Hi, i'm a gamer, and I like mainstream music.

[Noamuth]

.. Okay, you like mainstream music. Good for you, wave that little flag.

Yes, people can be judgmental about other people's music tastes, because a lot of the time, it reflects a bit about the person themselves. It's a way of learning about other people, even if some do take it too seriously. People can be assholes when it comes to pop/rap/R&B, but a lot of people get bitchy about music they don't like.

So you can get off the soapbox now. Just ignore the dumbasses who rant and rave about how scary and crap pop music is. You like it? You're happy listening to the Top 40 on the radio? Awesome, go nuts about it.

We all listen to what we want and like what we want. Some like to look deeper, some just like what is catchy and available. No problems either way. Feel free to defend your tastes, just don't get too uppity. Or you become one of them.

Also, on the subject of Lady GaGa.. Yeah. She weirds me out, and her music can be downright frightful, but I must admit, 'Bad Romance' is catchy as hell. Even if I wouldn't listen to it by choice, when it comes on the radio at work, at least it is something a little different.

 

[Cheery Lunatic]

I loathe pop music. All your post says to me is that you're a casual music listener and not serious about your music like I am.

And that's ok too.

Wow, talk about an elitist douche.

I listen to all types of music AND I like pop music too. Does that mean I'm "not serious" because I like pop?

I have a friend who's obsessed with Mariah Carey, owns all her albums, memorized the lyrics of about 50 of her songs, and knows her entire career history. He's familiar with nearly any other song you tell him, whether it's mainstream or not, but he prefers pop. Does that make him a "casual music listener"?

 

[hittite]

I'll listen to just about anything once. That being said, I don't listen to a lot of popular music. I'm not sure why, I just don't. Maybe it's the culture that hovers around anything popular like hornets at a lemonade stand. Anyway, this thread isn't about me. You go ahead and listen to whatever you like. I'm in no position to judge.

 

[Del-Toro]

Seems like alot of text to register such a simple complaint. Truth is that people like to feel smarter than the lowest common denominator. Since mainstream music is the "lowest common denominator" of music, it's easy to just assume that people who like it share that trait. These are the same people who look at those who like games like Wolfenstein, Halo and Call of Duty, and after making a set of excuses as for why they won't play them assume, or just as often insist, that those who do enjoy them must be idiot sheeple because the game didn't revolutionize like Half-Life or whatever so they must be simply taking refuge in the familiar the fools. It's the same everywhere, it's the same in TV, anime, film, and literature, and it's the internet. Those types flourish here, and if they don't legitimately fall into what I've described, they are probably trolls.

Besides, music doesn't need to be all preachy, that's what I love about classical and orchestral music. It's just music, not some suburbanite twenty something with an ugly beard and in-style-out-of-style clothing (take that indie music) assuming that his guitar makes him more insightful than the people he criticizes, people who generally have actual jobs. Also, metal, because fuck you it's fucking metal that's why.

 

[darkfire613]

Here's something I've noticed about people and music:

1. Very obscure band = best music ever
2. Semi-obscure band = not degraded much for listening
3. Well-known band = will likely find a group of fans to hang out with, but music snobs will sneer at you
4. Popular band = WORST SH*T EVER!!!
5. Super-popular band (ie the Beatles, Michael Jackson): best music ever

So, as music becomes more popular, it (in the eyes of music snobs) becomes worse until it hits the critical popularity mass, at which point you are a social outcast for not liking their music.

I felt this was at least semi-relevant, I've been waiting for a chance to post it.

OT:

Don't listen to the people who say that music is bad just because it's popular. If you like it, that's enough. Personally, I don't enjoy pop as a genre, but I know that there are some talented artists who choose that as their genre. I agree that there's worthwhile music in every genre, and it doesn't really matter what you listen to. The people who degrade people based purely on their musical choice are simply insecure that their favorite bands aren't as great as they think, and need to put down other people in order to remain secure.

 

[FinalHeart95]

You say finding music that is hard to find takes effort, yet I take fun in that. When I discover a band that I love that no one else knows, I feel this strange sense of pride, as if I just discovered the New World. Not to mention that my tastes for prog/jazz fusion metal often lead me well off the beaten path.

If what you like is Top 40 music though, go ahead. I don't judge.

 

[Hiphophippo]

I loathe pop music. All your post says to me is that you're a casual music listener and not serious about your music like I am.

And that's ok too.

Wow, talk about an elitist douche.

I listen to all types of music AND I like pop music too. Does that mean I'm "not serious" because I like pop?

I have a friend who's obsessed with Mariah Carey, owns all her albums, memorized the lyrics of about 50 of her songs, and knows her entire career history. He's familiar with nearly any other song you tell him, whether it's mainstream or not, but he prefers pop. Does that make him a "casual music listener"?

