Poll: Does anyone even like mainstream music?

[C95J]

It may sound weird to other people, but when I listen to music, the lyrics don't matter as much as the actual sound of the music. I love most genres of music, my favourite is pop. If a song has good, meaningful lyrics, great! It's just not the first thing I look out for when listening to songs.

 

[chaosyoshimage]

I listen to some mainstream bands like Owl City, Death Cab for Cutie, and My Chemical Romance, so yeah, I do, and of course most people like mainstream stuff, seeing as it's, you know, mainstream...

 

[scorptatious]

Yup.

I remember listening to 90's mainstream music and loving it. And I still kind of do now.

As for some of today's music. I personally enjoy people like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. The former has a nice voice and the latter is at least somewhat creative.

 

[uc.asc]

As far as I can tell, mainstream music's target audience is people who don't know or care enough about music to have preferences.

 

[Keepeas]

I tend to favor songs without lyrics.
So basically not much mainstream...it seems like they always have to bog down the music with a voice.
Trance/Electronic is usually too repetitive or long for me, though I like the sounds used in those genres a lot.

Other than that there aren't any hard-set rules to what I like.
I like a number of songs from every genre...I like the music, hate most voices.

 

[Vault101]

It depends what you define as "mainstream" certian genres become more mainsteam and then less as time goes on

I like some dubstep and kanye west

if by "mainstream" you mean shallow pop hits made to apeal to teen girls..no not really

 

[deletethisone]

 

[booker]

Didn't see progressive rock so I chose jazz, because Charles Mingus is badass ************.

My IRL Escapist friend manages to listen to mainstream popular music. I'm not sure how. He's "classically" trained, so I'm not sure how all the shallow doesn't bug the crap out of him. Then again, I'm pretty much a hipster, you dig?

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Depends on your definition of mainstream. If it's contemporary mainstream music than I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say that I don't care for over 90% percent of the things I overhear on the radio, though to be fair I basically abandoned any attempt at following what was going on since 2003 and I don't think I've really missed much. Most people I encounter have at least some interest in modern pop music, even people who I would identify as Metalheads for some reason have an affinity for the likes of Lady Gagy/Katy Perry/Chase and Status or whatever so I don't know about where your coming from. More to the point, asking Escapists about this might not produce the most accurate results given that many us aren't really a representation of the norm, as it were. Oh and for the record I voted Metal, though I do listen to all kinds of genres, including most that you listed to pick from and others you didn't mention (why you got no SOOOUUULL MAAAYYYN?) so I've got a pretty broad palate and I'm willing to give anything a chance, I just really don't care for the pop music being produced today.

 

[floobie]

My favourite genre overall is metal. But, at least in terms of the current mainstream, I love me some Lady Gaga. Honestly, though... I don't even know what's mainstream right now. People list mainstream artists, and I only recognize like 2 of them. Lady Gaga is still popular, right?

If I like it, I like it, popular or not. I have no guilty pleasures. I can proudly say that I love Opeth, or that I love Aqua. Whatever.

 

[dangdiggityderek]

I would add alternative as an option even though it basically rock... I really can't stand pop music like Maroon 5, One Republic, Britney Spears, Ke$ha ect because there music is made for bulk and to make as much money off people who just want to hear the same beat or chorus over and over again. I just can't stand it but its not like I hate anyone who listens to it I just like music that has bit more of a serious tone. I'll admit that it is good dancing music but really nothing else.
Cry On black rain!!!!
http://youtu.be/K913KVe3kH8

 

[Zing]

Some popular songs can be good, catchy for the radio, or good for clubbing. Nothing I'd go out of my way to download unless I really liked it.

I'm a huge electronic fan first and foremost. I do enjoy other genre's. I have Metal, Rap, Hip Hop and Rock on my playlist too, but electronic music is my favourite by far. Particularly Dubstep.

