Do you like Adult Alternative?

So I was minding my own business, drinking some coffee and eating something late brunchlike, feeling a little bleary and desirous of entertainment. So I popped over to Music Choice on my TiVo. I hit download on the new Hinder video, a 50 Cent video I’ve seen nine million times, and the business advice of Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. Feeling like I hadn’t maybe found my ideal yet, amongst newest and most demanded videos, I selected the videos by genre category section.

There is a section called “Adult Alternative” with the slogan, “Videos with an edge, but without the attitude“. Okay, the first things on there were Coldplay, John Mayer, and Amy Winehouse. I’m going to admit right now that I don’t enjoy any of those musical acts. Nope, not even Coldplay. Yes, I know how innovative their internet marketing was last album. That doesn’t make them sound any less whiny to me. And not a poetic kind of tormented artistic soul whiny, just a neighbor’s cat howling in the rain when you are trying to get something done kind of whiny.

It strikes me that I think the Adult Alternative category is what used to be called Adult Contemporary or Disturbingly Lame Pop Aimed at an Older Demographic. Did they start calling Adult Contemporary Adult Alternative because the word Contemporary was potentially ironic or because the word Alternative would make their audience feel more hip? Adult Contemporary would once have included Steely Dan, Air Supply, and maybe Journey depending on the radio station programmer. I guess maybe Adult Contemporary pre-dates the Clear Channel stranglehold on music because it varied by individual radio station and Clear Channel isn’t really into that whole individuality thing.

Then I have the horrifying realization that I enjoy more old Adult Contemporary than modern Adult Alternative. I’m not sure what this means (besides pointing out that Americans who live overseas don’t always get the most current music) other than that I think I need another coffee.

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Posted by Amelia G on November 15, 2008. Filed under Blue Blood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry