Current Events > Why are there people who actively hate popular music?

(+) Yeah! (+)

As we all know, top 40 or top 100 songs are popular for a good reason. Yet, people say that them being popular means the decay of music, etc. And I sit here like "Well, what would YOU classify as good music?" Is it popular? No...well there's a reason for that.

For ex: #1 is God's Plan by Drake. Wow, such an amazing song of our time. So awesome.

I'm a rock fan, and #1 is Imagine Dragons. They blow me away.
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Gods plan is great
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They were picked on for their entire lives and now have grown to resent anything popular
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4

Kaname_Madoka posted...

Gods plan is great

I know!!!! Blasting it now!
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Some hate it just cause it's popular but it does all have an overall similar sound that some people just aren't into
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Performative nerdery
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I don't hate it, but there's rarely any new music that I care for.

...oh, no. I've become old, haven't I?

I don't try to hate or write off all popular music, but I find I can listen to and even love dumb, shallow pop music from the past like disco and 80's pop, but I can't get into anything more modern for the most part.
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Most of the top 40s sound the same, so if you don't like one you probably don't like the others
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Maybe it doesnt appeal to them. Theres a certain truth to appealing to the lowest common denominator with the least amount of effort. But I dont actively hate pop music, just some of it.
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Turbam posted...

Most of the top 40s sound the same, so if you don't like one you probably don't like the others

Not true. LOTS of different styles. The genre may be the same but a lot of artists have different sound and beats.
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EnragedSlith posted...

Maybe it doesnt appeal to them. Theres a certain truth to appealing to the lowest common denominator with the least amount of effort. But I dont actively hate pop music, just some of it.

Most of us are the lowest common denominator. We all fit there.
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Because its still cool to hate popular things. Same reason why everyone on here always votes for the least popular option when its anything relating to non gaming. Like the poll where 90% of this site was not going to watch the Superbowl. Like.. yeah alright.

Maybe that was a bad example but that's the one I'm going with right now.

Agnostic420 posted...

Because its still cool to hate popular things. Same reason why everyone on here always votes for the least popular option when its anything relating to non gaming. Like the poll where 90% of this site was not going to watch the Superbowl. Like.. yeah alright.

Maybe that was a bad example but that's the one I'm going with right now.

Seriously. I bet half the people who voted no DID watch the Super Bowl. I mean hello? It's consider a holiday at my work, we get the morning off.
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I LOVE music(it's a big part of my life), and I love all sorts of pop music! 90s, 00s, and the 10s including this current year!
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knuxnole posted...

Kaname_Madoka posted...

Gods plan is great

I know!!!! Blasting it now!

My only issue is the I only love my bed and my mama line is so goofy I chuckle internally every time I hear it
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people who actively despise popular music and are super vocal about it are usually just attempting to seem "smarter" and "more sophisticated" than the common person
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I only love my bed and my momma, I'm sorry
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A reason would be that they're tired of hearing it on the radio.

Just thought Id point out I have tickets to imagine dragons in Indianapolis in a few months, again.

:D

Agnostic420 posted...

Just thought Id point out I have tickets to imagine dragons in Indianapolis in a few months, again.

:D

O. M. G.

So jelly

Always wanted to go to a rock show. Have fun!
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Because most feel that they should like a song just because everyone else does.

It's the same with top or popular movies.

Most will watch or listen, regardless if it's crap or not.
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knuxnole posted...

EnragedSlith posted...

Maybe it doesnt appeal to them. Theres a certain truth to appealing to the lowest common denominator with the least amount of effort. But I dont actively hate pop music, just some of it.

Most of us are the lowest common denominator. We all fit there.

No, we dont. Most people on this board dont. The fact that were talking about music from a remotely intellectual standpoint puts us squarely above it.

This isnt commentary on people being stupid, its just reflective of the fact that you dont have to create a masterpiece to make money. Like, consider the Godfather. Amazing, intricate, changed cinema, undeniably a masterpiece that EVERYONE loved. But then youve got the Fast and Furious franchise making millions by following a formula. Nothing about it is remarkable, but plenty of people eat it up because they dont care enough to expect more than the cheap thrills it offers. So studios tend to push for high profits with the least amount of effort. Same for music.
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Thank you TC! I had never heard of this song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpVfcZ0ZcFM

The song may not be great (still good) but my oh my that video was very inspirational so again thank you!
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EnragedSlith posted...

knuxnole posted...

EnragedSlith posted...

Maybe it doesnt appeal to them. Theres a certain truth to appealing to the lowest common denominator with the least amount of effort. But I dont actively hate pop music, just some of it.

Most of us are the lowest common denominator. We all fit there.

No, we dont. Most people on this board dont. The fact that were talking about music from a remotely intellectual standpoint puts us squarely above it.

This isnt commentary on people being stupid, its just reflective of the fact that you dont have to create a masterpiece to make money. Like, consider the Godfather. Amazing, intricate, changed cinema, undeniably a masterpiece that EVERYONE loved. But then youve got the Fast and Furious franchise making millions by following a formula. Nothing about it is remarkable, but plenty of people eat it up because they dont care enough to expect more than the cheap thrills it offers. So studios tend to push for high profits with the least amount of effort. Same for music.

