It does when I'm looking for new sounds. I built up my respect for popular artists a long time ago, so there's little need to revisit that stage. Nowadays, when it comes to modern forms of music, I genuinely seek out music that's a little less popular than whatever is on Top 40 Radio. Not because I seek to become an obscure-loving nutcase who spits upon pop fans, but for a few others: a) I'm a sap who thinks that less-appreciated musicians are due their chance to shine. b) My favorite genre is likely drone, which, for completely understandable reasons, doesn't get much airplay. c) Mainstream music has its gems, sure, but it's saturated with a lot of filler. In the underground music world, there is even more filler, but usually you can follow the guidance of a few knowledgeable people who've stepped through that terrain before. I can get a lot more out of my favorite genres this way.
However, when it comes to actually listening to the music, there is no elevated opportunity for an underground album to amaze me when compared to a popular one. Sure, I'd gladly check out an obscure free improv. artist before, say, the next Katy Perry album, but if I heard both, I would judge them both equally on how much objective/subjective merit I feel they have. In some cases I may question the simplicity of the pop arrangement of Mrs. Perry's music, but I won't bring her popularity into the mix. Bringing 'popularity' into actual musical discussion is one of the main reasons why I hate talking about The Beatles. Popularity to get to new music? That's great. Popularity to talk about it? Not so much.
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