Is prog still an underground genre?

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   It's a good question, probably the most interesting topic we've had around here in a while.   

Because of technology and the cultural shifts that have occurred over the past twenty years or so, nothing is really 'underground' anymore to the extent that everything is accessible and available to anyone who cares.   If enough people decide they like something, it becomes...'popular'(?).   But even the unpopular things can still have a voice and a space, so the context surrounding what is underground vs. overground is less discernible.   Which is a good thing, I think.   In other words, no one really cares anymore what the person next to them enjoys, and that's the way it should be.   

As for prog--  yeah, I can't seeing it being any more overground than it currently is, which is to say demographically it is no more or less underground than it has ever been.

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Atavachron Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 30 2006 Location: Pearland Status: Offline Points: 65250	Post Options Post Reply Quote Atavachron Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 02 2018 at 18:08
	It's a good question, probably the most interesting topic we've had around here in a while. Because of technology and the cultural shifts that have occurred over the past twenty years or so, nothing is really 'underground' anymore to the extent that everything is accessible and available to anyone who cares. If enough people decide they like something, it becomes...'popular'(?). But even the unpopular things can still have a voice and a space, so the context surrounding what is underground vs. overground is less discernible. Which is a good thing, I think. In other words, no one really cares anymore what the person next to them enjoys, and that's the way it should be. As for prog-- yeah, I can't seeing it being any more overground than it currently is, which is to say demographically it is no more or less underground than it has ever been.
	"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy

AFlowerKingCrimson Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 02 2016 Location: Philly burbs Status: Offline Points: 18265	Post Options Post Reply Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June 02 2018 at 17:41
	I got into prog in the eighties when it was very much in hibernation at least as far as commercial visibility is concerned. Towards the end of that decade I gradually discovered more and more lesser known bands culminating in my discovery of the prog underground via newsletters and prog cd catalogs(most notably the fledgling laser's edge which is now one of the most respected online prog vendors). Even before the internet it was evident to me this genre wasn't going anywhere and was still very much alive. Then when the world wide web made prog more visible to maybe those who weren't on newsletter or prog catalog mailing lists it was clear that there was no turning back. I actually took a break from prog in the mid nineties when in college. However, it was there I first heard about newsgroups. This was around 1996. A few years later I joined the most well known for prog which was called r.m.p(recordings music progressive). This soon gave way to the website progressive ears(a sort of sister site to prog archives) which started around 2001 or so(PE actually started out as a yahoo group if I'm not mistaken). In the 90's especially it's pretty obvious that although it was growing prog was very much an underground genre much the same way it was in the 80's (especially in the US). In fact as far as the over all general music climate is concerned there is no significant difference in popularity between prog in the eighties and prog in the nineties despite what some prog fans will have you believe. Sure, prog was growing in the nineties in no small part because of the internet but it was still largely(if not entirely) an underground genre with no mainstream exposure and no albums universally labelled prog(other than the seventies icons)to release albums to make the music charts. In the mid 2000's(around 2005)all of a sudden you had albums by Porcupine Tree and the Mars Volta making the charts as well as fringe bands such as Muse gaining popularity. This along with other factors such as some exposure outside of prog circles led to the an increase in prog's visibility and inevitably it's over all popularity as well. This brings us to where we are now. So because of the many prog fans that now identify themselves as such online(not just on this site but also facebook and other social media sites such as reddit)can we still call prog an underground genre? My answer is yes I believe it still is. However, it's not nearly as underground as it was 15,20 or even just ten years ago. It has grown a lot and would not be where it is today if not for the internet and the various enclaves within it. Sure, artists like Steven Wilson or Opeth will ocassionallly pop into the charts and attract a wider audience but for the most part prog is still mostly unknown by the larger music audience. Those really into music and investigate it beyond the well known will inevitably at least know about prog but they do not represent the average music listener. So yes it's still underground but no longer deep underground. Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - June 02 2018 at 17:58