Why do people listen to pop music?

[Riot.EXE]

The Australian premier rock music radio station Triple M has an advertising slogan saying "Real music is made with instruments, not computers".  A keyboard is an instrument, but since the early 80's it has overshadowed its use in popular music particularly with sequencers, samplers and drum machines.  Traditional instruments like strings, brass and woodwind that were used in pop music prior to the 80's have been replaced with keyboards.

I would really like to see pop, rap, R&B and hip-hop dispense with samplers and drum machines and go back to using traditional instruments. 

Whilst I like some indie rock and pop, performance wise such bands need to loosen up and let go on stage instead of just standing in one place looking down at the floor (aka "shoegazing").  It doesn't impress audiences. 

Audiences like bands who are animated, controversial, and have sex appeal regardless of what genre they are.

The Roots are exactly what you're talking about.  Also, a lot of hip hop acts have used actual bands when performing live.  Snoop Dogg is notorious for that shit.

[Infinity Biscuit]

Man to hell with people saying "real music doesn't use computers". If it sounds good, it sounds good!

[Riot.EXE]

Man to hell with people saying "real music doesn't use computers". If it sounds good, it sounds good!

There she goes seein' me eye-to-eye again...

[MichaelColeman]

Because its music and people like it.  And just to throw it out there, I'm an American who only speaks English but this Russian Pop Artist "Vitas" is amazing.  Just check out and see what you think.

[Lalilolalilo]

It's the same question as "why do people eat crap?" "why is it so important for everyone to get the newest iphone?" etc. etc.

The music market has provided the audience with some musics. People need to consume fake emotions in simple melodies, because they don't have real emotions in their lives. Same thing with romantic movies, specially Hollywood ones.

I must say there ARE some pop songs which are just fantastic, but it's not even a 1% of the crap that it's being produced.

The only aim of pop music is to produce/sell music and make money with it. The music market is just disgusting, just as the food market and everything out there which you are taught to want, although you don't really need it, let's not even talk about clothing industry, as nudists, I don't think it's worth mentioning it.

If people were aiming for true emotions, new universes of sound, they would AT LEAST question the music they GET from the market, and go and explore other horizons.

I'm not saying that pop music is bad in itself, I'm just trying to explain your question "why is it consumed?" and the answer is: because this music is meant to be consumed, not to be listened, nor to expand the minds of the listeners through amazing sound proposals.

Do I sound fascist by saying this? It's not my intention to hurt anybody's sensibility. I respect that people LOVE pop music and almost only listen to that, because I know that it was not only their choice, they "got it" and they "took it". Now though, to change this fact IS our choice indeed :D it's never too late to discover new worlds of sounds out there :D

[spipper]

Timeless debate. Just remember, people connect with music somehow. Pop makes people happy. Some people probably even relate to pop the way you do; it has meaning to them. I catch a lot of flak for loving, absolutely loving a style called twee. People call it cute, simple, and meaningless, but I think it's the farthest thing from meaningless. I identify strongly with it, and find more meaning in it that championed "deep" music like Nirvana, or possibly any of your favorite meaningful musicians (unless we share favorites, in which case fantastic!).

Here, enjoy:

[NudieDaniel]

I think guilty pleasures play apart as well.

Like for me this little number

[The Streaker]

I try to listen to as much stuff as possible. I usually choose music depending on the situation. But to say flat out that "X genre of music is terrible" is a little distasteful. I love listening to rock when I am about to have a hard track workout. I love listening to pop when I'm in an all around good mood and feel like dancing( which I will admit I do dance sometimes). In my opinion, it's much more fun listening to all types of music. It's much harder to say "Blegh, I hate this song" when ever pop comes on than to move to the beat. Don't be afraid to expand your interests, you just might miss something special.  And as long as we are talking guilty pleasures, Zedd - Stay the Night. I freakin rock that song!

[Womberling Wurzel]

As long as I like the song surely that is all that matters.  Me I will listern to most things if I don't like it I don't listern to it again.  I normally stick to Radio 6 in th UK as it plays a good selection although not much of the music off Radio 1.  But as the saying goes "I know what I like when I hear it".

[closetnudist]

I remember one time.. I was staring at a bulldozer in a subdivision and I suddenly blurt out.. "I CAME IN LIKE A BULLDOZER!! I NEVER HIT SO HARD IN LOVE!!"

[JoshVi]

Im going to answer this post as i see it:

I life is 3 kind of people:

1. The one who Likes: Is the one who apreciates and listen it most of the time.

2. The one who Dislikes: Is the one who listen to it on public sites and just never see himself/herself listen them on their iPod, or buying it, because they just dont whant to listen it.

3. The one who is radical to his option: Is the one who judges people because they was not gifted by God with good ears, to hear what i hear, and then think as i do.

So, music is about taste, and everyone is unique. I remember meeting a guy who was listening "Give me baby one more time" on rock version, so curious right, and i know much people who like the version of "I love rock n' Roll" by Britney Spears because they consider is fresh ans she sounds sexy...

I listen POP music , i listen country music , i listen house music , i listen trance music , i listen and love latin music , i listen rock music ... When i have muuuch energy i like to listen Rammstein, and when im a bit moody the one who makes my day is the one and only Tonny Bennet  .