What Classifies a Genre or Sub-Genre? - Music

mickilennial
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Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

Romanelli wrote:

The best thing I ever did for myself as far as discovering new music and being able to have an open mind was to completely disregard genre labels. I was limiting myself because I was allowing the label to get in the way of me listening with both ears and my brain open.

The result of this is that I don't care what genre an album falls into. If someone throws a rec my way, I'm going to listen to it without having an opinion about it beforehand, which may (or may not) influence my feelings about what I hear. What I am able to listen to and enjoy has increased a lot, and increases every day.

Genres? Don't care.

Being apathetic is a good standpoint, turly; but we should not disregard genres either.

mickilennial
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Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

This is why I sometimes wish that genres didn't exist. They really do get in the way for people new to the world of music. Being limited to one genre just isn't a good thing, at least I don't think so.

Genres are to help classification directories. What if I want to keep up with power metal in this imaginary world where genres don't exist or are not relevant? Hm? Sounds are grouped together for easier accessibility-- I do not walk in a bookstore and look in the "books" aisle.

Goodsir

Gowienczyk wrote:

Genres are to help classification directories. What if I want to keep up with power metal in this imaginary world where genres don't exist or are not relevant? Hm? Sounds are grouped together for easier accessibility-- I do not walk in a bookstore and look in the "books" aisle.

Yes, genres have some positive ends, too, and you've summed them up pretty well here. But I can't help but feel that genres have more negative effects on people. As I said with my black metal example from yesterday, genres limit many, many people into staying inside a solitary box of one or two genres. This eventually leads to close-mindedness when this certain person is introduced to a new genre by a friend/ family member. They just can't accept that genre. This is because literally everything is labeled. If they weren't, this person may have stumbled upon a fantastic album from a completely different genre without even trying.

mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Yes, genres have some positive ends, too, and you've summed them up pretty well here. But I can't help but feel that genres have more negative effects on people. As I said with my black metal example from yesterday, genres limit many, many people into staying inside a solitary box of one or two genres. This eventually leads to close-mindedness when this certain person is introduced to a new genre by a friend/ family member. They just can't accept that genre. This is because literally everything is labeled. If they weren't, this person may have stumbled upon a fantastic album from a completely different genre without even trying.

Genres do none of these things; people who want to be narrow-minded will be narrow-minded and are only using genres to their purposes, not the other way around.

RockyRaccoon
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Gowienczyk wrote:

Genres are to help classification directories. What if I want to keep up with power metal in this imaginary world where genres don't exist or are not relevant? Hm? Sounds are grouped together for easier accessibility-- I do not walk in a bookstore and look in the "books" aisle.

I wouldn't say that genres shouldn't exist, but rather that they are a limiting, necessary thing. I was just commenting on how insanely specific genres are getting, which I find interesting, and in some cases seemingly excessive.
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genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Yes, genres have some positive ends, too, and you've summed them up pretty well here. But I can't help but feel that genres have more negative effects on people. As I said with my black metal example from yesterday, genres limit many, many people into staying inside a solitary box of one or two genres. This eventually leads to close-mindedness when this certain person is introduced by a friend/ family member. They just can't accept that genre. This is because literally everything is labeled. If they weren't, this person may have stumbled upon a fantastic album from a completely different genre without even trying.

I don't thing genres are the cause of close-mindedness, people are close minded because people often think about music in a tribally, us vs. them, taste=self-identidy sort of way. Its not a coincidence that genres often come with some sort of image or stereotypical sort of person who listens to them. "goth", "punk", "metal-head".

Genres not existing is impossible, thats asking people never to never classify anything.

Goodsir

Gowienczyk wrote:

Genres do none of these things; people who want to be narrow-minded will be narrow-minded and are only using genres to their purposes, not the other way around.

Would the person be as narrow-minded if genres weren't labeled? My guess is no. Seriously, there are so many people that do this that I've seen, it's sad. What would happen if you suddenly labeled a genre incorrectly, would that black metal fan stumble upon a fantastic folk album? Yes.

mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

Would the person be as narrow-minded if genres weren't labeled?

Yes. See Yourself's post for why; genres not existing would change little if their mentality is the same.

Goodsir

RockyRaccoon wrote:

I wouldn't say that genres shouldn't exist, but rather that they are a limiting, necessary thing. I was just commenting on how insanely specific genres are getting, which I find interesting, and in some cases seemingly excessive.

I honestly think that they shouldn't exist. They are one of the two main things hurting the mainstream music industry. The other is money, but that's a conversation for another day. They are just hurting the music industry more and more every day. For example, just look at the new Lady Gaga album. What in God's name do you think would happen if it wasn't labeled pop? If it were labeled metal or hip-hop, would more people who are fans of metal and hip-hop buy it? Or would it just sell less not being labeled pop? See, now those metal and hip-hop fans are more varied in taste. Although it may not be the best pop, they've still been opened to a whole new world.

mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

genesisfoxtrot21 wrote:

I honestly think that they shouldn't exist. They are one of the two main things hurting the mainstream music industry. The other is money, but that's a conversation for another day. They are just hurting the music industry more and more every day. For example, just look at the new Lady Gaga album. What in God's name do you think would happen if it wasn't labeled pop? If it were labeled metal or hip-hop, would more people who are fans of metal and hip-hop buy it? Or would it just sell less not being labeled pop? See, now those metal and hip-hop fans are more varied in taste. Although it may not be the best pop, they've still been opened to a whole new world.

You are grasping at straws and genres not existing as a concept is frickin' terrible.