Labels: Good or Bad Thing?

Question

"emo", "rock", "pop", "rap", "alternative", "pop punk", "classic rock", "goth", etc etc....

There's always debate on whether or not using labels to describe music is good or not.

I happen to be in the "It's Good" camp.

I think there's no escaping them. As Americans, we tend to love labeling. Part of our nature, generally.

Some argue that music labeling is bad because it may bias the listener(?) That's a guess, actually. If it's something else, tell us what it rreally is.

I think it's good because it gives the listener, esp. a newbie to a genre an *idea* what they're in for. Also, if someone is looking for a specific sound, a label works FAR better than asking for "good music".

What sayeth ye? :)

I think some here confused labeling *people* & labeling *music*. I'm def' against labeling people, for sure.

But I don't think labeling music is the evil idea some think it is if used properly.

Answer 1

I am with you on this one all the way. I know groups hate being labeled, but it makes it easier for the listener to know what a band will sound like before actually hearing them. Plus, if you are a huge fan of Group X (or X, lol), you will likely enjoy other bands that are a part of the genre. You are also dead on in that the expression "good music" can mean a lot of different things to different individuals, yet they all can be correct to some degree.

I know bias doesn't effect me. Example: I knew I hated MCR from day one, before I even realized they were the charter member of modern day emo.

Answer 2

Well, labels just give a general idea don't they, but could be entirely incorrect based on a person's POV. You've heard people call Blink 182 punk, and MCR metal. So these labels don't really work. And labels like classic rock are really blurry since some people consider 80's classic rock (in that case, i'm not a classic rocker....)
They might be slightly helpful in that they help you point to a general direction, but they're useless when you're talking about specific bands, like how do you really label Pink Floyd or Simon and Garfunkel? They kinnda transcend genres don't they?
But the "It's good" label doesn't work either cause some people do think that MCR is acually good.
So maybe I'm in the "It's respectable" catagory.

Answer 3

Labels are a disease. Especially the emo label...MTV somehow established the label for bands like MCR and FOB...people from that thought that emo = emotion lyrics, not the actually obscure genre from the 80s and 90s. Next thing you know, someone will call Metallica's Fade to Black emo just because of negative lyrics. Same with The Offspring's Gone Away...some bands that have nothing to do with emo like Weezer and Green Day get the label for no reason. This is why the emo fad need to die...not because of the music, but because of misuse of the label.

Same with indie tag...it's supposed to refer to bands on indie labels, but people think it's some sort of style of music...Muse, Franz Ferdinand, White Stripes, Interpol...technically, The Offspring was indie...I mean they were on an indie label when Smash was released.

In the end, some labels are true (rock, punk, metal), some gives out styles (power metal, anarcho-punk, hard rock)...but some suck *** so bad that they should not even be used...angers fans sometimes.

Answer 4

I'm usually on the "It's Bad" side, but I can see the point you're making. Music labelling is alright, I guess, especially to new listeners, as you described. The thing I have against it, though, is that so many people refuse to be open to music other than that of the specific "label" that they usually listen to. I mean, how many people do you hear saying, "Oh, I would never listen to (insert label here) music!"... and they've never heard any songs of that sub-genre (I certainly hear a lot of this!). They're just making the assumption because of the look of typical bands that make that kind of music, or the people they know that do listen to it.

I think I'm mostly just against labelling people. Music's a bit different. I can't stand it when people label other people, but when someone labels a sub-genre of music, it's fine by me. I just choose not to go by labels when deciding what I want to listen to - I listen to a WIDE variety of music and labels really just create problems for me. =)

Answer 5

maybe we label things because we are biased because we have preferences that's human nature, right? People are unrealistic liars if they feel like they don't want to label or be labeled.

Really, if i say if it sounds good to me no matter the genre I'm putting a label on it as good to me which wouldn't be there cup of tea.

I think it's more of a question if what someone else thinks is going to influence whether I'd like something or not (I get the feeling that makes no sense but i hope someone gets me).

With that said, I don't let someone else's opinion influence me, never did (honestly, I mixed the grunge, gansta, slut, skank whatever styles in the mid to late '90s but it wasn't intentional, i was and still am a tomboy).

Anyway, i let my ear and good sense help me, and a lot of the crap out now is so manufactured, corporate garbage and metal isn't out of this either(ever hear of a "band" called Wicked Wisdom). If it doesn't feel or sound real and genuine, I'm not listening to it. (I do have guilty pleasures though)

Answer 6

Labels pigeon-hole an artist into working within a specific genre, which can be very limiting. Especially to someone like Neil Young, who has written, produced, and performed in just about every genre of music there is; including opera.
Besides, I don't need some sales exec. who has never picked up a guitar and played three chords of music in his life telling me what kind of music lover I am.
My favorite band is Yes, and they went through SO many labels from execs who were trying to nail down what kind of music they performed to make their job easier; finding their niche market. Finally, progressive rock is what stuck. Whatever.

Answer 7

i don't like some labels like emo and Goth. but rock, alternative rock, pop and that type of stuff is good because we need labels for that because the CD in the CD stores would have all of the music mixed up and that would not be good. so in seance labels are good but emo and goth are really bad names for it.

Answer 8

thing is, what are labels?

they're a sub-division that society wants us to fit into. you have to ask yourself, as someone into metal, rock, nu-metal, pop-punk, goth, or whatever, if that is what you want.

one of the principle reasons you fell into, or chose, this type of music, is because, to a degree, you spurned society. i mean, how often do you get grown-up sensible people looking at a preppy or a jock and thinking "wtf???"? answer, pretty much never. now...you get your baggy jeans on, your black hoody, black hair, black nail varnish, or skate chain, hawaiian shirt and blue spiked hair, and they look at you and think "now hang on a minute, what's this then?"

now. take me, for example. i went through the blacker than black goth phase, and then i went through the punk phase, and most other phases along the way in my teens. i'm now 25, with a very responsible, respectable job, i dress conservatively, and, by all accounts, i'm a respectable member of society. BUT...my ipod has music from avenged sevenfold, marilyn manson, pennywise, greenday and type o negative, just to name a few.

i go to rock nights, and scare my friends with my moshpit antics. for me, it's one of the finest pleasures in life! and only my girlfriend knows how many tattoos i have, a throwback to my metalhead days.

my point? subscribe to whatever "label" you want, but it doesn't matter. in the end, you'll either climb to the top of a church tower with a sniper rifle OR, like me, you'll just fall into your own label...and you know what that label is? the "i don't give a f-ck, i'm happy with what i am" label.


so, labels? nay, nay, and thrice nay.

Answer 9

I think that there are different kinds of music and should be put under categories as such. But I don't think that a band should have to live up to that label.

Answer 10

i think that it is great because when i try to find out new music.. i just go to iTunes and look up simular artists to my favorite bands... so labels are good