Interesting reads.

FluxBlog: It's Too Bad That Your Music Doesn't Matter

Idolator: An Idolator Real Talk Special Report: The Black Kids Hype Must Be Stopped

(This is more in reaction to the comments made than the actual essays themselves.)

Hmmm so makes me wonder if I, as the bedroom blogger, am contributing to this problem. Am I just trying to hype up bands that I like? Admittedly, one of my goals is to share songs and artists that I enjoy and try to get more people to pay attention to them. Although I don't really have a problem with saying that I don't like a particular band.

Am I "untrustworthy" because I openly admit that I blog about what I like? I suppose you could look at it that way. I'm not a music critic, and I know that. I may try to write something critical; but I'm not truly a music critic. So I guess you'd have to take what I write with a grain of salt and know that it's coming from my personal tastes, and not necessarily from an objective, neutral source. Although what I mean when I say "I write about what I like" is less of "I write about bands that I like" and more of "I stick to genres of music that I like," and the hell with trying to find "the next big thing." The hype machines post music from their "bands to watch," but if I'm not taken in by the song in the first 30 seconds, to hell with it. I know what I like, what I think sounds good, so even if every other blogger is screaming "OMG AMAZING," why bother? If I don't like it, I don't like it, period. Then again, like I said, does that mean, by sticking to the music I do like, I'm just contributing to this over-positive hype? Hmm.

In any case, it's true that the music blogosphere's pacing is ridiculous. Nobody could possibly keep up with it, with what's "hot right now" and stay happy with what they're doing. I'm feeling overwhelmed by my own iTunes library right now, because I've got so much crap on there that I've downloaded from I-have-no-idea-where and how much of it is good and how much of it should I just delete? But I don't usually take the time to shift through my library because I'm too busy listening to the music that I enjoy, stuff that I'm already familiar with and love usually because I took the time to discover it on my own and at my own pace. Honestly, now that I think about it, I don't think there's a single band or artist that I've fell in love with grace à a blog, but some of my favourite artists are the ones I've stumbled on myself or that a friend shared with me.

And I don't care for the "I got there first. I knew about them before you did. Away with you, teenyboppers."- or worse, the "I got there first, I knew about them first, and now that they're popular, they're not awesome anymore"- attitude that you find everywhere in pop culture, basically, although it's probably felt the most acutely in the realm of music. Although I am totally guilty feeling that way. (That's right, bitches, I was listening to these guys way before they got on their effing treadmills. YouTube success, pssh. Whatevs.) (Okay. Maybe not the greatest example. But it's the only one I really have. :S)

In the end, I don't want to be a "taste maker." Or do I? I'm not quite sure.

Anyway. /ramblings