Mainstream Music

[midnghtraver]

DISCLAIMER: Sorry for repeating myself A LOT. And being A little bias.

Mainstreamism.
And why it’s bad.

Lil’ Wayne, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown, Rhianna, Katy Perry, and Soulja Boy are all perfect examples of what mainstream music is. They all sound the same, and they all have similar lyrics. I’m not talking about a Katy Perry and Lil’ Wayne next to each other of course, but Lil’ Wayne and Soulja Boy could be the same “artist.” Their music sounds the same with that bassy kick landing on the same beats every time, and that annoying snare roll you always hear in their “transitions.” I put the word “artist” in quotations because it is very freely thrown around in the common day. It is very hard for me to call people like Lil’ Wayne and Chris Brown, “artists.” They are not coming up with anything new, and they are not doing anything that is original, they are going with what they know and they are copying (for lack of a better word) what everyone else is doing, making it (their “music”) mainstream. I am not just talking about music here. there is mainstream physical art (i.e. painting, drawing, etc...), mainstream fashion, mainstream television, and a bunch more. Mainstream art forms hinder creativity. When mainstream artists put in your head that what everything their doing is the right way to go, then the generation it pertains to will follow that, thus losing all creativity. The point I am trying to make here that mainstream art forms are in no way, beneficial. And the media is shoving mainstream art forms down peoples throats and its slowly killing creativity and hindering people who wish to stray away from the “norm.”



Artist Statement.
The Ass-Backwards Of Mainstream.

I made this one a picture because it would be impossible to send people the same message in words. In this photo you can see a boy standing there in cloths that you would generalise as over-worn, saying, “I’m A Follower.” then you can see a group of people behind him who all look the same saying, “I’m an individual.” What this is saying is that being an individual has become the new mainstream. The media and other people have put the idea in your heads that being an individual is the good thing to do, and so everyone then states that they are individuals, but since everyone is now an “individual,” individualism is no longer the unique thing to do, and thus it becomes mainstream. The “follower” is now the unique one since being a “follower” is not the “good” thing to do so everyone gravitates away from it. This picture is showing the other “use” of mainstream art forms. The definition of original is not what is common. But if there was no common there would be no original, so there must be a common for their to be a unique. What I am saying is that there needs to be mainstream art forms for there to be not mainstream art forms. Mainstream art forms are beneficial when used as a comparison to make not mainstream art forms look good, but mainstream art forms in themselves are not good things.


P.S. I contradict myself in the second article, 10 points if you can find it.

[ddrxero64]

Mainstream makes money, that's all. It's funny because people who dislike it argue and debate it all they want, while the company execs who enjoy the money being made market it more and more, collaborating with other companies to put it out there.

Such as DDR Extreme 2 and later...

We can argue like an unorganized rebellion, or we could do something like organized protesters. That's what it comes down to. But as long as people try to dominate as leader of the pack instead of contributor to the cause, it won't be done.

[BethanyBangs]

I dislike most mainstream music..I actually kinda like Lady Gaga though. D:
But eh people are into whatever is "popular". I'm really annoyed at how dance music is going on the radio. It kills me. What's really weird is how I can listen to a song I've had since like 09, and I'm still not tired of it, but as soon as it's mainstream it's like PASS.
But uh, I don't know what else to say about it. :s

Oh, and just checked out your site. I like Push It. c:

[Mrjonesw]

Originally Posted by midnghtraver

The point I am trying to make here that mainstream art forms are in no way, beneficial.

i enjoy lady gaga's music and therefore i find it beneficial.

also, not sure what the debate is here, it's basically just you ranting about mainstream music (probably because you are such an ARTIST yourself right?).

[iironiic]

I can listen to mainstream and enjoy it, but I'd prefer to listen to songs that actually have a meaning, especially ones that have catchy tunes or very beautiful music.

If I ever listen to mainstream, the reason being is because of the beats and not the rap or the song itself (music one would normally dance to in parties, etc.)

[midnghtraver]

Originally Posted by Mrjonesw

i enjoy lady gaga's music and therefore i find it beneficial.

also, not sure what the debate is here, it's basically just you ranting about mainstream music (probably because you are such an ARTIST yourself right?).

