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Topic ClosedWhy isn't prog popular?

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thehallway View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2011 at 15:35
I haven't read the entire thread, so excuse any repetition......
 
The ABSOLUTE PRIMARY AND MOST COMMON reason behind somebody not liking this genre we call progressive rock is: they haven't heard it.
 
Even the people that have heard it, most likely haven't "heard" it.
 
You will not listen to something unless you want to, and how can you want to listen to something if a) you don't know it exists, b) you listened to a minimal amount for a minimal amount of time, and didn't like that, or c) listened for sufficient intervals but still did not find any enjoyment?
 
The answer to the above question is: you can't. The answer to the thread is: most people in the world fit into the a) category mentioned above. Some fit into the b) category. A minority DO listen to and enjoy prog rock. And an even smaller minority fall into the c) category.
 
Of course this is mere speculation, but my experience with "people" so far, leads me to believe that this is case.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2011 at 16:16
People don't understand the great complexity of the music and the lyrics. People are overwhelmed by all the popular mainstream music and that's all they want.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2011 at 16:24
I'll say it again.They're a****les.And this phenomenon is non - logical.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2011 at 20:34
Originally posted by Prog Geo Prog Geo wrote:

I'll say it again.They're a****les.And this phenomenon is non - logical.

Woah, calm down there.  
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2011 at 22:00
Originally posted by Prog Geo Prog Geo wrote:

I'll say it again.They're a****les.And this phenomenon is non - logical.


Let me see if I can summarise what we have so far:

1. I like Prog
2. Some people don't like Prog
3. Those people who don't like Prog may share a liking for other things I like apart from Prog
4. Those people who do like Prog may not share a liking for the other things we like apart from Prog
5. Ergo, the people who don't like Prog are a**holes

Conclusion:

a) My value system rests entirely upon an individuals opinion of a minority niche musical market
b) a* is certainly either non-logical or illogical


Edited by ExittheLemming - January 23 2011 at 22:32
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2011 at 22:55
Originally posted by Bonnek Bonnek wrote:

 I try to look for music that wants to be more then just entertainment.

What is music that is more than just entertainment? And please don't say art. 
Originally posted by thehallway thehallway wrote:

The answer to the above question is: you can't. The answer to the thread is: most people in the world fit into the a) category mentioned above. Some fit into the b) category. A minority DO listen to and enjoy prog rock. And an even smaller minority fall into the c) category.
 
Of course this is mere speculation, but my experience with "people" so far, leads me to believe that this is case.
Exactly, people are generally receptive to at least something within prog if they care about music and are willing to give it a chance.  In fact, I would say that the majority of people are receptive to the majority of music, if they've heard it. It's all about promotion. 

I hate to break it to you guys, but prog is not exactly the most esoteric music available. Complaining about the poor taste of "mainstream music fans" is a bit ironic if you're listening to a Gold or Platinum certified classic album (Moving Pictures is even 4x Platinum), not to mention if like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin.

Edited by Henry Plainview - January 23 2011 at 23:00
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 00:57
Originally posted by Junges Junges wrote:

because most people aren't interested in music at all.


Clap

This is the correct answer!
"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent" - Victor Hugo
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 01:07
 
Originally posted by Anderson III Anderson III wrote:

Originally posted by Junges Junges wrote:

because most people aren't interested in music at all.

Clap

This is the correct answer!

At all? Almost everybody likes music. Most people don't care about it to the degree we and other hardcore fans do, but music fandom is not an obscure taste. 
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Anderson III View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 01:08
Originally posted by Henry Plainview Henry Plainview wrote:

Originally posted by Bonnek Bonnek wrote:

 I try to look for music that wants to be more then just entertainment.

What is music that is more than just entertainment? And please don't say art.


How about anything? It could be a way to reach catharsis, a sleeping pill, a shot of adrenaline, or it could be even entertainment... Basicly music changes the way I see the world, and I don't know how it happens!

It's art! Sorry.
"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent" - Victor Hugo
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Anderson III View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 01:12
Originally posted by Henry Plainview Henry Plainview wrote:

 
Originally posted by Anderson III Anderson III wrote:

Originally posted by Junges Junges wrote:

because most people aren't interested in music at all.

Clap

This is the correct answer!

At all? Almost everybody likes music. Most people don't care about it to the degree we and other hardcore fans do, but music fandom is not an obscure taste. 


Yeah. A lot of people have told me too that they like music. And when I ask them what's so special about the music, they tell me the artist has such a great attitude or that she's so beautiful. They don't like music, and I don't really care if they think they do.
"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent" - Victor Hugo
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 01:36
Why?

Because most people are shallow with short attention spans.....

Or

Most people have a life...
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JS19 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 08:13
Originally posted by cobb2 cobb2 wrote:

Most people have a life...

This


Edited by JS19 - January 24 2011 at 08:13
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 08:58
This thread is great fun.
 
