Hatin on the mainsteam
 

I been here for about a week now and ive noticed that alot of people been hatin on mainsteam music. I was wondering, what is it that yall got against mainsteam music? Me personally, i dont care if a songs on the radio i mean good tunes is good tunes. I like underground music, above ground music, any way i can get it really.

i dont think people on here "hate" on mainstream stuff in general. i don't, but there is definitely some crap out there.

^This.

I don't hate mainstream music I hate shit music. It just happens that a lot of it is mainstream.

nah, i think people on here do hate mainstream stuff in general. but like urban says, that's not merely BECAUSE of it being mainstream. it's because most mainstream stuff is:

- generic,
- formulaic,
- superfluous,
- overproduced/plastic
- and dead boring

Or at least it is in the perception of virtually anybody who listens to a wide variety of music outside of the mainstream.

One can call it elitist or whatever they like, but the fact stands that people who listen to niche varieties of music will almost invariably have some sort of distaste for the mainstream.

nail on the head.

I have definitely noticed this sentiment as well.

I guess I must be easy to please, because I love mainstream music. Not all mainstream music of course, but I think generalizations are bad in any form.

I don't think being non-mainstream automatically makes music better than the popular stuff. I've been listening to a lot of non-mainstream music lately, and honestly I don't find a lot of it any "better" or "worse" than what's on the radio.

It all depends on what you want from music?

Do you want something that will stick instantly, and you're not all that bothered about listening to music constantly, do you just want to have something you can play every now and then, on your way to work or when you work out? if so pop/mainstream is probably your cup of tea.

But for those who want to work with the music, to let it grow and "get into" certain bands or albums you have to go deep underground, most people don't want to be challenged by the music, which is why pop is so popular.

Basically neither opinion is right or wrong, it's all about preference. And sure here we all talk a big game but I'm sure most of us aren't so stupid.

Also, I think all of those things are a product of the fact that, in order to be hugely popular, music kind of has to appeal to the lowest common denominator. I also think this equation plays a large role in why mainstream music in the UK is so much better than mainstream music in the US. The US has a larger and more diverse population and so to appeal to as many people as possible in that population the lowest common denominator has to be much lower than that of the UK. Our at least that's why I think US pop music sucks so much. :p:

While I understand the distaste for the mainstream, I think a lot of people just make a habit out of hating anything that's mainstream.

Sometimes, "mainstream" is used to describe anything that is even remotely accessible, and I especially hate it when the term is used that way, and for whatever reason, people will look at any kind of music that's catchy AND well produced as an automatically bad thing, because of the whole anti-mainstream obsession. I especially see this kind of behavior among the (yeah I know, inevitable negative feedback is on it's way) hipster types. The kind of guys who rant about how band x sold out because over time they actually evolved into competent musicians. See: Nirvana, Pavement.

My taste is pretty dead center. I like my share of obscurities, mainly that old prog that probably only your dad has ever heard of. But overall I dig a lot of mainstream music, which is already pretty obvious by now.

I only care about the music. With some exceptions, I never take a personal interest in the musicians themselves, because I always expect them to be douchebags, that's just how it is, the best musicians are douchebags. I'm not gonna be bothered by the fact the people behind the music are motivated mainly if not only by the money, or the fact that the music is a mass produced product that's hyped to death by just about everyone. I don't care about any of that, just as long as it's a good product, and yes, music is a product, let's not kid ourselves. In the end, good music is good music and bad music is bad music, that is all.

I couldn't have put it better myself :)

^^^ been listening to the Killers instead of Nickelback

because getting stuck it all the crannies and nooks created by the stems of the root of the river is alot more fun than just going to the sea!

I lol'd

What 'Non-mainstream' music exactly? That term covers ALOT of music.

Music that you don't hear about on the radio or MTV.

i listen to lots of local bands, i'd call that non 'mainstream'. but i mean, i have no problem with mainstream bands, as long as they don't sell out. aka, forget about what music they're making, as long as they're making money. THAT bugs the hell out of me, and is the reason I have gone right off the Lostprophets.

Well the person i quopted ckearly hasn't been listening to all the music that isn't on MTV or the radio, have they?

You know what **** you, you have no idea what your talking about.

I just shut him up , don't start him off again.

People don't seek out music they don't like. So obviously the stuff people dislike is usually the mainstream stuff, how else would they be exposed to it...?

Mainstream is hit and miss. While you do have unispired generic bands like Nickelback and Fall out boy, there are also creative and enjoyable bands like Muse.

You know, that's a really good point. I never looked at it that way, but that makes a lot of sense.

I like all kinds of mainstream and non-mainstream music I appreciate the so -called elitists on this board because I have found so much new music because of them...I don't listen to the radio(except talk radio) and I rarely watch MTV and I don't read Rolling Stone that much...If it wasn't for this board I would have not found so much music in the last month since I joined. Yeah some people seem to hate all mainstream stuff but they will also open your eyes to some awesome stuff that you may never hear about on the radio, on MTV, or in Rolling Stone...I don't have to agree with their dislike of mainstream but I have gotten into a lot of new stuff...thanks to the so-called elitists.

Truth. Although I don't think X or Pavement sold out, I still have a distaste for their later works, where their cleaner sound happened to coincide with weaker songwriting.

What are you on about you ****ing wanker, i merely responded to your post in a normal way, whats your ****ing problem you vile ****.

Oh **** off you little bitch, who the **** do you hink you are? Does it make you feel like the big man being a mob on this ****ty little forum? I've seen the way you conduct yourslef on here, you must think your some sort of musical guru, but your just another high fidelity style, list-making, muso ****.

You've said your piece back on topic now...

Done yet?

I don't think it is neccessarily a case of not liking the mainstream but the usual point of forums such as this to discuss and share those artists that are not being discussed in the mainstream for what ever reason.

Radio stations in the main play to a strict routine (unless it's a specialist show) and music stations will play popular music that is endorsed by the major labels. Hence most of us don't want to talk about them because we can see and hear them daily.

To some this may come across as anti mainstream but it's just the fact that those sort of artists are so well known. Conversely we have many topics on many mainstream bands and frequently discuss them.

I personally listen to the music and make a decision soley on that, so some music I listen to is mainstream and some is not.

Definitely. For me, a huge component of talking to people about music is hearing about stuff that's new to me. I have nothing against, say, Tom Petty—in fact I like a lot of his music and own a couple of his albums—but how much more is there really to say about him? Not saying it's impossible to have an interesting conversation about the guy but he's such a known quantity that it's pretty hard for anyone to bring anything interesting about him to the table.

Also, popular music is a very, very small percentage of the total amount of music in the world. So for people like most of the posters on a board like this who spend a lot of time listening to all kinds of different stuff, it's pretty much inevitable that they'll wind up liking a lot of non-mainstream music.

I think what most people are hating on is music that is designed as a product, not written as art. All music like this is, by default, mainstream as small indie bands don't make products, they make music.

Enjoyable like a root canal, think an anorexic Thom Yorke with lame guitar riffs and even more annoying vocals.

I will say that I would like more mainstream discussion here that is not fanboyish or as obtuse as saying "it sucks"

One point that I didn't see made yet is simply one of exposure. I'm not convinced that mainstream music is better or worse than non-mainstream music. I like a good deal of both. But mainstream music is sure played a lot more on the common distribution channels (TV, radio, movies), so one often gets exposed to that pool of music much more, to the point that many would deem overexposure.

If I heard Vampire Weekend, Tough Alliance or Panda Bear in every advertisement, on most department store/mall speakers and in the soundtrack of lots of movies, I'd probably look for alternatives.

Huuuhhhggggg hmmm.

I don't see that as exactly the same point. I interpreted your comment as "people never even hear non-mainstream stuff they don't like, so how can they dislike it?"

My point was that people are often bombarded by mainstream music, and the overexposure can turn people off it, regardless of its relative merit.

Your point makes some sense, but I don't entirely agree with it. I've often listened to non-mainstream stuff that I had no idea if I'd like, and found I didn't like it.

We are on the same page...I said "most people" and "Usually don't" and I stand by that. People hear are more the exceptions, not the rule.

Mainstream music:

This **** is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
GRAB HIS **** ITS YOURS, BITCH!
SOULJA BOY LET IT OHHH!! SUPERMAN DAT HOOO!!!
IF I WAS A BOY [insert derogatory comment towards those with a Y chromosome here, but its ok because you're a 'diva' and you 'represent yo sistaz']

What he said