It just means he listens to lowest common denominator music.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

Warning, MASSIVE reply post ahead:

Firstly, to those who have said it, I'm not trying to come off as 'special', and I don't really know where you got that idea from. I know there's nothing special about listening to pop because a lot of people do. I'm just sick of being looked down on by a lot of people on this forum and I was trying to change peoples perspective a little bit.

Secondly, It's completely my prerogative to choose not to bother to scope out obscure artists if I don't think its worth it. Let me make it clear again that I have been exposed to music that I wouldn't normally listen to, by friends and the internet, and I've hardly ever found anything I like. I'm quite comfortable and happy listening to the type of music I already listen to, and judging by the fact that my past experiences delving into the unknown haven't been very good experiences, you can all surely understand why I stick with what I know I'm going to like. Yes?

Now i've replied to some general points people have made, let me address individual posts:

P.S. Pop music is made to sell to the masses and thus has to be dumbed down so that it can be liked by the maximum number of people. People who say its not as good . . . . are right.

Music is entirely subjective. You can pick apart as many little details as you like, but at the end of the day, people are going to listen to it for different reasons. It's not fair for people to insult me because my preferred music genre doesn't appeal to them for whatever reason.

You mentioned Lady Gaga and she's the prime example for me, every one of her songs sounds the same.

You say that like it's fact. It's not. All of her songs sound quite different to me, because I like her. Music we don't generally like will always sound samey. I think most Country, Rock and Metal sounds the same.

Hmm I can't say I agree with your blind following of mainstream music. But as long as you don't preach about it then I'm fine...

and how am I being blind? Oh right, because you're one of those people who thinks everyone who listens to pop doesn't really like it but just pretend to because it's cool. Yeah, I'm not even going to bother explaining how wrong you are. Keep being ignorant.

What surprises me is the Thread title, that you feel it necessary to tie an identity as a 'gamer' (a stupidly trite phrase but sod it) with that of your musical preference. Neither should really inform the other, though personally I just feel psychological profiling is flawed. Musical tastes are subjective so that is a moot argument however you swing it.

I wrote the thread title that way because I wanted to make an impression of "hey, I'm not so different from you, y'know?" hopefully it didn't sound too pretentious.

See, now I feel that this is pointed at me.

Nah, it wasn't aimed at you. I decided to post this after reading that one thread we both posted in (I just happened to reply to you) and because of past experiences on this forum.

Oh, and when it comes to really solid, danceable pop music, Lady Gaga kicks ass; seriously, Bad Romance is one of the BEST fucking songs I've heard on the radio in years.

Oh hell yes, I didn't even like it at first but I can't stop listening to it now.

errr.. part 2 of replies coming up soon!

 

[MentalBakura]

Music elitism pisses me off a lot. I primarily listen to rock and metal, but I do listen to some mainstream music such as La Roux and Calvin Harris. I don't care much for Lady Gaga, but I'm not going to call anyone out on it.

Also, might I add that pretty much anything works in a club if you can dance to it.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that I find the amount of hip-hop bashing on this forum, and on gaming forums in general, absolutely pathetic. No need to act as if some heinous crime has been committed the moment hip-hop is mentioned. I was reading the replies to the Vinyl Fantasy 7 news post earlier, and some were fucking cringeworthy.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

errr.. part 2 of replies coming up soon!

Nevermind this.. I can't find any other posts I can add anything cohesive to. Except the really spiteful posts that just make me want to scream and lash out. I'm not going to get myself banned by actually bothering to reply to idiots like that though, so I'll leave it. However, I think anyone who reads back through this thread will be able to point out the people I'm talking about, and I would like to use THAT as proof of what I was talking about in my opening post.

On the other hand, it was nice to find a couple of people here who also share my music taste. and of course the people who remained sensible and aren't being assholes. Seriously though, a lot of people here need to grow up.

 

[Hiphophippo]

Music elitism pisses me off a lot. I primarily listen to rock and metal, but I do listen to some mainstream music such as La Roux and Calvin Harris. I don't care much for Lady Gaga, but I'm not going to call anyone out on it.

Also, might I add that pretty much anything works in a club if you can dance to it.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that I find the amount of hip-hop bashing on this forum, and on gaming forums in general, absolutely pathetic. No need to act as if some heinous crime has been committed the moment hip-hop is mentioned. I was reading the replies to the Vinyl Fantasy 7 news post earlier, and some were fucking cringeworthy.

People are just as quick to bash hiphop as they are mainstream music, unaware that they're coming across as hypocrites in doing so because not all hiphop is mainstream.

