03 DECEMBER 2021
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with floor tickets hovering in the thousands. In addition to the skyrocketing of concert ticket prices, artists tend to gravitate away from their original sound in favour of a more accessible sound to attract a wider audience. Being happy they’ve achieved mainstream times get possessive over it. Everyone needs success and exposure while simultaneously Mayumi Ramos to know I have a good taste in music, but god feeling a bit disappointed (and admittedly, forbid the songs I listen to actually go viral. frustrated) is an internal conflict that I still ARTS AND CULTURE But why are we so possessive over something don’t know how to resolve. As much as I want to root for my favourite artists, there’s a Finding hidden gems is an obsession as seemingly trivial as music taste? Maybe it’s because it isn’t so trivial part of me unwilling to “let them go” or to let and one of the greatest pleasures of music after all. Music is often deeply personal—we others delight in my best-kept secret. fans. To me, there’s nothing more satisfying tend to like the songs that we like because it Nevertheless, gatekeeping music than going down a Spotify or YouTube rabbit resonates with us in some capacity, especial- ultimately sacrifices the delight you get from hole and stumbling across an amazing song ly emotionally. When that music reaches a sharing songs with others. In my opinion, from an artist with monthly listeners in the broader, more expansive group, we become it’s completely valid to protect your music quadruple digits (the lower, the better). Sudterritorial because it feels like a personal infrom the reach of the masses, as that often denly, you’re playing it on repeat and combfringement of our identity. That being said, I comes with harsh and unemotional criticism. ing through their discography. Months later, to your dismay, you find that same song on a don’t think gatekeeping is so much an actual But sharing a piece of music that you cherish (even if it isn’t obscure) with someone Spotify-curated playlist with 700,000 follow- active effort to prevent the spread of music, but more so a manifestation of the desire, special rewards you with a unique sort of ers—or worse, a snippet of it becomes a viral however futile, to keep the things dear to us intimacy—it’s magical to experience that audio on TikTok—and your satisfaction that safe. We want to protect our music from the enjoyment and delight with someone else. stemmed from that pristine, untouched song masses who just won’t “get” it on the same I remember when I introduced The Divine that was so exquisitely yours, that hidden level we do—from harsh critics who will Feminine by Mac Miller to my boyfriend and gem you worked so hard to find, is now in coldly and unsympathetically pick it apart. he just got it—we spent a while gushing the ears of millions of people We want to preserve its perfect, unspoiled about how good it was and talking about Maybe we derive some kind of gloqualities, or at least the perception we have our favourite parts, and he pointed things ry from discovering an artist while they’re of it, and gatekeeping is just a means to that out that I had never even noticed before. Or still unknown because it gives us a sense of end. When Pitchfork gives your favourite when one of my closest friends was experivalidation—not only are we so brilliant at new album a 5.7, or when Anthony Fantano encing a painful breakup, so I recommended identifying talent, but we deserve to enjoy and proclaims it’s merely a “light to decent 6,” Crushing by Julia Jacklin to her. It was valiindulge in these hidden gems because we or even when you read offhand YouTube dating to read her text about how cathartic it worked oh-so-hard to find them. Or perhaps comments, it’s easy to either get a bit irritat- was to listen to lyrics that perfectly encapsuwe delight in the esoteric quality of that lated what she was going through. music and being part of its limited audience. ed or to doubt your own opinion, even just a little, no matter how hard we try to stick To hide your favourite music is to preOnly a small number of people even know about to our convictions. Gatekeeping is simply a serve it in its most pure form to be enjoyed this music, much less enjoy it—so I must be on an prevention tactic—a method of averting that by only you, free from outside judgment. But entirely different plane of individuality. A prime dreadful moment when the image of music this so-called safeguarding of music comes example of this line of reasoning is the obwe cherish and are trying to protect is altered with a price: the emotional connection you session of “Obscurify”, a website that deteror muddied by the opinions and analyses of get from sharing it. Music is meant to be mines how obscure (or basic) your Spotify others. shared, listened to, and enjoyed—isn’t that listening habits are, in some music circles, There are more tangible consequencpart of the reason why artists make it in the and especially on certain subreddits (looking es of a smaller artist blowing up. In early first place? Ironically, the real outsiders are at you, r/indieheads). Sure, we might poke 2018, I went to a Billie Eilish concert with the ones who participate in the gatekeepfun at music snobs who ask people wearing my best friend. The tickets, which were ing of music and relish in the exclusivity of band shirts to name three songs, but we can’t floor tickets, were a whopping $21. Now, the it—they’re missing out on the intimacy and deny that there’s an “inner hipster” that lies cheapest nosebleed seats are upwards of $50, connection of shared listening. inside of us all. So when our favourite obscure song or artist blows up, it’s easy to take it almost as a personal attack. Are we really original if the music is accessible to so many other people? We jump to rationalization and defense: Well, it doesn’t matter—they’re just jumping on the bandwagon. I listened to them before they were cool. There’s a thin line between taking pride in your music taste and making it a personality trait, and it’s one that I oscillate between. I won’t lie, I’m the type of person who posts songs on my Instagram story; the type who has their Spotify linked in their bio. I’ve inextricably linked my identity to the music I consume, which is probably why I can some-
Gatekeeping Art - Preserving or Decaying Vintage Music
