Is Gatekeeping Music Ever Warranted? 

I am baffled by people being mad that Say Yes to Heaven became mainstream like, do they realize it was only properly released like 3 months ago?? Before hand, any perception of the song was a leak. It didn’t become mainstream because it suddenly gained popularity, it became mainstream because Lana released it! Of course it’s going to go mainstream!

BIBBLE DOES NOT APPROVE GATEKEEPING especially if it’s a small artist 🤨🙄

another example is cellophane by fka twigs! a lot of her fans did not want people's introduction to her to be a miss piggy cover of her song

Being a fan of someone before they blow up and watching them blow up is one of the best feelings you can have as a fan imo

I really really enjoy the way Dev talks about the culture around music and it’s consumption and our relationship with artists. It gives off the vibes of having a really fun intelligent nuanced conversation with someone.

Gatekeeping is good for certain things but...*not* this...this is hilarious tho

As someone who's grown up in the punk scene - _Yes._ It is absolutely warranted and sometimes necessary to gatekeep music. If the punk scene wasn't being gatekept back in the 80s, it would've been overrun with neo-nazis. And I'm not saying that lightly, it is a fucking truth. Not at skinheads are nazis, but a lot of them were and they _needed_ to be kicked out of shows to keep the scene safe. The point of punk is to provide a community for those who have none, for people who've been turned away from everywhere else. Do no harm and take no shit, that's the motto. Nazis have no place here.

I once asked a metal head for music recommendations because I love broading my music taste and listening to things I haven't heard before. They tried to gatekeeping nine inch nails from me. Nine ich nails. Because I didn't look alt enough. If I knew more about the history of alt communities at the time I would've ripped through them for being a poser, you don't have to look a certain way to listen to any genre of music that's just stupid.

My favorite band Superheaven is getting popular on TikTok after an 8 year hiatus and they just started touring again so I’m losing my shit cuz that means they might be working on new stuff it just makes me so fucking happy, even if their song is used for memes, fuck it, it’s cuz it’s a good song, man ❤

TV Girl is a HUGE example of this topic!!! I have been a super fan since high school (7 years), and as soon as "Not Allowed," became TikTok famous, I can't get a ticket to their show. They sell out SO fast, because of that song. I am happy for the band, and those who discovered TV Girl! But I also want to have fun...save a girl a ticket

This is a great time to mention some of my fav smallish artists - MIDORINOMARU (japanese jazz) - Heigh Chief (vintage country?) - Hierophants (post punk/ new wave rock) - Dinosaur 88 (synth pop/punk) - TRI4TH (japanese punk rock jazz) - Jonathan Carrion (spanish rock) - Alter Ego (japanese instrumental jazz) - BimBomBam Orchestra (trumpet jazz) - Notes From The Underground (light indie?) - Nick DeLaurentis (upbeat) - Bruno Major (just because he is my fav artist, by no means small but I would love for more people to enjoy his work)

If you think a song/artist is good, SHARE IT!

I only gatekeep in my brain. No one will know what songs I don’t want to be used for cringe TikTok trends. I don’t judge anyone for finding songs from TikTok either bc I do too sometimes.

8:50 if the song is licensed that means that Beach Bunny signed off on the song being used. It's up to Beach Bunny to preserve the song's meaning by being selective about which brands/ads can use it if that's what they want

From an ex gatekeeper, I would only force myself to listen to music that I thiught would make me look cool to other people, but I found more comfort in listening to mainstream music. The only con is when they wear band merch like a brand and cant name the lead singer. I cry everytime but its okay 👍

i think for a few things, gatekeepjng is neccessary for both the vision of the artist and for the culture surrounding that music to be protected. nirvana and punk are two good examples of this. kurt cobain was very adiment about who his music was for and made a considerable effort to make sure that the people who really gave a fuck would follow HIS manifesto than the one of the mainstream media. punk as a subculture has been heavily commercialised over the years, but the core of the subculture has been kept alive by gatekeepers who make sure that the culture exists in its original form and to rid itself of posers, bigots and fascists. but for music like taylor swift or 100gecs, there's no reason to gatekeep their music since neither have a defined culture or agenda. just music, innit?

