"Good lord, Internet! Cut it out!" On Excessive Beiber Hate

[PosthumanHeresy]

I have no issue with that. I get they need money. I just know that there a million skilled, awesome bands that would make just as much money for the executives if they told told the public to like that instead.

The problem is that you're assuming that the public is "told to like it." They're not. Our brain responds well to patterns, including in music. Everyone knows how a pop song will go, and our brains are outright demanding predictability so it can reward itself with figuring out the pattern. That's why this stuff is popular: the public is demanding it from the executives, not vice versa.

Be careful about universalising Western music. Guess where Western tonality isn't the norm? Most of the world.

Fred, you're actually kinda wrong. There was a song about this. America's culture displaces everyone else's. As the song says, "we're all living in America".

Pop is a little over fifty. It simply is not universal. It just isn't. Our modern preference for very simple music is not hardwired into our brains.

No, the music that Western audiences perceive as "pop" is a little over 50. The article I linked specifically mentions how someone raised on Western music won't be able to predict patterns in Indian raga. However, the article's main point is how music's evolutionary purpose is likely linked to predicting patterns. Our brains respond well to being able to identify patterns. Different cultures have different ideas of common music, but what's consistent is that our brains are wired to respond positively to something predictable. It just so happens that modern pop music is what we're raised on, and thus what we can most easily predict.

Modern pop music is what some of us were raised on. I went to bed in elementary school with Powerman 5000, Disturbed and Kiss.

[Shane for Wax]

I have no issue with that. I get they need money. I just know that there a million skilled, awesome bands that would make just as much money for the executives if they told told the public to like that instead.

The problem is that you're assuming that the public is "told to like it." They're not. Our brain responds well to patterns, including in music. Everyone knows how a pop song will go, and our brains are outright demanding predictability so it can reward itself with figuring out the pattern. That's why this stuff is popular: the public is demanding it from the executives, not vice versa.

Be careful about universalising Western music. Guess where Western tonality isn't the norm? Most of the world.

My trips to England, Germany, and Belgium would prove you a little wrong there... It's just in a different language in some countries. There are even dance clubs and such who are very into American-made music.

Germany may be stuck two decades previous than this one when it comes to American music but it's there.

[Flying Mint Bunny!]

I have no issue with that. I get they need money. I just know that there a million skilled, awesome bands that would make just as much money for the executives if they told told the public to like that instead.

The problem is that you're assuming that the public is "told to like it." They're not. Our brain responds well to patterns, including in music. Everyone knows how a pop song will go, and our brains are outright demanding predictability so it can reward itself with figuring out the pattern. That's why this stuff is popular: the public is demanding it from the executives, not vice versa.

Be careful about universalising Western music. Guess where Western tonality isn't the norm? Most of the world.

My trips to England, Germany, and Belgium would prove you a little wrong there... It's just in a different language in some countries. There are even dance clubs and such who are very into American-made music.

Germany may be stuck two decades previous than this one when it comes to American music but it's there.

I thought England, Germany and Belgium were classed as being Western.

[Shane for Wax]

It depends on who you talk to. A lot of people I talk to don't consider Europe western world as the US is.

There's also the black market of American stuff in the Middle East and Russia. So there's that.

And apparently Japan has a hard-on for American stuff same as a lot of Americans have a hard-on for Japanese stuff.

The world isn't as different as you want it to be, or think it to be.

[chitoryu12]

European pop culture is actually a few years behind American. When we did Game On!, it was made specifically for European cultural sensibilities. What this means is that if an American watches it, it seems hopelessly out of date. As in "Hannah Montana is relevant" out of date.

[PosthumanHeresy]

That said, European nations gave us Sabaton, Lordi, Rammstein and Avatar (Swedish metal band). So, yeah.

[Askold]

European pop culture is actually a few years behind American. When we did Game On!, it was made specifically for European cultural sensibilities. What this means is that if an American watches it, it seems hopelessly out of date. As in "Hannah Montana is relevant" out of date.

I don't think that pop culture is something that advances linearly. Like you could look at some song and say that this is 50 years behind another song. Pop culture changes as time goes on, that is true and the differences between Europe and North America are caused by the differences in the countries and their cultures and the local musicians do affect each other which causes variations in their circles as styles become popular or other influences are taken from others.

