Has the Macy's Thanksgiving parade always been this bad?

[vi5]

Why does every single float have to have some horrid "up and coming singing sensation" being pushed by some major label. Every single float. I remember as a kid they mostly had washed up old crooners doing hokey versions of Christmas or holiday songs. But why now does my daughter who just wants to see the Sesame Street or Disney float have to sit through GirlZ Zone or 2B4U singing their latest pre-fab pop crap that has nothing to do with the parade or the holiday let alone the float that they are on? Do I just not remember this stuff from when I was a kid or is this just the inevitable result of the big corporatization of everything? I never thought I'd say I'd long to just see Mel Torme singing Jingle Bells.