Converting people to prog. LOL

I also like how the concept of 'other people' is constantly invoked in order to express highly unsound and generalizing prejudices.  

I don't care about - and don't have answer to - why prog is unpopular. But I think it's arrogant to assume that 'other people' in some way or other just don't understand it, haven't got the ability to concentrate and listen closely and generally aren't in possession of the many praiseworthy virtues required.  
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JS19 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 13:30
Originally posted by Paravion Paravion wrote:

This thread is great fun.
 
Converting people to prog. LOL


I love how that just got added to the thread name, when I certainly didn't put it there....
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 13:55
Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

'Cos it ain't sexy and attempts to make it so would alienate it's consumers and just be plain vanilla creepy:

An oiled up Robert Fripp stripped to the waist in sparkly disco pants is NOT a spectator sport.Wink


We won't know til we try.
 
Well, you gotta admit ... he might make KISS sound a lot better ... but the outfit, could be ... interesting to say the least, but an enjoyable joke!
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 14:14
Originally posted by Ivan_Melgar_M Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:

Because we live in a fast society that likes fast food and fast music.

They want the music served to dance or enjoy in their free time without having to do anything...Prog requires participation and especial attention  from the listener...That's not what they want.

Iván
 
I think this is the case in any "serious music" (sorry ... been stuck on the term since that Zappa issue of Mojo) .... and maybe this is the part of learning as one grows up.
 
I don't think that many of us, did not enjoy the mindless music in our teens. It wasn't exactly my thing then, but I could not say no to my girlfriend and not go to a disco for a couple of hours ... and it has nothing to do with the music, I don't think ... it has to do with just having some fun.
 
It is one of the issues with me for "classical music" that it does not have enough fun, and does not allow for the expression and freedom that rock and jazz has shown us in the past 60 years ... and while I wish to elevate the "progressive" music, in the end, I do not think I want to turn it into another dead beat piece of music that no one can enjoy or is going to bother seeing ... how many of us go to see the local symphony ... yeah ... let me see those fingers, and not the wrong one, please.
 
I think that it is all more of a reflection of "advertising" and the "media" than anything else. But it doesn't mean that we should not, or can not, show that ... the media and advertising ... are not always the best way to learn what music, or art is really all about.
 
It's up to us, and a board like this, to help implement that change ... is the way I look at it, and I try my best ... even if sometimes I come off  ... with anchovies! ... (like the media doesn't! for me!)
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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thehallway View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 14:27

Lots of people like music.

But lots more people like "that new music video" or  "that sexy new pop singer"

It's more about celebrity than art now, where people idolise the artists and not the music itself. "Lady Gaga is such an inspiration 'cos she came from a poor background"....... this sounds like it may inspire a business person but not a musician. 

When it IS about the music, it is about dancing to it, or singing along to the melody (which is likely to be present throughout the entire song).

When this isn't the case, you get rock, jazz, classical fans..... whatever. And a minority of these are prog fans; smaller in number because prog requires an even further level of dedication, commitment, time, money.......


Plus, prog is not very publicised.



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 14:32
Originally posted by JS19 JS19 wrote:

Originally posted by silverpot silverpot wrote:

I have a feeling that one of the explanations for the huge success of the seventies prog bands is that they created very good melodies. Amid the interesting arrangements, creative playing and fun time signatures there was almost always a hummable tune.
Very few of todays prog bands seem to put much emphasis on this aspect. Porcupine Tree and Tool do, but I have yet to hear a good song from Dream Theater (don't shoot me, I haven't heard everything, I might find something eventually).  The playing is often great but good song writing is lacking.



Blatant stereotyping will not really help this discussion...


Hm, as far as I've seen in this thread a lot of stereotyping is going on. Like, people who doesn't like prog are unintelligent, can't enjoy complex music or is not even interested in music at all.
As if there isn't a lot of music going on between prog and the Bieber kid.
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Henry Plainview View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 15:03
Originally posted by Anderson III Anderson III wrote:

Originally posted by Henry Plainview Henry Plainview wrote:

 
Originally posted by Anderson III Anderson III wrote:

Originally posted by Junges Junges wrote:

because most people aren't interested in music at all.

Clap
This is the correct answer!

At all? Almost everybody likes music. Most people don't care about it to the degree we and other hardcore fans do, but music fandom is not an obscure taste. 

Yeah. A lot of people have told me too that they like music. And when I ask them what's so special about the music, they tell me the artist has such a great attitude or that she's so beautiful. They don't like music, and I don't really care if they think they do.


Originally posted by thehallway thehallway wrote:

Lots of people like music.

But lots more people like "that new music video" or  "that sexy new pop singer"


I'm not disputing that hardcore music fans are the minority, but these two things are not mutually exclusive.

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thehallway View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2011 at 15:13

^ Did I say they were??


Some people may indeed like the singer, video, AND music. These people are the young musicians who learn some chords on a piano/guitar and show off to their class mates. It takes a prog fan to shut them up with a crazy synth solo! Clap



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