But saying that Europe is behind America sounds like we are using steam engines while you guys have nuclear power. Which is frankly insulting because I don't think that wether the kids listen to Scooter or Hannah Montana makes either group more or less advanced.

(And for the record, maybe Miss Montana hadn't gained pupolarity in Europe as quickly as she had in USA? Maybe some artists gain popularity in other countries later and if they seem "old news" in their homeland that is irrevelant since the music might be "new" to the people in other countries.)

[Flying Mint Bunny!]

European pop culture is actually a few years behind American. When we did Game On!, it was made specifically for European cultural sensibilities. What this means is that if an American watches it, it seems hopelessly out of date. As in "Hannah Montana is relevant" out of date.

I don't think that pop culture is something that advances linearly. Like you could look at some song and say that this is 50 years behind another song. Pop culture changes as time goes on, that is true and the differences between Europe and North America are caused by the differences in the countries and their cultures and the local musicians do affect each other which causes variations in their circles as styles become popular or other influences are taken from others.

But saying that Europe is behind America sounds like we are using steam engines while you guys have nuclear power. Which is frankly insulting because I don't think that wether the kids listen to Scooter or Hannah Montana makes either group more or less advanced.

(And for the record, maybe Miss Montana hadn't gained pupolarity in Europe as quickly as she had in USA? Maybe some artists gain popularity in other countries later and if they seem "old news" in their homeland that is irrevelant since the music might be "new" to the people in other countries.)

I agree, also you have to consider that stuff from America isn't even released in Europe at the same time it is there.

[chitoryu12]

European pop culture is actually a few years behind American. When we did Game On!, it was made specifically for European cultural sensibilities. What this means is that if an American watches it, it seems hopelessly out of date. As in "Hannah Montana is relevant" out of date.

I don't think that pop culture is something that advances linearly. Like you could look at some song and say that this is 50 years behind another song. Pop culture changes as time goes on, that is true and the differences between Europe and North America are caused by the differences in the countries and their cultures and the local musicians do affect each other which causes variations in their circles as styles become popular or other influences are taken from others.

But saying that Europe is behind America sounds like we are using steam engines while you guys have nuclear power. Which is frankly insulting because I don't think that wether the kids listen to Scooter or Hannah Montana makes either group more or less advanced.

(And for the record, maybe Miss Montana hadn't gained pupolarity in Europe as quickly as she had in USA? Maybe some artists gain popularity in other countries later and if they seem "old news" in their homeland that is irrevelant since the music might be "new" to the people in other countries.)

I agree, also you have to consider that stuff from America isn't even released in Europe at the same time it is there.

That's exactly why Europe is a few years behind America. It has nothing to do with "steam engine vs. nuclear power" and everything to do with "This pop star faded away in 2011 but is still popular in Europe today."

[Witchyjoshy]

I'm spontaneously wondering how Eiffel 65 is doing today.

[chitoryu12]

I'm spontaneously wondering how Eiffel 65 is doing today.

According to what I can find, still operating after officially reuniting in 2010. They're still touring (like a "mini-tour" in Australia) and are making slow progress on another album.

[Witchyjoshy]

I'm spontaneously wondering how Eiffel 65 is doing today.

According to what I can find, still operating after officially reuniting in 2010. They're still touring (like a "mini-tour" in Australia) and are making slow progress on another album.

I'm oddly looking forward to it.

I still have "Europop" somewhere.

[Shane for Wax]

I loved listening to the pop stations in Germany/Belgium. It was fascinating.

[chitoryu12]

When I played Euro Truck Simulator 2, my trucker was based out of Germany. And it's game that lets you listen to any web radio it can access, especially ones based in the European countries. So, of course, I had him listen to Antenne Niedersachsen.

It can be a bit surreal listening to it. You can go from P!nk to HIM to Gavin DeGraw within literally seconds.

[Art Vandelay]

When I played Euro Truck Simulator 2, my trucker was based out of Germany. And it's game that lets you listen to any web radio it can access, especially ones based in the European countries. So, of course, I had him listen to Antenne Niedersachsen.

It can be a bit surreal listening to it. You can go from P!nk to HIM to Gavin DeGraw within literally seconds.

Apparently Diesel.og is an extremely popular trucking song over in Germany.