The only “gatekeeping” for music I support is when the artist says “The song is not up for interpretation” (Ex. The village) and correcting people when they misuse the song, that’s literally the only time I see why you would “Gatekeep”

They were so busy gatekeeping that they forgot the other two key steps, gaslight and girlboss

I recently found your music, and I’ve been showing it to anyone who will listen since I think it’s really good and I want your music to do well. I will never understand gate keeping music

Gatekeeping is cringe unless it's against horrible people such as misogynists, transphobes, homophobes, etc, that's the one exception I will make.

i’ve never understood gatekeeping. if you like an artist wouldn’t you want them to get the recognition they deserve? edit: i do think the perception of a song is important so i understand why some people don’t like specific trends for a song and how that would be considered gatekeeping

Some scenes based around music are as much about the culture it fosters as the music itself. I’m thinking about diy punk/hardcore, industrial, goth, whatever. A lot of those genres have the music *itself* participate in the gatekeeping by being grating to the uninitiated. It’s because these scenes value their culture, based around actually attending local shows and supporting local scenes, putting on house shows, buying merch, and yes often a certain attitude or aesthetic. I don’t think this form of gatekeeping and not appreciating people engaging with the music who don’t respect or understand the culture surrounding it because they were exposed to it in a way that was divorced from the culture, when the culture is integral to the music, is understandable. Another example that comes to mind is hyperpop, a genre whose predecessors were majority trans and queer, upon becoming more known by non-trans and queer people, those people co-opted the genre in a way that overshadows and doesn’t adequately respect its trans roots. And when trans and queer fans, not wanting cis men who are totally ignorant of or even sometimes against trans rights taking this trans genre and profiting from it, try to keep them out of the scene, they are disregarded and accused of gatekeeping. I think that’s messed up. So basically yea I think in certain circumstances gatekeeping is OK

I think also ppl like to gatekeep to maintain the community/culture around a certain group and their music and to keep it from being diluted. Like if there’s a tight knit group of fans that want to keep their community from being “diluted” even though it’s not necessarily better for the artist (especially in scenes that have a specific political identity like punk) Plus I can understand finding a small artist feels like finding a gem in the rough and can make it easier for you to feel parasocial since you supported them back when few did and so it feels less special when more ppl learn abt them

I’d been a fan of Fountains of Wayne for literally a DECADE when they FINALLY got a hit song with Stacy’s Mom and I was so thrilled for them! When bands or artists put in the work for so long to build a devoted audience before they get big it should be all the more exciting and celebrated.

i am a diehard fan of ghost. and i have been since papa emeritus II. when mary on a cross went viral, i was so excited to see their music finally taking off more compared to when they got best metal song for square hammer. their music took off. and again, i was so happy to see it. i just went to one of their concerts less than a week ago and seeing more people going to their show warms my heart. seeing papa being so happy to have a whole theatre of people shouting the lyrics back to him made me happy. like i remember when they would barely sold out shows, and now they’re selling out massive theatres. gate keeping is horrible. i’m glad to see both ghost getting bigger and more fans coming into the fan base.

as a swiftie and recent paramore fan I’ve seen paramore fans try and gatekeep them because they’re opening for eras…. it’s paramore.

one time i was talking to someone and he mentioned liking nirvana so i was like "oh i like them too!" and he went "well you just dont listen to nirvana like i do 😔🤘 " dawg what 💀

King park by la dispute LMAO I remember riding the bus to school and blasting that and it was so emotional to me and personal 😭

dude if any of my favorite small artists blew up i would be fucking elated for them!! They deserve it. They've inspired me so much and i want them to inspire others.

I remember the time tiktok tried to gatekeep sweater weather by the neighborhood as if that song doesn’t have 1billion streams on spotify.

