Listening With Context

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Following up from the poll (poor old Incubus)

Do you carry in your head an idea of the "average listener" as any kind of reference point? Did you ever? (whether you defined yrself for or against her/him)

aka - who ARE these "masses", anyway?

Comments

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

I can't even imagine what an average listener would be - would they like Girls Aloud or the Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Pavarotti or Dido or what? I'm aware that the average listener cares less about music than I do, spends less time and effort and thought and conversation and money on it, owns fewer CDs and so on, but I can't pin any particular tastes to the 'average' at all.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah I basically agree w/ Martin.

I'm not sure if the "average listener" actually likes music v much - I don't mean that they don't like what they buy, but they don't like music as a pursuit or hobby, just as I will watch and pay vague attention to major golf tournaments but wouldn't call myself a fan, only know the famous names, don't know anything about it in a technical sense.

It's basically indefensible but I am v v snobby and disapproving of "casual fans" of the things I love - I think they do immense harm to (coverage of) (and thus marketing of) tennis, and, y'know, I think they're pretty awful for music as well!

Haven't really thought about this enough to back it up but a conception of the "average music fan" as a typical straight-white-middle-class-man is what I do automatically think of, ie a demographic with not only the consuming power but the (gah, what is the WORD HERE)...structural power, to actually affect lists like this at the top end. ie not only do they have enough money to buy CDs of terrible straight white man bands, but they're also more likely to be in positions of power and influence within the music industry, and in all the other positions of power and influence which affect the decisions the music industry makes.