Mainstream

Right, if I was talking about band music last night, tonight I wanna talk about something which has been kind of bugging my mind for quite some time. Like for a few years heh. It's about mainstream vs non-mainstream music, as people would say it. First of all please do understand that these are just my thoughts so don't go overly defensive about it okay! :)



So last night Coldplay just released their official music video for A Sky Full of Stars (lets shorten it to ASFOS) which was filmed in Sydney. I'm so so jealous of all of these people in the video! I think they're very lucky and I wish I can be part of the video too. And well I was expecting the video to be filmed in like New Zealand below the starry night sky with lots of stars and milky-ways. But nevertheless this video is superb too with so much positive energy and happiness! So kudos to Coldplay and Mat Whitecross for the awesome MV.

And then I was scrolling down the comment section when I read comments like:

"This is not the Coldplay I know of"
"Coldplay has gone mainstream, this is bad music"
"Coldplay with EDM? Horrible!"
"I'm not going to listen to Coldplay anymore"

The last comment really made me raise my eyebrows like whaaaat. I mean seriously though, what's with all these comments on their video. If you don't like it, why are you there in the first place right? So yeah tonight I'm gonna discuss about all these mainstream vs non-mainstream issue we all know of in the music industry. And my thoughts regarding this.

First of all lets clarify the idea of mainstream. What do we mean by mainstream music? Is it a piece of music that is played at least 10 times everyday on the radio? Or maybe a song that 8 in 10 people have in their phones/MP3 players? And what do we mean by non-mainstream music? The opposite of what's mentioned above or something?

Okay although yes, I myself is guilty too because last time I told my friends that I don't like listening to "mainstream" music and that I listen to mostly non-mainstream ones. Well it's true because I am very sure I can count the number of friends who have the similar songs on my iPod with the number of fingers on my left hand. If you know what I mean.

And what do you mean by "_____ has gone mainstream"? You mean... That bands are not allowed to be famous? That they should just remain like what they begin with, like no listeners, no fans and this and that forever? Oh sure, please tell me if there's any band who tell their fans (and the public) "please don't tell people about us! Just keep it to yourself, we don't want to get known. We are just writing songs just for YOU!". If you can, I'll give you a cookie.

Thirdly, since when do our favourite bands write and compose songs especially for us only? Like oh they write music that you don't like, or they're heading towards a new direction and you hate them because they write something that you do not like? Wow I didn't know you pay them for their hardwork, their food, their creativity and their freedom.

Lastly, if you do not want to listen to them, then... Just don't listen to them.

Now lets clear things up a bit. I always have a question to all these people: do the number of people listening to a song decreases the quality of the song? I am pretty sure the answer is a straight no. So I don't get why people get annoyed when a song becomes mainstream, or more like when a non-mainstream song becomes mainstream. I listen to Sigur Ros, and when I heard Hoppipolla being used in an advertisement here, I feel so proud of them! I don't feel like "OMG they used Hoppipolla, they're going mainstream! Crap!"

Secondly, I think the whole "mainstream" issue is pretty ambiguous too. Like what do you mean by they sound mainstream? If they sound mainstream, but people like them, then I see no problem at all. Because at the end of the day we are the one that interpret the beauty of each music. So I see no problem if a piece of good music becomes mainstream because I still feel and see the beauty in the music no matter how many people are listening to it now.

And then comes the issue with bands changing their direction of musical style. Like I said, we are not the ones who instruct our favourite artists to write songs that cater to our ears. Every artist has the freedom to write, compose and do whatever music they want! Okay maybe sure we can feel disappointed if we love a rock artist who suddenly plays country for a new album entirely. And I'm pretty sure that won't happen to any artist heh.

For example, I love Lana Del Rey. I truly love and enjoy her first LP "Born To Die" and I was really looking forward to her new album Ultraviolence. When West Coast was released, I was more excited because it sounds really good. But hmm honestly speaking I prefer Born To Die than Ultraviolence, and I totally respect Lana's decision to why she wants to create Ultraviolence. I am not going to blame Lana for like creating an album that I enjoy lesser than her previous one.

Okay at the end of the day, to sum things up:

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and preference when it comes to music. But do remember that your favourite artists are also entitled and they have the freedom to create what they want to create as a musician, as an artist.

So please don't go hating your artist and blaming them just because they write something your ears do not like. I think if you're a true fan, you would respect their decision and you won't blame them whatsoever for these things that you do not like. And also, don't go hating on them because a lot of people have known them now. You should feel happy! That they've made it big in the music industry. And if they stay true to their musicality, they will always be true musicians to you, that's "unaltered" (if you would like to say it) by this mainstream-ism.

There's a joke that I read on the internet about this year's Laneway in Singapore, on a satirical website. Like how this "person" decided to stop listening to his favourite bands because so many people attended their concert (in Laneway) when they're not supposed to be mainstream. Of course it's a joke. Like how I made the same joke to my friend when I went to Laneway last year haha.

Yes I am guilty too that last time I used to make fun of "mainstream" and "non-mainstream" music. I used to say how SOME mainstream music are really bad. I mean really though, some of them have lyrics that have no depth, poor melody and so on. But some mainstream music are really awesome. So in the end, I learned that the quality of the music is not based on whether they are mainstream or not. It's all really purely based on the music! Right?

Okay I feel better blogging this heh. Because well I think the band shouldn't take the blame if some of their fans don't like what their ears are listening to. Because I believe that the band has every freedom to write songs that they want to write.

Just like how we have every freedom to listen to what we want to listen