If something becomes popular, that does not mean that it's "meaning" or "value" has diminished. Something is "valuable" if it has a great effect on a person. "Will & Grace" can be a valuable piece of culture if it gave a teenager the courage to come out to his parents. While a sitcom is incomparable to a Wagner opera or a Shakespeare sonnet, if it can mean something to someone, then it is worthwhile.
The artist has no control over how the public receives his work. A musician can be seen as the next Bob Dylan, the poet of his generation, but as soon as he gains some fame, he is deemed a "sell-out" and his music is now being influenced too heavily by record execs and un-artistic managers. An artist may in fact be much happier to remain unknown and obscure, making the music he wants to make and influencing the people he wants to influence. With fame comes the ability to reach a much larger audience, but it also makes it much easier to be panned by reviewers and categorized by record labels.
One way to distinguish the worthwhile "high culture" from the trashy and useless "popular culture" is to look at its originality and authenticity. If something is truly unique and individual, it will have much more meaningful and beneficial to society than something that has been done and done and done again. There have been hundreds of reality TV shows from choosing dates to living in close quarters with annoying people, and because they have been done a million times, there are unoriginal and lack any worth to society.
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