I see. Well, I do mind. At least, how it impacts those dumb people. I mean I don't care if the people who listens are like us who are smart enough to figure out that we shouldn't follow what the song proposes. But if you put the dumb people or the children who listens to those songs in the equation, they might find the meaning of those songs cool and they just do what the songs tell them to do. For example, Snoop Dogg's Smoke Weeds Everyday or Young, Wild and Free.
Well, alternative, for me, are those bands or artists that had just some success in mainstream. And also, they still stayed distinct from mainstream and have their own musical style.
My solid definition of non-mainstream artists: they don't write music to get in to mainstream and they still have their own style. It doesn't matter if they do get mainstream attention or not. On the other hand, mainstream artists: those who write music to get mainstream attention and also, they don't have their unique style. They just tend to follow what's 'mainstream'. And also, they mostly don't write their songs. E.g. One Direction didn't write their successful songs. Miley Cyrus didn't write Wrecking Ball :3 Also, One Direction used charisma instead of their songs to be popular. Miley Cyrus used controversy. Anyways, those two are just examples. There are more in mainstream that are like that.
Anyways, In simple terms: Non-Mainstream = they might be mainstream or not but THEY'RE AREN'T TRYING TO BE MAINSTREAM OR THEY DIDN'T START AS MAINSTREAM; Mainstream = THEY'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO BE MAINSTREAM AND MOSTLY, THEY STARTED WITH THE GOAL OF BEING MAINSTREAM, IN MIND.
I just assumed you didn't like She Will Be Loved since you didn't include it.
Haha, I cannot really distinguish if a song is written in minor or major key
I'm just gonna go with the lazy writing in instrumentation coz the lyrics of payphone were pretty decent, IMO. But anyways, in relation to the mainstream topic, on that song, it's M5 trying to be mainstream. You could only minimal instruments in that song, a signature of mainstream music No Drums and stuffs.
Sugar | Maps
I love depressing songs. It's just like a drug for me or something JK
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Kris Allen - No Boundaries