This would be my idea of a Pop song that I actually really enjoy:

Depends on your definition of mainstream. If it's contemporary mainstream music than I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say that I don't care for over 90% percent of the things I overhear on the radio, though to be fair I basically abandoned any attempt at following what was going on since 2003 and I don't think I've really missed much. Most people I encounter have at least some interest in modern pop music, even people who I would identify as Metalheads for some reason have an affinity for the likes of Lady Gagy/Katy Perry/Chase and Status or whatever so I don't know about where your coming from. More to the point, asking Escapists about this might not produce the most accurate results given that many us aren't really a representation of the norm, as it were.

Why would you put Lady Gaga and Katy Perry with Chase and Status? @_@

 

[Jonathan Grimaldo]

I dont really know much about the whats mainstream now a days. I would have to agree with chaosyoshimage, in that its called mainstream for the obvious reason that it is main or very popular. Personally, I stopped listening to the radio years ago and only listen to what I knew previously, what I discover, or what is recommended to me by friends. For example, I just found out about the singers Rhianna, Drake, Kesha and a variety of others about 3 months ago during a music class in college. Before that class I had no idea who those people were.

I honestly dont care about genres, if I like the song I will listen to the artist.
I listen to Animals As Leaders, Gojira, Tyr, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Al Green, Daft Punk, Yoko Kanno, Turnabout Jazz Soul, and the OST of different anime's. (Gungrave, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop)

 

[MrLumber]

As far as I can tell, mainstream music's target audience is people who don't know or care enough about music to have preferences.

Essentially this. I couldn't care less about things like genre, it just so happens that there is a lot more crap music in certain genres than others. I can genuinely say there hasn't been a mainstream/pop song I've enjoyed since I developed musical taste, which is kinda depressing to me tbh.

I personally listen to a lot of progressive electronica, such as Amon Tobin. While perhaps not the best example, he is one of the more well known artists I listen to.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Someone likes it, that's why its mainstream... by definition. Oh and music has always had stupid and suggestive lyrics. Nobody has ever cared. I can't really think of genera to define music I like, some older rock and pop type stuff mostly.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Why would you put Lady Gaga and Katy Perry with Chase and Status? @_@

While I am pretty averse to Dubstep and Drum and Bass, I just wrote the first things that came to mind, I didn't mean to imply Chase and Status were as banal as the first two, the only thing they all share is that they are popular.

 

[Divine Miss Bee]

the thing about this topic is that you rarely get honest answers in a classroom where people have to deal with each other every day. nobody wants to like mainstream music in front of people, because it's embarrassing. but mainstream music is written specifically to appeal to the addiction centers of your brain-it's a drug. in at least small doses, we all love it, even if it's jut that one song you'll leave on when you're flipping stations.

i usually like opera, classical, baroque, broadway/show tunes, j-rock, american and european classic rock, jazz, ska, modern instrumentals, most kinds of metal, techno, and k-pop. but damn it, selena gomez makes me feel pretty when i'm singing into my hairbrush.

 

[Vanbael]

I'm not big into the current mainstream as far as charts. The charts are how I determine mainstream in my personal definition. But I do believe that current leader in the music charts in the US, Adele, well deserves the recognition. Her music isn't bad to listen to and it is actual instruments and no electronic, it isn't as painful as Gaga.

And what I find sad for Lady Gaga is that she has all this influence in the music world and she focuses on the artistic side...the actual music she has isn't artistic. Lady Gaga has potentially any instrument she can call on to her disposal (maybe even a fucking pipe organ) and she hides behind a synthesizer, thats sad and a waste of artistic potential. Less on the crazy costumes and more and the creativity with instrumentation and THROW OUT THAT GOD DAMN SYNTHESIZER!

I have no opinion on my choices in rock and metal, I only choose things that have a certain flow and its hard to explain.

 

[Nemesis729]

If I put my ipod on shuffle I'll get something like: Mastadon, Katy Perry, Tom Petty, Lil Wayne, Skrillex, Taylor Swift, Rise Against, Daft Punk, Beatles, Rage Against the Machine, Trace Adkins.... Well you get it, I appreciate every genre, not every artist of course but genre lol