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Right, let me start this off by saying that I am NOT biased towards the Alternative Music scene. Well, I am, but I'm going to attempt to keep this out of my blog today. Otherwise it's not fair on the chart scene. Although I should point out that I'm not going to spend hours and hours scouring the internet looking for sales figures, profits made and gig tickets sold. This is purely my opinion and speculation. This is a personal blog, not an official resource for information. You have been warned.
Firstly, let's address the sales of records for one band from each category:
Slipknot: Over 14 Million records as of May 2010.
Kanye West: Over 16 Million sales.
Now those are NOT completely accurate sales, nor are they up-to-date, but it rings true in the sense that it's fairly obvious that the Chart Music scene DOES sell more music. Much more music. That's why they're in the CHARTS. But does this mean that the music is BETTER? Or does it mean that they just manage to sell more because they're more laid back listening?
One thing that I have noticed about chart music, is that it always seems to be the same people in there. At least somewhere. I mean, I'm going to make a prediction now that there's going to be 5 people in the UK Top 40 (I haven't really been out much, and I don't watch TV, nor have I checked the Top 40 in about a year, so I have literally no idea what's popular at the moment). And I'm fairly confident that these 5 people will be SOMEWHERE in the top 40 list.
My prediction: Katy Perry, Eminem, Kanye West, Adele & Lady Gaga.
Who I got right: Katy Perry, Eminem (Kind of, he sings in "I need a Doctor, by Dr, Dre" - Half a point.), Kanye West, Adele & Lady Gaga
Who I got wrong: None. But I lose half a point for Eminem not having his own single.
Wow. I've genuinely impressed myself there, I thought I'd get 2, maybe 3 right. Not 4, almost 5. But this just proves my point! It's always the same people. Whereas if you look at the rock charts, it wouldn't be anywhere near that easy to guess. Should I try? Okay. I'll try. Note: I never look at rock charts, ever. But I do have the advantage of knowing when new albums have come out, so I'll try to go by that.
My prediction: Hollywood Undead, Foo Fighters, All Time Low, Enter Shikari & You me at six
Who I got right: Foo Fighters,
Who I got wrong: Hollywood Undead (I thought that the new album would help...), All Time Low, Enter Shikari, You me at six
Okay, I did even worse than I thought there. Most of the songs in the rock chart are old songs, like Enter Sandman by Metallica. Even the Foo Fighters prediction was actually off, as I thought it'd be a song off their new album. It wasn't. Although this DOES kind of damage my point in saying that chart music is the same people. Most of the artists in the rock chart have been in there for AGES.
But here's a NEW point: Chart Music is... temporary. There's a new trend every few weeks, be it the new song by Katy Perry, a one-hit-wonder by a fat black guy singing "Fuck you" over and over again, or another generic rap song.
Rock Music just seems to be so much more diverse. More heartfelt, more permanent. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are loads of chart music songs that were intended to make a statement, but too often does that statement get overlooked because it's being played in every night-club in the country to a room full of sweating, grinding students. Perhaps this is the reason it's so temporary? It's over-done. Rammed into your ears by just walking over the road to get some milk. I used to LOVE that "I wanna be a Rock Star" song by Nickelback before it hit mainstream. And no, I didn't go off it because it was popular, and it wasn't cool to like it anymore. I went off it because I heard it about 5 times a day, every day for about 6 fucking months. I'm sure I could be put off even my favourite bands if they were to be played to that extent.
There are few places that play rock music in a club atmosphere around here (in fact, I only know of one), and the refreshing thing is, they have such a HUGE catalogue of music to play, going back decades. People recognise these songs still, and all sing along to them, even though you don't know what to expect when you go there. If you're into the nightclubbing scene, you will hear the same songs every night. It's tiring, and the songs get over-done.
Another thing that I *really* like about the Alternative music scene is the personalities that go with it. I mean, look at Reading Festival: Riots on the last day, burning of tents and a fuckton of police needed. Download Festival: Nicest atmosphere in the world, and not a hint of rioting on the last day. And reading is only pseudo-chart music. Not even the whole hog.
I'm getting bored writing this now, and I'm sure a lot of you can't be bothered to read much more, but I'll finish on another high-point for the Alternative scene with a scenario:
Imagine you're single (if you're not, if you are, you'll do fine with this) and you're at a... house party, let's say. Now. You're a clever person, you have a diverse taste in music. You love a lot of rock bands, and you love a lot of chart musicians. Now imagine you want to approach someone and talk to them that night, someone of the opposite sex (unless you're gay, in which case the same sex). On one side of the room, there's someone attractive wearing a T-Shirt of your favourite chart music artist, or an album logo. Something that is obviously in relation to him, and shows the person is obviously a fan. On the other side of the room, you see someone wearing a t-shirt of your favourite Rock-band. Imagining that both of the people are indentical in terms of attractiveness, who are you more likely to approach? Who would you have more to talk about with? The rock band Tee, or the music artist Tee?
Peace out, music fans.
- Spudguy
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