I love FandF, it is remarkable, great action movie

I think you and I are the LCD in the grand scheme of things. Im in the lower common denominator I just LOVE music.
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What's with posters dismissing opinions as insincere? Are they so arrogant and self absorbed that they can't imagine people not liking something they do.

Like people have said, pop music is very homogenized, more so in the last 20 years than ever before. If you don't like the sound, you don't like the sound. The vast majority of genres get no representation. Almost all great music gets no representation in the mainstream. Modern pop music lacks artistry and talent by design. Corporate outlets purposefully limit what they put on air, they take no chances while yes, targeting the lowest common denominator. And popularity has never been correlated to quality. There are exceptions to every rule of course.

Frankly modern pop music is valid garbage that does nothing pleasing to my ears.

Its popular for a reason. Most people like it or else it wouldnt be so widely like. Who cares if its controlled. I love all top 40 music. So much variety and something different for everyone. Like I can think of 10 different songs for 10 different occasions. And thats coming for me, someone who loves to say music is my life!

Most genres arent represented because a lot of them are not good or popular or entertaining.
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Also everything is generic. I can't think of any kind of music that wouldn't be

And a lot of non-popular music is NOT good. If it was, it would be popular. Or it also appeals to a small(<5% of the population), which doesn't matter in the long run.
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Popular music is popular because it's popular? Genres that aren't mainstream aren't so because they're bad?

knux, your lack of awareness is palpable.

Popular opinion does not necessarily mean good.
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scorpion41 posted...

Popular opinion does not necessarily mean good.

But it's popular though. Most people are content and happy with it. Like me, if it's not popular I would NEVER know about it.

The only way I know about things is via popular media. Otherwise I wouldn't know it exists.
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masterbarf posted...

Popular music is popular because it's popular? Genres that aren't mainstream aren't so because they're bad?

knux, your lack of awareness is palpable.

They just aren't popular, so they are less known and aren't as excited. No-one would know what they are. You can't play it in public cause no-one would know what it is. I sure wouldn't.
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Good is subjective and popular doesnt equal good. Theres nothing on the top 40 that interests me, in the us anyway.
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why don't you like unpopular music
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Conflict posted...

knuxnole posted...

I'm a rock fan, and #1 is Imagine Dragons. They blow me away.

lol

I can't believe people are entertaining this topic with serious responses after that

Imagine Dragons is amazing though! I would like to see them in concert. I always wanted to go to a rock show, they are A-MAZING! Love rock bands like them!
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BuckVanHammer posted...

Good is subjective and popular doesnt equal good. Theres nothing on the top 40 that interests me, in the us anyway.

Pretty much this. Top 40 is like junk food, easy to get and it pleases the majority of the masses that don't really care what they listen to.
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Conflict posted...

I can't believe people are entertaining this topic with serious responses after that

knux is clearly messing about, but other posters feel the need to dismiss opinons that differ from theirs as insincere, and that's a pet peeve of mine. Also music is my thing.

knuxnole posted...

what would YOU classify as good music?

I'm always down to post music. These are among my favorite records of all time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-xaCdo3JiQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_JHjUFfOs8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZvAkh4hsSY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTNfVf4TN_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7dGw6UYmnQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G1hRNLlYpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFTs7AbU2Ho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4AhdWGci3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW5wRHI28uo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5375I5LXt1I

Most pop music starts out as below average but two months later it's intolerable to listen to after being played absolutely everywhere.
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Music is my thing too! I consider it a big part of my life

Those are some interesting artists, how did you ever find out they exist?
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Well Karlheinz Stockhausen, Morton Subotnick, Bernard Parmegiani, and Franois Bayle are closely related to each other, in that they were innovators in early electronic, and modern classical music. Karlheinz Stockhausen is probably the biggest name of the bunch and is often sited as an influence of music I like. The sounds appealed to me so I explored a lot of the artists within the genre.

I play guitar, often in experimental ways using magnetic objects and electronics that electric guitar pick ups can pick up. One of my biggest influences is Fred Frith. Check out his record Guitar Solos. He's super prolific, and has worked with many great artists. He was part of a movement known as Rock in Opposition which included several really great bands dabbling in avant-garde jazz and rock. I listened to all of those bands including Etron Fou Leloublan. He also put out two great records on the Ralph Records label. This is The Residents' label. I eventually tried out all the bands on the label because their sound was just fun. Lots of great music came from out of Ralph.

Captain Beefheart I learned about from Rolling Stone Magazine of all places.

Nurse with Wound put out a list of influences with his first record called the Nurse with Wound List, a list I actually heard about on gamefaqs. I noticed tons of artists I was into were on the list so I checked out every artist on the list.

I came across Zoviet France the way I come across most records and artists I like-using related artists functions many websites offer. The more artists I find and like, the more branches there are to explore.

My interest in "unusual" music, though as far as I'm concerned it's as normal as the sun and moon, probably started when I was very young. I always liked the music my parents played, and The Mothers of Invention were one of their most played artists. Though they played more conventional stuff too. It's hard to say why one side eventually appealed to me more than the other.