Is it normal to hate mainstream music?

@guacadoggie Sorry to say it, but punk is very mainstream. In fact, it is over 35 years old and has been cycled and recycled through mainstream music over and over since then.

Also: Everyone these days is 'indie', so 'indie', by its ubiquity, is, by definition now 'mainstream'.

True, there is more than one mainstream, just as there is more than one 'Average Joe' type. There is 'indie' mainstream (Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, The Strokes) and there is dance pop mainstream (Gaga, Bieber). The only thing is that what is mainstream now is not the same as what is mainstream 40 years ago and this confuses people into thinking that they distance themselves from the 'mainstream' by listening to the Decemberists instead of Justin Bieber, not realizing that these indie bands are now big business and as a whole are as big or nearly as big as dance pop.

An 'average' person today would be someone like Eli from Stargate Universe, Hurley from Lost or Leonard from The Big Bang Theory and NOT someone like Don Johnson, Archie Bunker, or Booth from Bones.

Just check out fan forums for each of these shows and see how many peeps think Hurley is just like someone they knew in high school. Same for Eli. Leonard is a bit of a caricature, but is still a good example.

People want to think that the 'average normal' person is a jock or an uncreative corporate wonk so they can feel more unique themselves. But, when EVERYONE starts thinking this way, it becomes a new mainstream all its own, which is why new shows don't depict Archie Bunker as an average guy anymore, since he is now no longer an average guy but is a marginalized relic of the past.

This applies hugely and especially to music. So, again, hate to say it, but it takes more to be 'different' from the mainstream than just listening to big business indie and punk bands like Rancid, Arcade Fire, Gogol Bordello, The Cribs, Belle and Sebastian and Wilco.

A few interesting facts that are hard for supposedly 'different' types to accept:
Vampire Weekend is more popular than Warrant.
The Cure has sold more albums than Limp Bizkit.
They Might Be Giants songs are more widely recognized than Nickelback songs.
Weezer has sold far more albums than Puddle of Mudd.
The Decemberists are more popular than Hoobastank.
Death Cab For Cutie is more popular than the Goo Goo Dolls.
Loser, by Beck, is more widely recognized than any song by Three Days Grace.

Same with people who think Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic or Zumiez are edgy. You know how much money these companies make?? They are anything but underground or outside the mainstream, but they sell lots and lots to those who think they are outside the box. It's called, derisively, Rebel Consumerism. As if, buying certain things makes one a rebel. All consumerism.

Im not even an artists and i feek the same way

Agreed, there are still good new artists out there, but only the crap becomes mainstream.

I hate all of this auto tune bullshit. I miss people who knew how to sing and could write quality stuff. Not lyrics that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Most music sounds the same and I'm tired of it. Metal now is becoming a mainstream joke. Most of the songs I hear sound the same and just about everyone is screaming into the microphone.

I'm tired of listening to mainstream crap, I prefer to listen to older music or artists that actually take their craft seriously.

I'm not fond of Mainstream Music either. I prefer Classical Music because it's natural, sophisticated, emotional and written by people who put 100% of their hearts into it.

I'm not saying that today's artists aren't passionate about music. The problem is that many of them don't put a lot of heart into it. Many of them have people who write their music for them, their songs contain bad lyrics suggestive of sex, drugs, violence and etc.

The thing I can say though, is that just because we don't like something it doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.

Yes yes yes yes yes, totally normal, AND i totally sympathize with you. It's FRUSTRATING to hear it more than anything. If your an artist, i suggest try tro stay away from it though. No mtv, or radio, or itunes, or, whatever. Dont fuck up your creative patterns!

Fuckin brilliant.
I like this.

Normal for me! I love rock!

99.3% of mainstream music sucks major ass (I just made that percentage up, but it just feels right).

It's often boring, soulless, contrived and has absolutely no substance. Where's the heart in mainstream? Real music comes from people who really enjoy it themselves, not the ones who want the most fans and to collect a paycheck.

This is partly why I listen to punk. [Most of it] is DIY and sings about real issues that truly matter to them. Even if it's a love song, it was actually their experience, not something someone saw on a reality tv show. And the lyrics are of the band's creation, not some writer hired by the record label.