I disagree with this. I follow the charts as a hobby, and I've noticed the charts are mainly based on whatever Capital FM and Radio 1 play. If those stations don't play a song, it won't chart, even if it's amazing. And if a terrible song gets lots of play on those stations, it'll still chart well.

Also, the charts only reflect what a small proportion of the country are downloading. Most iTunes users are female and over 25. My age group illegally downloads almost everything.

I premise of this thread is silly though. It's saying that it's common for people to only listen to what's in the charts, but the charts are so irrelevent today, most people never look at them, and aren't aware of what is doing well. I've never met anybody who only listens to chart music. There's people that mainly listen to chart music, but I guarantee they will like SOME songs that didn't chart. Some songs I hear all the time at my uni and in clubs are ones that never charted in the top 100.


Someone who simply doesn't like a type of music won't get labelled a "music snob". Someone who puts down others for their taste in music, or thinks their music taste is definitively superior, and thinks they're a better person for it, would get branded a "music snob", and I think that's fair enough. That kind of behaviour is extremely annoying. For example:

Saying "I don't like pop music, I find it boring. I prefer rock music" is fine. It's just your opinion.

Saying "Pop music listeners are sheep. They're lazy and boring. They can't think for themselves" is making personal attacks and sweeping generalisations based on someone's music taste. That's definitely snobbish, and should be called out as such.

Most, but not all. I'm 23 and have been downloading from iTunes since I was 17. I would never download illegally from places IT Law lecturers don't approve of

It's a legitimate approach to analysing pop music by looking at the charts. The difficulty is discerning all the elements which contribute to how any particular recording gets through the production process and ends up in the chart. That process or set of processes is essentially what pop music is about.

You have to work out where it starts, perhaps with the creative urge to write a song or play music and how it ends with global stardom or relative obscurity. A lot goes on in between, one element being the filtering processes of radio play and critical reviews and an other being the reception of the audience. Hence a thread like this.



I agree there are very few who just listen to the charts and it's arguable that rigorous adherence to sub genres like death metal or grime is just as herdish behaviour as only listening to the charts. Neither scenario provides a full picture, of course.

Pop music in terms of the wider cultural development is at a standstill. The only issues of interest now with pop music are about technology and distribution. And when it comes to distribution and listening people aren't sheep.

Huge generalisation, you shouldn't judge everyone by your dodgy behaviour!