The Music Snob – Volume 1: The Battle

The Battle between music snobs and casual listeners has been raging for years and it’s getting pretty frustrating trying to figure out who’s to blame. Personally I blame both sides. I’ll admit at times I can be pretty bold in my ridicule of some radio junkies but in my opinion it’s all for the best. But before I get into it let me back up a few steps and explain who exactly we are talking about here. The music snob is your classic indie music fan. He or she finds little known or obscure bands to enjoy listening to and loathes the radio and anything corporate or mainstream. You know who I’m talking about. You may even be one of them. Your casual listener is the one who listens to the radio and learns to enjoy whatever happens to be playing. Whether something better is out there, they don’t care. They just know that this is the easiest way to hear popular music that has already been hand picked by the people who really know music, the record label and radio execs. Right? Now obviously these are the two extremes when it comes to these to classes of music fans. Most of us fall somewhere in-between these two stereotypes, but regardless there are two sides to the battle and here my take on it.

Let’s first look at how important music is to these two groups of people. For the music snob it’s pretty high up. I would say top 3. Just barely below family and loved ones but just above their hipster vintage wardrobe. For the casual listener it’s somewhere in the middle or maybe even towards the bottom. Everyone has their interests. Your not a bad person for not liking music as much as some people and that’s not where the clash begins  ( I just said “The Clash” without even trying). The majority of the conflicts become personal when the music snob’s music also becomes the casual listeners music. All of a sudden these to extremes become one and there are two scenarios that may occur to turn this conflict into a battle, but first lets step back and look at how we got to this point of co-mingling music.

It all starts with your music snob browsing his local record store, reading up on new bands or finding out about this great new band through a show he went to. You see the music snob actively pursues new music. He or she actually works to find something new and exciting and reaps the benefits of it greatly. When you catch onto a band early on in their career you feel a personal bond as you follow them album to album. You’ll go see them in a small club with maybe 50 other people, after the set you can head back and talk to them at their merch booth and get a few autographs. You gain a bond with them, and whether they remember you, you will still remember them. Overtime they might go from an opening act to a headliner. Your still following them, buying every album, enjoying “your” band. Now of course they aren’t yours but they surely aren’t “theirs” yet. The shows are pretty much filled with people like you which is fine because they worked just as hard to be a fan like you. Then it happens, the new album, it gets a little press, whether it’s from a major music mag, the radio, or MTV and it’s all over. The casual listener here’s the song and all of a sudden they are hooked. Like lemmings, like sheep, they mosey on into “your” bands territory and totally crash your party. Now here is where the battle begins.

The worst way this battle starts is with your casual listener who jumps on the bandwagon a bit to hard and thinks the band is the greatest thing since sliced bananas. It’s not so bad that they like the band, thats not what bothers the music snob, its when they try to act like the bands biggest fan or say they know their music so well because they memorized a few of their old songs. Its easy to pick these people out, especially at concerts. They are the people who cheer when the roadies come out to do mic and instrument checks. No, sorry folks, that’s not actually the band. Maybe if you got the CD and checked the liner notes you would have seen the pictures of them, but wait, you must have just downloaded the few of their catchy songs of iTunes. My mistake. You may get mad at the music snobs for always talking about how long ago they found out about the band or bragging about how he has their debut EP. It’s not necessarily out of arrogance, it’s just to separate themselves from the casual listener. Otherwise what else are they comparted to everyone else.They worked hard to fill the pool and now too many new people are jumping in it and enjoying something they didn’t even work for. To the music snob it’s frustrating, especially because a lot of the fans are oblivious to the fact that this band even existed before they heard it on the radio.

A lot of times the pandamonium runs its course and the next album goes unnotticed to the casuall listeners and the band belongs to the music snobs once again. Other times it’s over for good. and the music snobs have lost their band to the masses for good. Some music snobs stick with the band and others just go find something else new to call their own. When you think about it it’s just as selfish of the music snob to want the band for himself as it is for the casual listener to call the band his own. As a die-hard fan wouldn’t you want them to be successful. Wouldn’t you want the band you think is so great to be heard by the masses. Shouldn’t you be happy that this great band is finally getting out and making good money doing what they love. Granted, it’s not the fanbase that is most ideal, but if the band is that great why keep it to yourself.  To me thats just selfish, but I’ll admit I cringe when I hear a band I love on the radio for the first  time. I know what can happen if the lemmings come. It means I don’t get to talk to the lead singer after the show, it means I’m going to be somewhere in the middle of the crowd and not front row like usual. Both sides are justified and both sides but both sides can also solve this too. I think it all comes down to tollerence and awareness. Easy to say but hard to do. If the music snobs can be a little more tolerable of these casual fans there wouldn’t be as much of a problem. If they really want to be fans they’ll stick with the band and if they are just bandwagon jumpers they’ll be gone when the next band comes around in a month so have some patience. On the otherhand if the casaul fans can just be aware that others where here first. Respect them for getting this band popular enough for it to make it to the radio for you to hear it. They did all the work for you so don’t be mad at them if they seem a little peeved that you squeezed in front of them at the show. So both sides, lets just get along.

Now Playing: Tokyo Police Club – Tessellate