One of my favorite things people gatekeep is Taylor Swift. As if she’s indie and not one of the most famous people on earth

Sometimes i don't share a song/artist with someone cause i don't think they will understand or enjoy it but it doesn't mean i don't want people that would enjoy it to listen to it

after mitski went super viral on tiktok, a bunch of mitski fans started posting about how the behavior of the crowds at her concerts was changing. there would be people watching her performances and screaming these meme-y phrases at her while she was trying to perform, which a lot of people associated with the style of joke about mitski that gained popularity primarily on tiktok and twitter, and people laughing at or mocking her performance style. which like, yeah if you were inundated in an online space that treated mitski like a sort of walking mental illness meme and didn't actually care about how and why she performs the way she does, you might feel entitled to be rude and obnoxious to her i'm not saying i don't want my fav artists to be successful, i'm glad she's gotten the recognition she deserves and i was initially excited for her to gain a wider audience, but i also think there's a very real way that music and musicians become commodified when they achieve popularity, especially on the internet and social media, and i think it's fair to feel frustrated by that without trying to dictate other people's harmless behaviors. encountering disrespectful fans and having to share space with people you don't like are maybe an inevitable consequence of a growing fandom, and it's not an excuse to be rude to people solely for being new fans, but i understand the frustration with the way rising fame or "trending" music causes people to act

Respectfully, I think gatekeeping's a necessary evil. I don't want artists to stay small or underground, I don't want to discourage any new fans, I don't even care if people make cringe videos to a song I love, but I *do* however think that sometimes it's important to preserve the communities around certain artists. Concerts selling out because someone/something blew up on tiktok sucks for long time fans sure, but what sucks more is the concerts being saturated by people who've never been in the scene before, who don't know the culture or etiquette around an artist or genre. People who don't know how to conduct themselves respectfully or safely in that environment. It's not about being different, it's not about wanting to hide an artist from the mainstream, it's not even really about preserving an artists "image", it's about preserving the community and experiences built around that artist. It's about making sure the fans who show up to rock and metal concerts know mosh etiquette, it's about making sure the fans going to music festivals know what precautions to take and how to watch out for each other, it's about making sure these communities stay a safe space for fans. I can't speak on most other subcultures, but the punk/alternative scene has been so commercialized and damaged because of tiktok (not that tiktok hasn't also helped with the exposure and growth of the scene) that it's hard to keep the quality of the community without gatekeeping even just a little. Tiktok has a tendency to make a lot of things into trends or aesthetics, which is perfectly fine for fashion or hobbies or even just listening to the music on its own. But when people who're following a trend interact directly with other fans and the scene as a whole, it becomes a much bigger issue that they don't know the culture around what they've hastily and halfheartedly thrown themselves into. And all this is without mentioning the people who *do not* get or understand an artists message and end up inserting themselves into a fanbase where they then behave and conduct themselves as the absolute antithesis of what the artist stands for. That isn't really a problem for most pop music and uncontrovertial artists, but music is political, especially punk music. It's important in those communities to push out the "bad apples" that could spoil the entire ecosystem of the fanbase and potentially make it unsafe for the rest of us.

For me, the most relatable one was 'no children' by the mountain goats. I've been a mountain goat fan for years and that song got me through a very rough patch. Seeing people make ootd or vloggy tiktoks to it kinda hurt. However, I've found a lot of people that actually became huge fans of the mountain goats because of the song becoming popular. The fact that I can now wear a mountain goats shirt and very rarely get a comment on it is HUGE and makes me incredibly happy

I can understand that it can be annoying when a song that means a lot to you gets memeified, or over played and is everywhere, that happened to me with Ceilings by Lizzie McAlpine, I heard it so much I was worried I was gonna get sick of it. And that hearting it so much everywhere was gonna make it have less of an emotional impact when I listened to it. But I was so so pumped for Lizzie! Seeing other people find meaning in her music, seeing her preform on late night shows, get recogniton for her talent, the dramatic running videos people made, it was great! And I can still listen to it in my car when Im crying, and now other people can too!

i knew 2 front bottoms songs when i went to a concert w my friend who loves them and i loved the energy of the show and their music made me fall in love with them. i’m seeing them again tonight now loving them! hate keeping isn’t something i understand. i only like hate keeping good things from bad people

For me, there are a few songs I don't want tiktokified because they still transport me back in time to a certain feeling or situation, and having it associated with tik tok or certain people on there kind of takes the magic away. They're still good songs, and i can still enjoy them, and of course I'm happy that other people are getting to enjoy a good song they hadn't heard before. But it does strip away some level of feeling and meaning for me.

i honestly love introducing people to artists, especially smaller or niche ones. It feels kind of like YOU are singlehandedly helping out the artist. and i get so proud if the person I introduce it to ends up being a fan!

