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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Why Chinese youth has such a limited music culture?
11 years 35 weeks ago in Arts & Entertainment - China
Yeh, I know, it's painful isn't it? I try to introduce them to class music like Cher and Wet, Wet, Wet, but they won't have any of it.
Truth is we're judging on their tastes in western music. Which are shit. Backstreet Boys and Westlife. Over-marketed dogshit. But there are plenty of Asian bands keeping them happy, we just don't know what the hell they're singing about.
1. maybe just different? Your approach to this is ... hm ... limited maybe?
2. despite of "music taste" - some kinds of music is considered as "socially harmful" here, so You can not buy it, hear on the radio or see on TV
bigasspanda:
Of course, it's different. I'm fully aware of that. But they have no clue about some big names and genres different from Pop music...Nowadays, they can download everything and get access to any kind of music but most of them don't.
WhiteBear:
But again... if You don't know what to look for (It don't exists around You)... so how can You find it (for mentioned download...)
I have musical issues to take up with most people, Chinese or not. People tend to think either music stopped 20 years ago or that Katy Perry is music, both are wrong.
Because the state controlled media promotes conformity as opposed to individuality so only having a few musical acts all from the same genre keeps the scene quiet and predictable.
But this is slowly changing...once the Chinese youth discover protest rock that they can relate too then inspiration for revolution (both figurative and literal) will come.
In all cultures, people like what they like. I think that most people in any country have a limited music repertoire. It's the same in the U.S., which is why radio is so segmented. You have stations that play only one kind of music because most people only like "that" kind of music. There are exceptions, but those stations follow a block format which features shows, which in turn play a certain kind of music during those periods.
One thing I encourage my students to do is to listen to music they usually would not listen to. If they like pop, try some country. If they like country, try some jazz, or classical. If they like classical, try some rock, or opera, or easy listening. This opens then up to different experiences and styles. For my Sophomores, we spend a few weeks out of the second semester listening to and breaking down lyrics of different songs. Some of those songs they pick by popular consensus, but I always try to throw in a few different styles just to let them know there is something else out there.
For the most part, it is a matter of exposure, and Chinese youth are no different. Now, the reason why there is limited exposure is a completely different matter. Thedude said it best, "...the state controlled media promotes conformity as opposed to individuality so only having a few musical acts all from the same genre keeps the scene quiet and predictable."
My sentiments, exactly.
Too much control over the industry from the State. Sucks really cause there have been some great Chinese groups, I bet far more could emerge given better circumstances.