There's amazing hiphop out there. You know, without autotune.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

I prefer meaning in music and generally don't like the top 40 artists, but nothing I listen to is that obscure. Well, some it, but I mostly listen to bands like Anti-Flag and NOFX

I don't really care what people listen to, as in I won't think of them negatively because of it. I do give special preference to people who like punk and realize that MCR doesn't qualify though.

 

[Jekken6]

Dude, you should listen to the classics if you can't be arsed finding them. They're readily available on the radio and generally much better music than Top40. But there is the occassional popular song that is ACTUALLY good.

 

[Jekken6]

SNIP

SNIP

SNIP

The reason I posted this thread is perhaps half because I wanted to rant, but also because I really want this judgmental attitude to stop.

Well to be honest, it's really not going to stop. And you've pretty much just come on here and judged a good portion of us. You're right, we all have different preferences when it comes to music. So quit yapping, pipe down cause you're in the minorities territory now. We have to suffer when we're dweilling the surface, ears bleeding as Lady Ga Ga, Cheryl Cole, Tinchy Styder etc. blares out from all direction.

Agree with Azure-Supernova here and with all his other points, that I snipped.

 

[Rockatansky]

The music you listen to does not define you, it's passive consumption, you choose your music and you listen, it's a one way street. You might be able to relate to the lyrics but they're not about you, you're just hanging your coat on their peg because they can articulate their emotions in a marketable way.

I think it's particularly shallow and lazy when people list songs/bands that they feel represent their personality, because they don't, they represent the personality of the person who wrote or performed the music. This is even worse if they assume some degree of superiority based on what music they're 'in to'.

You should grow out of sneering at someone just for their taste in music when you leave school, sadly most don't, universities and such are heaven for musical snobs. Why develop a personality when you can hide behind a list of allegiances to bands, even better when you say people don't appreciate your bands because they're to deep, complex, edgy and intelligent for the herd to understand.

Perhaps they feel that some of the qualities that they admire and appreciate about 'their' bands has rubbed of on them somehow, just because they chose to listen to their CD? That people will look at them and say "Ooh, he listens to Johnny Cash, he must be a brooding, tormented and complex soul", because they don't, nobody cares.

The qualities you admire in the music don't rub off on you, you're just a insecure, pretentious and immature person sneering at people who enjoy music for the sake of enjoying music. If that's all you've got than you're a frightened little snob and I can see right through you, along with the rest of the grown up world.

But, that's just, like, my opinion man.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

snip

Are.. are you talking to me?? I don't get it. Was that just directed at people in general?

 

[Rockatansky]

Uh, no, it's not about you, it's just a bit of a rant about the sort of people described in the rant. Why did you think it was about you?

 

[Rolling Thunder]

The thing that makes me laugh most about a lot of people (at least my friends who are like this) who bash mainstream stuff and call those who think it's good "sheep", is that they seem to think that makes them cool or something. As far as I'm concerned they're sheep too, they just belong to a diffrent herd.

(I'm thick, aren't I? It isn't a herd of sheep... or is it? Please correct me, google is failing me.)

A flock. A FLOCK!

Herd is also considered acceptable usuage, given they are ungulates.

On-topic: Personally, I've got to say that, in my opinion, you should try and expand your tastes a little. Google/youtube odd genres, odd band names, check out the influences for your favourite performers....trust me, wherever it leads you it's bound to pay off. But you have no need to feel guilty for your choice, and anyone who says otherwise may take the matter up with me and my claymore.

 

[Warwolt]

People who listen to mainstream music are not intellectually inferior, i have both relatives and know people who listen to mainstream stuff, but which i consider intellectually superior to me.

Myself, i love Depeche Mode, which is a mainstream pop band.

However most mainstream music these days is terrible. In many ways. Its predictable, contains no message, and compleatly simple. The only thing you can get from it is a beat to dance too.

Depeche Mode is Synth, thank you very much. There's no pop in it at all.



Also, I think the reason that mainstream is shunned is because, as already said, its usually aimed towards the MASSES, which means that it feels less true and less directly from the musician himself (and, atleast for me, like the musician tried to find whatever fits the masses the most), and that people who don't really have an interest in finding music-preferences tend to just listen to what everyone else listens to.

On the other hand, I have no problems listening to mainstream music and I actually consider Lady Gaga as a pretty good musician, but I can understand why people relate to mainstream-listeners as kind of plain, because people tend to categorize you by what you listen to. It says alot of what kind of person you are or what person you aren't (if by atleast by what stereotypes you are like, in any degree).

Also, by this group belongig thinking, I suppose people feel like they have more individuality by shunning the mainstream in order to leave a contrast between the masses and the minority (which, in their mind, would be superior)

Even if this might not be done consciously