Commentary
Rant & Rave!
by musiqtoneblog on Mar.02, 2009, under Commentary, General, Music
The feature that started the features on Musiqtone.com is back…probably until the next time one of us goes on a rant & rave…which is quite infrequent.
A rant & rave by: Ashley Fox, asst. regional head- East Coast
People are not defined by the music they listen to.
Sure, it can have an influence the way someone dresses, the thoughts they have or the things they do. It can affect the friends they make, the opinions they form and their lives as a whole.
But it doesn’t matter if someone likes Britney Spears and Boys Like Girls, or Taylor Swift and Weezy. It doesn’t matter if they only enjoy the songs you hear 30 times on top 40 radio. It doesn’t matter if they go to shows every other day of the week. it doesn’t matter if they only know a band’s “hit single” or if they can name of every song and can sing every word. None of that matters. Too many people put pre-judgments on people because of what they listen to. Some fans of certain bands are seen as being annoying or bitchy, and some kids pick on others just because they found out about a band (god forbid) after they hit the radio.
Music is the most wonderful thing in the world. It’s something that connects everyone to everything. So much can be held in a song. So much meaning, so many memories, so much love or hate. There is a reason why everyone says that music means so much to them. Why people look up to “rock stars” and spend money on music. It means something. It’s an international language. A way to explain thoughts or let out emotions. Music is just music.
Everyone likes something. There is a reason for different genres, and that’s because people have individual tastes. It’s something that makes us unique. And it’s okay to like something different. It’s okay to develop admiration for a band, whether it’s right as they are forming, or months after they’ve broken up. It’s okay to have so much appreciation for a lyricist or a musician you don’t know. It should be okay to listen to whatever makes you happy.
So please, stop giving dirty looks to the kid who likes Metallica and wears all black. Don’t make fun of the white kid who wears polos and enjoys Lil Wayne. Stop calling the kids who like All time Low and wear bright colors and Nikes “posers”. Close your eyes and open your ears. Stop judging on their appearance and their favorite bands, and start trying to appreciate music you may have not had much of a taste for before.
Word association: Jonased
by atrain2324 on Oct.16, 2008, under Commentary
WARNING: The following entry does NOT entail the opinion of Musiqtone.com and is solely the opinion of the writer.
The word: Jonased
Definition: When an act/band gets their existing fanbase taken over or growing by Jonas Brothers fans.
Examples:
All Time Low
Family Force 5
Secondhand Serenade
The Academy Is
Paramore
Dave Barnes
Cobra Starship
Justin Nozuka
The Veronicas
All of the following have had their fanbases either taken over or growing with Jonas Brothers fans. Up to you to consider it a good or bad thing but judging from some of the acts, it might be a bad thing. Because there’s more to a concert than play hit songs seriously. And I’m only saying for the general lot cuz we have some JB fans on staff and I must be very lucky because they love new music and music period.
Commentary:
Here’s how its bad to be "Jonased". There’s The Academy Is, a band that fused post-grunge with 70s heyday prog rock and punk music. That was in 2005. 3 years later, they dumb down their lyrics, William changes his voice, and create catchy pop/punk, more towards pop. If you gave a Jonas Brothers fan a copy of the original EP "The Academy", they would tell you most likely to stop.
Simply put, yes you get lots of new fans cuz that’s an aim for any music act, but you should not gain new fans at the expense of musical evolution. I’m not saying the JB make bad music, but the core group of fans are causing problems for bands whose music is way outside the pop genre.
Just because you heard one song from some act on TV or on the radio does not make you a fan at all. True fans won’t ask a band or act to just play a hit song, they will appreciate every song on an album or concert billing and they will also level constructive criticism if they don’t like a song or how the band/act is out there. True fans will like the act for the music first and not because they are "cute" or "hot". And true fans won’t go ticking off the act on stage either.
There. I said it. I have come out and spoken out. If you feel that I have insulted your intellect or music IQ, then feel free to tell me and leave the baseless juvenile insults at the door when you do…or not. If you feel I have insulted the Jonas Brothers fans in any way, I’m sorry, but this is not intended to be a pot shot at the fans, although fans’ behavior and music IQ is awfully making me close to throw pot shots. If you want to stage a boycott on the internet or outside my house, go right ahead.
You can leave feedback at my email address alanho@musiqtone.com.
