Is Me Music Really We Music?

Influx and PSFK both comment on how the ipodification or mix and match movement are allegedly the way teens used to identify with just one music subculture say…punk. I'm not sure I totally buy this. I definitely agree that teens are listening to more diverse music (and more music in general) and are crossing genres and decades (80s craze, teens still loving some classic rock, etc.).

But there are still tons of kids both urban and suburban that are way into hip hop for example — the clothes, the music and even a resurgence in breakdancing/b-boy and b-girl scenes. There are still Goths — not sure what the new Goth music is, but they're dressing the same and forming communities around the style and music. And even if there are fewer rockers that have cracked pop's monopoly on radio (Green Day….), I think there are teens who are way into hearing bands play out (if it's affordable a la Warped tour or even local all ages shows). Just check out Donewaiting.com for blogs and message boards from local indie rock scenes in several cities.

Sometimes I think bloggers (myself included) read too much Boing Boing and think that the majority of people are podcasting, mashing up music or actually doing a lot of the stuff the forward thinking technorati love to write about…But I'm not so sure. One of the teens I interviewed recently talked about meeting up with her friends to see a local band at a club and her desire (despite her adoption of an iPod knock-off) to experience music live. Oh and she "used to be a punk." BTW I was a punk rocker 8th through 10th grade. Then I became more of an activist. I tried on a new identity. A big part of identifying with a certain music genre or scene is about identity and community. And teens do try them on (usually more than one up through our 20s). It just seems like a normal part of figuring out who you are….

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