Do you feel people complain about music they don't like more than talk about music they do like?

[sai 868]

I felt this sort of thread was relevant, because I've seen a lot of this in (especially) VK communities, both on this website as on other websites like tumblr, twitter, etc.

 

And as a side-question, do you think certain bands have a large anti-following because they're popular, rather than because their anti-following doesn't like their music? Lastly, without all of the negativity, do you think Japanese rock / VK discussions would still happen / be as interesting to engage in?

 

I'll post my opinion later when there are a few replies.

[Champ213 1858]

Well, first of all, MH is really the only online music-related online community I frequent, so I can really only base my experiences on this.

 

So, do they complain more than they actually talk? As a whole, I don't think so. But I guess the complaing is more obvious? And, in individual cases it's certainly true.  In general, there's nothing wrong with disliking a band, being critical of a band, or even poking fun at something really bad - in good doses. But once you are more concerend with bands you hate than with bands you like - you should seriously reconsider your priorities.

 

 

And as a side-question, do you think certain bands have a large anti-following because they're popular, rather than because their anti-following doesn't like their music?

 

Well, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they actually don't like the music. But they probably wouldn't express their dislike so much if it wasn't a popular band. Some people also might not give them a proper chance because they're famous.

 

 

Lastly, without all of the negativity, do you think Japanese rock / VK discussions would still happen / be as interesting to engage in?

 

Different standpoints/opinions are good. Without them discussions wouldn't happen. Outright negativity and hate is not good. It doesn't make for good or interesting discussions.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

I feel like, sure there's a lot of negativity but it's from people overreacting to some of the most mild comments. Even if the comment is pretty unnecessary like making fun of Mia's fake nose or bitching about Dir en grey playing Western metal. The responses from the cray crays are pretty over the top.

 

I think some of it is just due to people being pretty obsessive and unrealistic when it comes to their band worship. Any sort of criticism, even the most mild like, the kerning in the font on this album cover looks bad. Will receive responses with pretty outrageous comments because people take it as a personal attack. I think that's pretty common with VK, I'm not trying to put metal fans on a high horse (because they're pretty fucking stupid too) but it's the only fandom I interact with that I can use as a comparison. Yet a thread on say /r/metal with mild criticism like the above examples if anything would be mostly ignored but if you mildly criticize say MEJIBRAY or Dir en grey, the fans just come at you like you're some KKK dickwad Holocaust denier or Osama Bin Laden.

 

So really I don't think people are so negative, it's just a few loudmouths that will ruin a topic because they can't accept anyone saying anything but praise regarding their favourite artist or band.

 

***I kinda don't like using metal fandom as an example because comparing the two is like comparing shit to shit.

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

This isn't just a problem in VKei though. How do I know? Beyonce released an album this week. Everywhere has fans 'praising' her, usually by means of degrading any of the various pop stars that have released something within the past 3 months. If you take a look  at her individual track pages on last.fm, some are tagged like 'Rhianna is queen,' 'Flop,' 'Buy ____ Instead.'

 

 

This cycle repeats for everything. It's like pop music has evolved into who can amass the largest hoard of rabid zombies to control social media for as close to a week as possible. Then, I'd say after about 2 weeks, it'll stop and the fans will go back to just bashing on each other and perpetually having an argument over how ~their faves~ are better because of some chart they found on wikipedia backing up how much more right their opinion is. Quite frankly, it's annoying as fuck and any rap the vkei fans get for being rabid is absolutely nothing like mainstream pop. The worst part is: there's literally no discussion! It's just quoting the same song lyric 10000 times, saying 'Come to Brazil,' and then bitching about how much of a flop they are.

 

Oh, and ever since Born This Way, the thing to do is point out who copies whom so this must be bad musical opinion thing is not something created by Dir en Grey

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

just listen to the music bro

[nekkichi 6042]

Oh, and ever since sadie blatantly copieing Dir~En~Gray, the thing to do is point out who copies whom so this must be bad musical opinion thing is not something created by Dir en Grey

 

just narrowing ur examples, you know ~~~

[Sakura Seven 593]

mia's nose is NATURAL* HDU!!!

 

*organic biodegradeable silicone compound

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

I guess my original point is that while people may seem negative, those are just the loudest ones and stand out the most. When you think, where are all the reasonable people? Oh yeah, they're just listening to music and not giving a fuck.

[beni 2149]

But I guess the complaing is more obvious?

 

Totally this. I literally think this is why it looks that way. 

 

I guess my original point is that while people may seem negative, those are just the loudest ones and stand out the most. When you think, where are all the reasonable people? Oh yeah, they're just listening to music and not giving a fuck.

 

*salutes*

[evilcoconut 109]

I think the easy, simple answer is basically: yes.

 

In general, people have a problem of denigrating something else to bring something else up and it's sort of hilarious bc since when did that ever work?  Have you ever gone, oh yeah, my bad, you're right, this band I like sucks, let me just go listen to your band. 

 

Nah, never happened.

[vanivani 558]

I feel like people complain more in general... 

[JukaForever 758]

I don't mind negative talk as long as it actually has reasonable arguments. Disappointing releases for example. It irks me that some people linger on a thread for the sole purpose to shit talk and don't even have any genuine interest with the artist. Heck some people actually post music they don't like ... makes no sense smh

[Ro plz 1290]

A lot of what I see especially when it comes to the bigger bands such as Dir en grey, the GazettE, etc, is that people have these preconceptions or expectations about what their upcoming sound should be. Mind you, singles and interviews aside, NO BODY knows what goes through the minds of these musicians when composing and they ARE NOT mind readers. And even if they are, at the end of the day, what they make is what they make. When this expectation isn't met, its more of a nitpicking that's borderline going into complaining, that comes out of em. And they stick out like a sore thumb.

[hiroki 5521]

A lot of what I see especially when it comes to the bigger bands such as Dir en grey, the GazettE, etc, is that people have these preconceptions or expectations about what their upcoming sound should be. Mind you, singles and interviews aside, NO BODY knows what goes through the minds of these musicians when composing and they ARE NOT mind readers. And even if they are, at the end of the day, what they make is what they make. When this expectation isn't met, its more of a nitpicking that's borderline going into complaining, that comes out of em. And they stick out like a sore thumb.

 

actually what tends to happen is that people raise concrete instances of previously released materials, and argue that their current stuff don't quite match up to that standard. in other words most people don't appeal to some amorphous notion of "intention" ("i saw through my crystal ball that you wanted to create x but you failed"); instead, they point to tangible releases--say, DIM--whose quality the band's current works fall short of. now of course you may not agree that's the case, or that it's even sensible to make comparison across eras in this fashion, but for me that's a completely legitimate opinion that can't be quickly dismissed as an uninformed "complaint."

 

also i can't really accept the idea that "at the end of the day, what they make is what they make." if anything that's a get out of jail free card: it's the most egregious abuse of an inscrutable intention that literally makes their works immune to critique and renders all discussion of music meaningless ("if you don't like it, it's because you don't get what i was trying to do. too bad.")

[evilcoconut 109]

I think it is legit tho lol.  If you don't like what a band does, move on.  Idg the point of whining about it and going on and on about how terrible it is.  Like, boohoo, some band made an album you don't like, or some band offends you with their very existence. Who cares.  Find something you DO like instead.  Pretty simple.

[herpes 1597]

criticism is half the joy of music, no one ever learns without making mistakes and if no one calls them out on it they're free to repeat it