p.69-70

Popularity is not an indicator of diminished value, though one could be fooled by some of today's subcultures. Bands are shunned by their original fan base as soon as soon as they start playing venues larger than a box. This doesn't make the band or it's music any less meaningful or of "less value", it just exploits the shallowness of that original fan base. But it is the image and sound those bands and that original fan base that is sucked up by huge money hoarding companies, and vomited up into the latest trend for the nation's teenyboppers to latch onto, and for their parents (the money source) to grudgingly accept (they've been there too but don't want to admit it).

People assume that the bands getting paid more are being controlled by The Man; churning out the artistic equivalent to spam to make easy money. This is proof in the lack of faith we have in our fellow man. It is assumed that people have no principles or values and I don't think this is the case. Sure, when I was in middle school I played the "sell out" name game but I've since gotten over that and just tried to enjoy things for what they are. If it's good it's good, if it's not, then, it's not. I don't care where it comes from or who looks like what or makes what money. But for others, these things are of extreme importance and so the cycle goes on. The underground starts a trend, it becomes more popular, it is surfaced by the mainstream, the underground ditches it and starts a new trend, and so on.