When Britain refused to listen
May. 31st, 2006 01:50 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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poptimists'Not heard it' is one of the more common comments read when the Top 40 polls are posted. Which is perhaps the most unsatisfying answer that can be given. Lots of people can say they've heard every single in the Top 40, provided they'd listened to JK & Joel that particular week. Although they may not necessarily remember all of them the next day...
But, if you 'haven't heard it', bloody why not?! I personally stopped listening to the Top 40 countdown in full around the same time as I started University - some ten years ago now. As you grow up it seems life gets more and more in the way, preventing you from having the same ease of control you may have previously enjoyed when it comes to making choices as a young viewer or listener. So far so obvious, and it seems this is the real reason why the Poptimists electorate are often at a loss to decide whether a recent Top 40 hit is good or bad based on how it sounds. There are other factors too such as the nature in which media has changed since then - dedicated music video channels, t'internet (esp. portals/filters/resources such as youtube and itunes) and downloading facilities...all things intended to make the pursuit of hearing music easier. But, it's not really working that well is it? At least, not for 'people old enough to know better' who seem to be ageing faster than the technology is progressing, and that's pretty terrifyingly fast. It's all too much. But, really, aren't these just excuses? Is this sort of reasoning good enough? Should we take it as a given that the charts are reasonably constant in terms of quality (regardless of the ebb and flow of sales figures)? Should a Poptimist be putting more effort in? It's not meant to be a chore after all.
I'm interested in any serious views people may have about the whole thing, so the question(s) be as follows:
What is your current attitude to pop (however you define it) and new music? Are you keen to hear as much of it as you can or do you prefer to revel in nostalgia (or perhaps some healthy balance of both)? Where do you turn to, specifically, now to find out about new music anyway? If you DO know every song in the top 40 any given week does this just make you a Chart Geek rather than a Pop Lover now? Do you even care about music or are you just one of those disgusting poll-fetishists I've heard about?
EH?
But, if you 'haven't heard it', bloody why not?! I personally stopped listening to the Top 40 countdown in full around the same time as I started University - some ten years ago now. As you grow up it seems life gets more and more in the way, preventing you from having the same ease of control you may have previously enjoyed when it comes to making choices as a young viewer or listener. So far so obvious, and it seems this is the real reason why the Poptimists electorate are often at a loss to decide whether a recent Top 40 hit is good or bad based on how it sounds. There are other factors too such as the nature in which media has changed since then - dedicated music video channels, t'internet (esp. portals/filters/resources such as youtube and itunes) and downloading facilities...all things intended to make the pursuit of hearing music easier. But, it's not really working that well is it? At least, not for 'people old enough to know better' who seem to be ageing faster than the technology is progressing, and that's pretty terrifyingly fast. It's all too much. But, really, aren't these just excuses? Is this sort of reasoning good enough? Should we take it as a given that the charts are reasonably constant in terms of quality (regardless of the ebb and flow of sales figures)? Should a Poptimist be putting more effort in? It's not meant to be a chore after all.
I'm interested in any serious views people may have about the whole thing, so the question(s) be as follows:
What is your current attitude to pop (however you define it) and new music? Are you keen to hear as much of it as you can or do you prefer to revel in nostalgia (or perhaps some healthy balance of both)? Where do you turn to, specifically, now to find out about new music anyway? If you DO know every song in the top 40 any given week does this just make you a Chart Geek rather than a Pop Lover now? Do you even care about music or are you just one of those disgusting poll-fetishists I've heard about?
EH?
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Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 02:43 pm (UTC)Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 02:45 pm (UTC)MP3 posts tend not to get that many replies/comments, btw.
Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 02:49 pm (UTC)you may notice that i upload them straight to the server, with the intention of removing them again after a week or so (but, er, forgetting often, heh heh)
Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 02:51 pm (UTC)Putting on the ORGAHAT we could do themed weeks! OMG this is a triffic idea (even if only I think so)
Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 02:53 pm (UTC)Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 02:58 pm (UTC)i never know whether people don't comment because they don't care (and haven't dl'd) or because they don't listen immediately after downloading and then after a day or two ahs passed it feels beyond teh lj-comment period of grace. Mind you, a friend posted an entry a couple of weeks ago where she was like 'what is this shaznay lewis song why do i have it and how is it so good?' which made me massively happy for being so very after-the-fact.
Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 03:00 pm (UTC)and a non anglophone hip-hop post sounds great.
Re: MP3s
Date: 2006-05-31 03:21 pm (UTC)