by starwire » Wed Jan 01, 2003 4:21 pm
Sure, different types of music are going to attract different kinds of people. Who's more likely to listen to Eminem, a 76-year-old grandmother or her 14-year-old grandson Tommy? Who, would you guess, is the Toby Keith fan? White people in the southern US, or black people living in the inner city? Kind of obvious, but yeah, age, race, locale...all factors that shape a person and their worldview, and musical taste is a part of that.
But it's not always absolute. Look at hip-hop. Most hip-hop albums are purchased by white people. Look at the Beatles. They haven't existed for nearly 35 years, but kids are still listening to them, discovering them and enjoying them just like their parents a generation ago. Look at Michael Jackson. He's popular all across the world, even in poor third world countries, much more than he is in the US.
But don't bring intelligence into it. That has absolutely nothing to do with what music a person listens to. The belief that people who listen to classical music are more intelligent than the average person is a total myth. Same goes for the much-discussed IDM ("Intelligent Dance Music") genre. People that listen to this music are not smarter than everyone else, and you don't have to be smart to listen to it (or "appreciate" it, whatever that means). Similarly, people that listen to pop music or punk rock are not dumb, or any less smart than the highbow classical listeners.
Intelligence might help a person better understand whatever they're listening to, and maybe even enhance their listening exprience. If anything, it should (1.) make them seek out other kinds of music, and (2.) help them to realize that judging people by what they listen to is stupid. Now I tend to think that I have "good musical taste", but as time has passed I've noticed that everyone thinks this about themselves (just like nearly everyone with a driver's license believes they're a better driver than most people). In the end, I think it's better to just listen to whatever you want to listen to, but keep an open mind and at least try to enjoy other people's music in whatever way you can. Finally, don't stereotype people. Judge not lest ye be judged.