I've never understood the concept of gatekeeping. If I love a song, I want everyone around me to get that same joy I get from listening to it. Yes, it may be special to be one of the few fans of a musician/artist you think is really talented, but is it not even more special for that musician to blow up and for you to have been one of their earliest fans, and can then celebrate their success?

I am really glad that people were introduced to “Mary on a cross” (ghost) but it kinda sucks that little kids don’t know the honest meaning… I still like the band but it can definitely be hard though because when they become main-stream they can also become unpopular. Idk it can be hard but I understand

This is interesting sometimes when someone makes a video to a trendy song that might be something from Cavetown about being infantilized for being trans and making it about soothing that’s not related. Or something like “little miss perfect” being something like the trend of check off what applies to you but it’s literally about coming out.

Okay, this is literally my best friend- she doesn't want me to get into certain things because i'd be copying her, or she wants her individuality- like I offered to go with her to a tv girl concert, (her favorite band) and she said she didn't want me to go because I didn't like the artist- and I was like "oh well I do like their music" (because when we listen to music she's always playing tv girl) and she was kinda like..."uhh...yeah but I want my individuality" She does this with her style too, (she dresses sort of alternative and gets a lot of her clothes from hot topic) and when other people shop there, she's always kind of suspicious in a way- less suspicious more...angry? She doesn't like people to "copy her" An artist can't just be your thing, if a friend, or family member, stranger, enemy (maybe not that one) LIKES the same music as you, you should take that as a compliment, I understand not wanting to be copied, or losing your "individuality" but come on-

All these people need to do is delete tiktok and it won't be ruined for you.

The fact that a lot of the music I enjoy now are from getting popular on tiktok. I wouldn’t have found one of my favorite artists if it wasn’t posted on tiktok.

ugh I've met so many of the "name three songs" type

i think when ppl say songs are “tiktokified” i assume they mean a trend was made to it that sucks ass and it makes them feel differently about the song. like i have seen ppl get upset that ED trends, racist trends, ableist trends, and sometimes just “annoying” trends end up being done to songs that they enjoy

As an old person (32) i've seen so many artist who I loved when they were small blow up and become mainstream and it makes me so happy because it means they make enough money to keep making music for years to come vs the bands i loved who never blew up and had to come out and say "sorry we can't keep playing because we can't afford to and we need to work regular 9-5s now because we are 30 and broke. thanks to our supporters. sorry we failed" and then you never hear from them again.

Going to concerts truly is one of the best ways to fall in love with an artist no matter how much of their music you've heard. I've become obsessed with some of my favorite artists after going to a concert of theirs not knowing many songs. Hell, I went to a Lord Huron concert just to hear ONE song of theirs and it was such a formative experience for me that I'm a diehard fan now. So I think going to a concert just to hear one song is FINE like it's really none of anyone's business how big of a fan another concert goer is. Why ruin the night for yourself by worrying about whether the rest of the audience is as "worthy" as you? ANYWAYS, it's nice seeing an artist like Dev expressing the same views. It makes the space more welcoming for new fans when it's made clear that they're welcome even if it's just for one night of casual fun.

The only time I have ever gatekeeped an artist/song is when it was anything kpop relate from certain people. For example, a girl who I went to high school with who was definitely racist and made fun of kpop, now claims to love kpop. That is very frustrating considering how she literally said it was "weird" that I listened to kpop. That is the only time I have ever thought gatekeeping is acceptable.

4:17 I understand what they mean the moment a song that you love goes viral on TikTok you hate the song because they burn it to the ground. you hear it so often you hate it. Like whatever radio stations play the same 20 songs every hour.

