what direction music is headed as an art form. If you haven't heard the song, I would suggest clicking on the following link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43pkqeamXe8.
In short, the song is all about what Roth holds to be the college culture. The song has a pretty mediocre and steady beat, and the lyrics are not all that complicated either. The entire song is pretty much about how much Roth appreciate drinking, smoking weed, and getting girls naked. Now I know you may be asking yourself, "Big Deal. What makes this song any different from all the other musicians who sing about this very same thing?" Well, the answer to that question is nothing really. The only difference with this song is that it's being sung by skinny white guy. Then it occurred to me that this is where we stand today in terms of musical talent, or lack there of. Every time I here the new popular single that comes out each week, once again preaching about the joys of drinking, smoking, and sex, I ask myself how these artists can get signed to a label while true musical geniuses go unnoticed.
More and more it is appearing as though the demand for the next musical pop star is no longer for someone who can master a musical instrument, or someone who can promote the best ideas and values of society and culture. No, the demand for the next musical superstar, rather, is for whoever can come up with the next beat and easy lyrics for people to dance and sing along to while they're getting drunk. It's rare, and has become unnatural, to hear anyone singing about politics, race, culture, or art on MTV. This troubles me as I believed music held a place in the arts as a means for people to express themselves and their beliefs and values through song in the hopes of making a connection to their listeners. Now one may argue that artists who sing or rap about sex, drugs, and booze are expressing themselves by establishing the things that they enjoy most. And to that I would have to say that I don't know who then to feel more sad for, the artist who holds these things to be most important to them, or the listeners who feel the strongest connection to these songs.
Today, it seems that not only has the content changed of the typical, popular song, but the meaning of music has also changed. The word "art" seems to now refer to something that used to entertain us. When people hear of music as being an art form, they think of classical music or instrumental music. The word "music" now refers to what is most popular today. Pop has taken over the music label, placing all other styles of music into a different genre. Smaller, less famous rock bands don't fit into the label of "music" either. Instead they are now placed into the category of "indie rock."
So again, I must ask, is this the direction we are headed in terms of music as an art form?