Interesting answers guys
Just to make it clear: I like most of the mainstream music but I wonder why some people hate it.
for me, it's all about the feeling I get when I listen to something.
I usually feel cold and empty when I listen to a top 40 radio station. I don't mean it figuratively when I say it gives me a headache. I was in the car with my family the other day, and Ke$ha came on the radio. Normally I try not isolate myself when I'm in the car with my family, but I couldn't stand more than 10 seconds of that song, so I plugged in my headphones tried to shut out the that crap.
It's something I can't help. I'm super paranoid when it comes to music. I instantly separate all the instruments, vocals, every little nuance and listen to them individually. However, it's how they blend together that matters most, and when I hear stuff like this
[youtube]iP6XpLQM2Cs[/youtube]
it just doesn't bode well inside of me. It's annoying; everything from the subject matter to sound of it. I just don't understand how music about getting wasted or being a materialistic dumbass is so appealing.
I listen to nearly all types of music (jazz, hip hop, rock, pop, electronic, latin, and everything in between). The genre isn't important, it's the actual music that's important.
Now when I hear something like this,
[youtube]sBS5wTnaPg0[/youtube]
you can hear the influence of more than one style of music, and it sounds amazing. The rhythm's smooth and upbeat, and Ray always manages to accompany it with some really beautifully crafted and flowing guitar melodies. To me what makes it great is its simplicity. I think the best type of music is that which makes the most out of the least, though that isn't to say there aren't musicians out there who make great music using complex song structures (check out The Mars Volta)
Also, commercial music by definition is music that's meant to be popular. Music for the masses isn't ever going to go away, so you'll always have people who dislike it solely for what it is. Of course there have been times when popular music was good, but that's a different story.
My point is, if you make music to gain popularity, then I don't believe you're making music at all; you're either setting or following a trend, and trends don't last. Trends will always come and go. The best music will always stay under the radar, because it's pretty hard to maintain artistic integrity and have commercial appeal. Few artists are able to do that.
