NationStates Jolt Archive

Why do people feel the need to categorise music so much? Who cares what a particular type of music is? It just makes things complicated when you go to record stores - finding Dead Kennedys in 'Rock & Pop' in MVC when there was a perfectly acceptable 'Punk and Hardcore' section makes me wonder...
It was the metal sub-genre thread that set this off, but that's not the only thread I've seen. There's more than 20 'different' genres of metal named in there - I reckon if it went on for long enough that thread would eventually name more genres of metal than there are metal bands. If I like something, I don't feel the need to name exactly what it is in a wider context. There are two types of music - the stuff I like, and the stuff I don't like. And the stuff that I'm fairly indifferent to, which I'll come to in a minute. If I like it, I'll ask round and try to find other music that's similar, but there's a strong likelihood I'll end up listening to several genres that way. In other words, it broadens my musical horizons if I don't just think 'Ooooh, I like XXX band, what genre are they, and what other bands are in that genre?'
So, why?! What's the obsession with categorisation?
Also, why are metalheads the only people who talk about music seriously on here?

categorising music makes it easier to describe to other people and comes in real handy when recommending music/bands or just talking to other people about music in general.
it also makes it easier to sell (so lets blame the record store capitalists, comrade ;))


other than that, i agree with you in that there's little point in segregating music in this way


why do metalheads talk about music so much? maybe its cos we love our music with a weird burning passion that other music fans don't seem to share :confused:

Because it makes it easier to discuss and it's a good way of finding other music that may to your tastes?

Metalheads talk seriously about music because we take our music seriously. ;)

Why do people feel the need to categorise music so much? Who cares what a particular type of music is? It makes it easier to choose other music you may end up liking. Not all music is the same after all. People that like pop might not like classical, or vice versa. So they can avoid those catagories and concentrate on something with a higher probability of likability..

categorising music makes it easier to describe to other people and comes in real handy when recommending music/bands or just talking to other people about music in general.

Exactly that.

Besides that, genre discussions are enjoyable--in the same way people find talking about their favorite sports team enjoyable. Besides, to know the different metal sub-genres you need to listen to a lot of metal, and then you tend to scoff at people who don't know them as something of an illeterate. It's a whole different language really.

Okay, well, i feel subgenres are relevant (to a point).

I could broadly say I like both punk rock and metal. That's nice. But I generally find prog rock pretentious, black metal meh, and ska boring. And then there's emo. So I don't like all rock, or metal. Yeah, there are only two types of music, good and bad. But pidgeonholing generally helps me make this distinction.

I won't limit myself to any particular genre (far from it), but if I hear something from a band in one genre, i'm likely to look up other bands classified as similar based on that particular genre association. I got into a whole slew of grunge music after discovering Nirvana. But y'see, that would have been a bit harder if I just asked "I like Nirvana, what other bands would I like?"

That, and what PM and Amerigo already said.