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[Night Owl]

I understand that, as a previous 'music elitist', I know all about these concepts precisely. It's big in the metal community to hate on any pop music or mainstream culture.

However, I would contend that "pop music" isn't actually what most people presume it to be, and maybe my understanding as a musician has taken some of the weight off the labels. For example, Iron Maiden could be considered pop music. Albeit with distorted guitars, fast drums and intense vocals, but it is none-the-less pop music in that it was not only a major popular icon, but it uses many pop music conventions, dynamics and 'hooks'. All of the same elements in pop music are present in classic rock, albeit in a different form. Look at the history of pop music before the 90's and you'll see it's basically just proto-rock or some manner of folk/cultural music. Disco was pop music, again in a different form. The Beatles were pop music. Not to mention, there is lots of 'mainstream' music, especially in classic rock, that defies the "2 and a half minutes of hooks" formula.

The fact is that what you are talking about can exist in ANY genre, that is, shallow or materialistic or egotistical ideas. Blues, jazz and the like has plenty of its own pretentiousness. Metal most definitely does.

What it is about big mainstream music though is not just that it is oriented towards these concepts in many cases, but it is highly repetitive and it is the repetition which makes it 'stick in your head'. So, by all means you could view some songs as being like brainwashing, however music is a huge industry and there is everything from the basement, solo artist to the big company performer and you can find every part of the spectrum in every part of every genre. Of course, it's less common for a big company performer to be really original and have most creative control, but that depends on the force of the individual it seems and the company they get involved with. I don't think they're universal.

There is a guy at work who plays this kind of music all the time and it's not that it is in itself terrible but he plays the same things all the time and they're so repetitive that you feel like you're fighting for original thought. However, that sort of thing is alleviated by not listening to it every goddamn day.

I agree and what I am talking about definitely relate to every genres, like I said there is good and bad in everything. I am simply saddened that those who try and do their best cannot make a living out of it.