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Posted by V on January 09, 1999 at 13:45:13:
In Reply to: Re: The existence of alternative posted by Ariel on January 08, 1999 at 21:38:38:
: : The more I listen to different types of music, the more I notice that the diferences disappear. I used to dislike rap, but what is ICP and the Beastie Boys? I didn't used to care for country, but REM and Stevie Nicks tend toward that type. Some music has a more defined beat, some music uses more synthesizers, some music is screaming. It seems that to make a serious dent in mainstream today, music must be different. To be different, however, it must follow an uncharted path. This unchartered path will be at first scorned, then lauded. That is what happened to alternative music.
: What you say is very true. There's always a group of people who believe that the underground music and the garage bands they listen to are different from mainstream. But in reality, mainstream encompes all music. If a type of music has a following, it's mainstream, because people like it. Alternative is a void term in my opinion, but the definitions of what is alternative is so vague that it's hard to tell what "alternative" is anyway.
But what we like is forced upon us. Music companies only make deals with the groups they want to promote. It's not that the record company execs enjoy that type of music, it's that they want to force that music on us, the consumer. Music is not determined by the mes, it is in the hands of middle-age to older men making a profit off of what they control us to like. I believe "Walking on the Sun" by Smashmouth has a couple of lines referring to this.