Um yes, thats exactly why I wrote it. (link to my website is in my sig)

First article is extremely opinionated, like waaayyyy to one side. And its not me ranting whatsoever.

[Thatskier]

Globalization and rapid diffusion of popular culture to the core and to the periphery making the whole dam world an isotropic plane as auto-tuning and cheesy lyrics are ubiquitous. The folk culture preserved within world beats and in general, original music is facing cultural indifference by the globalized uniform people of today.
It is almost like ethnic cleansing in a perspective of the people being cleansed are the folk culture and the cleansers being the hierarchy of popular culture.


P.S. It makes sense, i am just trying to prepare for my AP human geo exam ****.

[midnghtraver]

Originally Posted by Thatskier

Globalization and rapid diffusion of popular culture to the core and to the periphery making the whole dam world an isotropic plane as auto-tuning and cheesy lyrics are ubiquitous. The folk culture preserved within world beats and in general, original music is facing cultural indifference by the globalized uniform people of today.
It is almost like ethnic cleansing in a perspective of the people being cleansed are the folk culture and the cleansers being the hierarchy of popular culture.


P.S. It makes sense, i am just trying to prepare for my AP human geo exam ****.

P.S.S. No it doesn't, translate.

[Thatskier]

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffff......

globalization = .... the diffusion (spread) of popular culture
popular culture = in this case mainstream music
folk culture = in this case non-mainstream music
isotropic plane = everything is the same. ( think of mcdonalds and a kfc or another fast food resturant being near)
ubiquitous = everywhere (i.e. water)
ethnic cleansing = killing, raping, burning someone of a different ethnicity but in this case i am modeling it as the non-mainstream artists

SUM: Mainstream music aint making it any easier for non-mainstream music to get out there.

[midnghtraver]

Originally Posted by Thatskier

Exactly what you said in the articles.

Oh.

[MarukuAntoni]

Originally Posted by BethanyBangs

I dislike most mainstream music..I actually kinda like Lady Gaga though. D:
But eh people are into whatever is "popular". I'm really annoyed at how dance music is going on the radio. It kills me. What's really weird is how I can listen to a song I've had since like 09, and I'm still not tired of it, but as soon as it's mainstream it's like PASS.
But uh, I don't know what else to say about it. :s

Oh, and just checked out your site. I like Push It. c:

It isn't really the dance music on the radio that annoys me. It's the radio stations that play dance music in the morning that annoy me. I don't want to listen to Kesha or Jennifer Lopez talking about clubbing in the morning. I find myself listening to some mainstream music, but for the most part I believe the music corporations are shoving a lot of crap through our ears.

[ddrxero64]

I think the best part is to ask oneself to define mainstream. The definitions you'd receive may astonish you.

[00Razor00]

Music is music, sadly. Mainstream artists are always going to base their works on 'underground' trends to sell out to that trend's demographics and cash in on it regardless of creativity or not.

Contrary to the above, mainstream music isn't my cup of tea. Maybe I'll find one or two songs decent by a mainstream artist albeit, I'm more of a "hipster", as they call it.

[Xx{Midnight}xX]

If the band/artist didn't take an hour of bored music surfing to find, chances are it's not any good.

Granted there are exceptions.

[aperson]

Mainstream music is evolutionary and its fitness criterion is $$$. Its purpose isn't to make you happy, its purpose is to make $$$. Turns out the best way to do this is to be as catchy as possible while also being as vapid as possible, oops.

Anyway this isn't going to change until the record industry disintegrates.

[Reincarnate]

Basically this

[sakura080789]

Originally Posted by 00Razor00

Music is music, sadly. Mainstream artists are always going to base their works on 'underground' trends to sell out to that trend's demographics and cash in on it regardless of creativity or not.

Contrary to the above, mainstream music isn't my cup of tea. Maybe I'll find one or two songs decent by a mainstream artist albeit, I'm more of a "hipster", as they call it.

this i agree with. mainstream isn't really my thing but i will tolerate it when needed.

[Xx{Midnight}xX]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Basically this

4 chord song <3

[ddrxero64]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Basically this

I. love. you.

Favorited on youtube.

[midnghtraver]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Basically this

Amazing.