ThePhanastasio

The producers claim there is a science to it and all of that, but I highly dispute this claim. My mother and both sisters are pop radio aficionados, and they'll listen to (and eventually claim to like) anything played on the radio.

Prior to their big mainstream break, I played fun. and Mumford and Sons in the car with them. All of them bitched about my crappy music the entire trip, even when I tried to sell them on the positive points, the catchiness of the songs, and anything to that effect. It fell on deaf ears.

Months later, ERMAGERD, fun. and Mumford and Sons are the best ever, they're buying full discogs and saying that the very same songs I played for them are, ERMAGERD the greatest songs ever.

Basically, put it on pop radio. If it has a hook, the people will listen, and grow to like it. Any song with anything remotely catchy or interesting will do.

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Neapolitan

Mumford and Sons? ppffft I look for music that isn't as mainstream as that.

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Isbjørn

Damn, the industry people who choose the crap people have to listen to should be fired. Why serve people crap when it's just as easy to serve quality? Also, I'm sure many people would choose a premium steak over some garbage sweaty cheeseburger if they had a choice. But of course people are going to choose the cheeseburger when it's the only choice they think they have, or the only thing they're used to. FYI, the cheeseburger is what the mainstream has a lot of.

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Ninetales

I think we are just going to get into a chicken vs egg debate but I tend to give people who listen to predominantly chart pop more credit. Because if you're already a fan of Rihanna or Lady Gaga and a new pop star comes into the fray, is that really the industry forcing their evil music down the listeners throats or just revealing similar artists that people enjoy? It just makes sense to me that they would promote artists that are similar to those that people already like.

And I know from experience that there are people that will repeatedly try to listen to bands that they dont like just because they have critical acclaim and I see very little difference between that and hearing something on the radio until you like it. I have friends that force themselves to listen to Daydream Nation or Kid A until they "get it". It's not necessarily a bad thing to like music you previously didnt. And people have different criteria on why they think they should like something in the first place.

I touched on this earlier but this happens with most music segregations. If someone doesnt recognize the band name or song title then theyre more likely to cast it off or let it just glaze by without second thought. Ive probably done it. Youve probably done it. It's not that uncommon.

A fashionable hipster will forcefully not enjoy music that doesnt have their underground tag. In fact it can happen (more often than pop afficianados I think) that they will like something and then almost immediately not like it anymore because of bad reviews a week later. Extreme cases like this happen in all music realms not just with chart pop.

Screen13

I always wanted to find an excuse to use this Rutles clip. In a way, it's the perfect answer. Someone in the consumer base likes a tune, finds out that the trousers (or in some cases, thong...) fit the image - welcome to the Top 10!

calcol28

My own personal opinion is that mainstream music appeals because of how "fun" a majority of the songs are.
Catchy lyrics, nice little hooks, sing-along melodies and the same old repetitive synths in the background. It's an easy formula to follow and a majority of people like it that way. They want to hear something familiar that makes them happy but doesn't make them necessarily need to THINK.
I think mainstream music is wonderful in that way. I still listen to my favourite weird off-the-wall musical artists all the time, but sometimes its fun to jam out to APPLAUSE by Lady Gaga on my way to work. Just lose yourself in the music. Don't judge people for liking something that makes them happy. Music snobs piss me off when they do that.

Isbjørn

BUT in the mainstream you find things A LOT worse than Lady Gaga.



This, for instance...

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Soulflower

Its not so much that the industry is "evil" but it definitly has changed and it is heavily geared toward image and marketing versus quality catchy music.

Back in the day we had Elton John, Prince, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, David Bowie etc who were all pop stars that made descent quality pop songs. They actually had talent and they actually made descent pop music.

Nowadays the stars are not that talented and there is no quality in the music. There has been a major shift in the industry as far as which artists they choose to promote. They went from eclectic/creative music from Prince to bland Bieber music....thats a INDUSTRY problem more so than the public's problem.

If all the industry is promoting is trashy pop stars with bland music then that is all that the general public is going to know. So of course they are just going to listen to what is being constantly forced to them but if they had a choice between that and more creative music I honestly think they would choose the more creative music.

So its not that people "enjoy" those pop stars. People just listen to what is being presented to them and what they are being exposed to.

Perfect example... I didnt even know who Fiona Apple was until two years ago (honest truth lol). I discovered her on a music forum because she was releasing an album. Someone posted a performance of her on youtube and I instantly fell in love with her and researched more on her music etc Now I am a fan. Although she is an older artist, I said that example to show that people want to hear different types of music whether they listen to mainstream music or not.

I dont rely on current pop radio for music but there are alot that do and I am just referring to that population of music listners.

Ninetales

I enjoy Carly Rae Jepsen on most occasions over most of those pop stars that made "decent pop songs" but Im guessing we are just going to be disagreeing on tastes now. Id also take Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna, etc over bands like Aerosmith, Poison, KISS etc so obviously I dont think popular music quality is at an all time low or that its bland or made by hacks or whatever.

and also this

could apply to anything they put on. I mean people now complain about Mumford & Sons and Imagine Dragons being popular. People are going to complain about the industry no matter whats popular but something has to be. So yeah people are going to like it because they found it easily but that doesnt mean they dont actually enjoy listening to it. Im not really sure why "easy access" is treated as such a bad thing. If Janelle Monae and Fiona Apple dominated the industry and people liked them just because they were there wouldnt that be the same as it is now anyways?

Soulflower

lol I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree on that note... I said "descent" because I didnt want to come off "stannish" and too subjective but I personally think those group of artists made some of the best pop music of all time and I would add Stevie Wonder in group as well.

If those are your preferences in music thats fine.


Really?

People didnt complain about MJ, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Freddie Mercury, Whitney not being talented or having bland music. I think the only person from that era that people really complained about was Madonna but thats about it....



Easy access to music isnt a "bad" thing because I grew up listening to popular music just not from my generation lol but I grew up on it so being accessible isnt the issue. The issue is the lack of quality in accessible music in the new millennium.

I dont think it would be the same thing because those artists are real artists who are not driven by production teams or are pressured to make anthem type songs. They make creative music and put effort into being artistic unlike most of the pop stars out now. Alot of the pop stars now come out with the same ol songs, no inspiration, no creativity etc.