Writer's Block: Too mainstream

[tabular_rasa]

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I wish I could say this is a stupid question, but I know so many people who do this and it's the most pretentious thing ever.

My response to the belief that mainstream = terrible is: Sometimes there is a reason many people like something. I mean, why do you think chocolate is popular? BECAUSE IT'S GOOD.

And in this case, at first you even admitted it!

The only time I sympathize with this sort of opinion-changing is in the situation where you liked a band, they got popular, and changed their sound-- and you don't like the new sound and stop listening to their albums. However, even then I don't understand why you would need to remove all their old music from your ipod and pretend like you never even liked them in the first place, like many people tend to do. If you liked it, you liked it. The music itself didn't change, only you. (In the form of you turning into an arrogant asshole).

Why can't you just be proud you recognized a good band before everyone else did? And, especially considering you once liked them, why would begrudge them their success? Are bands supposed to self-sabotage, purposely keep themselves living on the fringes with no security to their income? Is that really the only way to produce "real" music? It seems selfish and even sadistic for you, the fan, to ask that of them when it's not your life.

Comments

[eqfe.livejournal.com]

This!

[jenny_evergreen]

Once again, you took the words right out of my mouth! :)

[hipchicken.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of this stems from a punk/fringe aesthetic, though there will always be people who are elitist about this sort of thing. Mainstream tends to borrow from fringe groups when they get popular enough, which makes sense in our capitalist system. There is a tendency toward overexposure once this happens, but while that can be annoying, at least a wider audience is exposed to the music. I know so many people who shout, "Sellouts!" at the top of their lungs the second a band gets signed to a major label, and it's pretty silly to me. Bands have to make money too, you know? They can't all be starving artists, and really, if any of us had that chance, we'd most likely take it too. It becomes more about being better than others than anything else, really. Like you said, I understand disliking when a band changes their sound when they go mainstream, but that doesn't mean you have to automatically hate everything else. If your tastes change, that's fine. Just don't make it out to be like everyone else is dumb for continuing to like what you used to like.

[lorraine24.livejournal.com]

I was browsing through Writer's Block and had to reply to this!

This is exactly what I've been arguing with several friends of mine for years! I've always despised the term "sellout"!
It seems to be at it's worse in the metal, alternative, and punk generes. I'll never understand it!