r/poppunkers • u/[deleted] • Apr 08 '16
Discussion Can we get meta for a minute? [Long Rant Warning]
Let me preface this by saying I know that the purpose of this sub is to discuss pop-punk, old and new. People are well within their rights to post the classics that we have all heard a million times, as they warrant discussion just as much as the up-and-comers in our scene. It's important that we remember our roots.
However, things are getting out of hand. I know that I, and a lot of others, come here for meaningful discussion about pop-punk music and other aspects of our preferred genre. It is extremely frustrating and disheartening to see good, smaller bands posted here with with no discussion or feedback. Meanwhile, Dammit, Fat Lip, and My Friends Over You get posted every week with 100+ upvotes and 20 comments all sarcastically remarking "where'd you find this le indie gem???" "never heard this before xDDDd"
Like it or not, we have bled out these artists and songs. Little discussion results from these types of posts anymore, because the comments almost completely consist of mocking and sarcasm. This has to be one of the easiest subs to karma whore, because you can post any pop-punk song that was on the radio in the mid-2000's and receive 130+ upvotes almost every time. Just be willing to be on the receiving end of a little teasing.
Let me reiterate that I love Blink, NFG, Sum, etc. just as much as the next guy, probably more. They were essential to my formative years. However, I have grown up and so has the genre. I know I speak for a lot of people when I say that we want more discussion on the artists that are pushing the genre forward. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old dude, and maybe this is a complete non-issue. I can't tell people what to listen to. But /r/poppunkjerk exists for a reason. I feel like we are making a mockery of this sub by posting the same five songs every week and upvoting them to the top. I'll also admit that I don't have a solution to offer, and this post is mostly me expressing my frustration. However, it's something to think about when you are about to post All The Small Things for the 624th time.
Feel free to tell me to fuck off. TL;DR stop posting All The Small Things.
EDIT: It seems this post touched a nerve with a few people. I am not suggesting that we ban people from posting "classic" songs or even popular songs from the new wave of pop-punk. I am simply pointing out that there is a rotation of songs that is upvoted to the front page on a weekly basis, and I think that most of us can agree that it's a bit ridiculous. There have been a number of good suggestions for improvement in the comments below, such as increased moderation, "local music Mondays," and limiting a song's posting to once every 6 months. However, notice that none of these suggestions involve banning older, more popular tunes outright.
If you want to contribute to the chaos instead of watching and then complaining (see what I did there?), downvote obnoxious reposts and try to contribute to discussions about smaller bands that are posted on the sub. One of the biggest problems with our sub is that 80% of posts get completely ignored because the band isn't a recognized name. Take some time to listen to these bands. Chances are that some of these are posted by band members looking for feedback, and that's okay. If you dig it, comment. If you think it sucks, leave constructive criticism. Who knows, maybe you'll discover your new favorite band. Isn't that a big part of what this subreddit is about?
Finally, some people are telling me that this is just "the way that it is," because Reddit. I leave you with this: Does that make it okay? Why just buy into the hegemony?
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u/delongedoug Apr 08 '16
I consistently downvote these posts to no avail. A deep cut off Cheshire Cat? Cool. Video of NFG playing a local show in 98? Unique. Music video for First Date? Gtfo.
This follows the same theme we keep seeing with getting stuck in the same TWY, TSSF, SC, RF, ND, KP, etc posts. Announcing a tour, releasing new material or anything of the like is worthwhile and newsworthy. "Hey, I like this song and I know everybody else does too" isn't productive. It perpetuates stagnation. The Best of Me was a defining song. We know. I love a random classic from Home Home or Less Than Jake as much as the next guy. They bring you back. It's fun. But let's not make this a place to post Josie weekly.
Coldfront just put out a new tune this week which was posted here. Go check that out. Or what about Youth Decay out of Vancouver? Original Sharks put out a fast fun song recently. Get exploring!
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Apr 08 '16
I made a post saying the same thing. It's getting annoying, and I at one point unsubbed because all I kept seeing were the same Wonder years and Neck Deep songs in the same week and the same old "Soupy is god's gift to earth" discussion. I think the mods have to make it a rule that on one day a week, we don't have any reposts whatsoever, it might help.
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u/mrdouglasfresh Apr 08 '16
We've had at least 5 of these posts that I remember since the ND album came out last summer. Nothing is going to change unless the mods actually do something and last I knew they didn't want to. I know there's at least a few people that downvote the posts that you're mentioning but it doesn't matter when the post has 70+ upvotes.
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Apr 08 '16
The solution to this would be increased moderation, but I don't know that everyone would be able to agree on a set of rules for posting. In addition, more rules makes more work for mods. It's definitely possible, bigger subs than this have rules like "self post Sunday" and "local band Monday".
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u/mrdouglasfresh Apr 08 '16
There's only 6 or 7 mods, right? Make it 10-12 and agree on rules. No one is going to get exactly what they want but I'm sure they can come to agreements.
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Apr 08 '16
The problem is I don't think that the mods and community necessarily want this. 90%+ of people on Reddit are lurkers, and there are plenty of people in their 30's that subscribe here specifically for the reason that they like to see an occasional NFG/Blink post in their feed.
I'd be happier with a Hall of Fame system like r/music where it auto filters out bands that get too much love here.
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u/FUCK_YEAH_DUDE Apr 08 '16
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u/Cats-Ate-Her-Face Apr 09 '16
I like how they're a Canadian band but the video is blocked in Canada
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u/jor1ss Apr 10 '16
The mods could make like a specific day where only music that came out in the last year is allowed to be posted and a day where only bands that are relatively unknown (like maybe with a max of 5k listeners on last.fm) could be posted?
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u/Danarky Apr 09 '16
Well fuck. I was gonna post TWY's "this party sucks" because I'm at this party that I'm relating to pretty hard. But I'm gonna feel bad for posting popular bands.
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Apr 09 '16
Honestly, I don't come here for new bands or discussing new bands. I didn't even think that is what this sub was for. I consider this a nostalgia subreddit. I think there should be a separate sub for what you're talking about honestly.
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Apr 09 '16
Well, I'm sorry, but you're wrong. The genre is alive and well beyond what was on the radio 11 years ago.
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Apr 08 '16
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u/duckduck_goose Apr 08 '16
Kinda like going to see a new band on tour and only 14 kids showed up. Whatever man, when they blow up you were there early on.
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Apr 08 '16
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u/PhilopeanTube Apr 08 '16
I called him out on that yesterday after he posted M&Ms.
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u/HailGaben256 Apr 09 '16
Holy crap. This dude is just completing whoring on music subs. "Zombie Ritual" on r/metal? First off, the band Death is on the blacklist, and secondly, that song is arguably THE death metal song. Obviously trying for easy points.
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u/TwingTwang Apr 09 '16
At the very least there should be a "one post per day" rule to avoid excessive spamming like this.
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Apr 08 '16
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u/CarCrashRhetoric Apr 08 '16
Dismantling Summer by The Wonder Years
If you opened the thread, you would have seen this was posted for a personal reason and did generate discussion.
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u/justhetip24 Apr 08 '16
I have been on this sub for years and it has always been like this. At a certain point you have to realize it's just the audience. I would love to have discussions about music that's pushing the genre forward or discovering music from similar genres that appeals to pop punk fans.