I’ve only attempted to gatekeep music once, it was an ex friend of mine (straight male) who was a lesbian fetishiser and I got upset because he listened to girl in red and I was scared he was going to find it hot or some weird ass shit also as a disclaimer I think anyone can listen to her just please don’t fetishise lesbian relationships it’s weird as hell thanks

when i was a kid i was bullied a LOT for liking anime, so much that i didnt tell anyone and i didnt let my friends come in my room in case they saw the one figurine i had imported from japan. now as an adult, it's mainstream, and some of the people that made fun of me for it like it now. you know what? im really glad. Theres more mech in the USA now, anime conventions are getting huge and i can actually enjoy my interests publically. it sometimes sucks when something private and special gets put on blast (especially if it gets memed) but ultimately it's better for everyone in most cases. more content for you to enjoy, more people to connect with, and it supports the creators to keep making more content.

People gatekeeping Lana’s unreleased music is so strange to me because the reason ‘say yes to heaven’ was released was literally because it blew up on tiktok

The only time ive been inclined to gatekeep recently was when Running Up That Hill went viral because of stranger things. Ive been listening to Kate Bush since i can remember (my mom discovered her in high school and passed her onto me), so it was weird to see a song I've been listening to forever go viral. But mostly, i just wanted people to listen to more Kate Bush because she's amazing and i want more people to understand my love for her! So yeah, still don't really understand gatekeeping, but i get the frustration when just one song by an artist goes viral

The one time I can think I would've liked gatekeeping is mitski. People who got into her music often misunderstood her messages in her songs. And she was already popular, like she was making ok money off of her music. Edit: I'd also die if a tik toker danced to please eat or angels of porn by Nicole Dollanganger or pretty bones by yeule

the experience you had with 21 pilots is something that kind of happened to me with Panic at the Disco. I knew their panic songs like I Write Sins Not Tragedies, Mona Lisa, This Is Gospel. I didn't know any of the other songs that played, but I was with my cousin who knew every word of every song. I ended up loving the songs that were performed from the album they were touring (Death Of A Bachelor). I looked back at the songs later on and I wished I listened to the album before I went

i’m against gatekeeping, BUT i will say that it is frustrating when a rlly good artist gets popular thru one song for a reason usually unrelated to their music being good, resulting in them not actually gaining any popularity from it. great example of the 1st thing i mentioned being glass animals getting a spike in popularity bc someone made AN MCYT SHIP FANFIC 😧 based around (+ named after) one of their songs, and the song got boosted on tiktok bc of it b4 every1 j forgot abt them =(( personally i feel very connected to the music i listen to, so having a great artist get very temporary popularity from only a single song feels like they aren’t getting what they truly deserve (that being genuine listeners and long-lasting popularity), which is rlly sad and disappointing. this is why i find it upsetting when a great artist has one song get popular on tiktok. i’m not unhappy w the popularity that song gets, i’m unhappy w how that popularity isn’t going towards the actual artist + their music as a whole, but rather towards a song being treated as nothing more than a trend

Ceilings was my favorite song from 5 seconds flat since it came out, I was super happy when it went viral 🤷🏼‍♂️

oh as a person who listens to less known artists all the time I hate gatekeeping. I have seen my fav artists just disbanded or silently faded away and it HURTS

Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi is a dearly beloved song to me but also,,, I'll forever associate it with the text-to-speech inspiration feel-good videos that are just like,,,, the silliest thing ever

i kinda understand why people gatekeep niche music in certain situations. yes its annoying but if that type of music has been downlooked by the same people who suddenly change their minds when it's popular, then i think for the og fans its rlly irritating 😅 i still understand devs take tho i get how it can be annoying if music is gatekept

there was one time I didn’t really care about someone gatekeeping a song was when Conan Gray released his sophomore album and has a song called ‘family line’. A lot of the fans didn’t want it to be popular because people would put it in edits and find a reason to change the meaning behind the song, Conan opened up a lot about his family life on the song, and when people used it in edits or talking about break ups/relationships a lot of people used the music is subjective excuse, it kind of pissed me off because it was one of the rare times he was vulnerable with fans. He even said it took him a long time to finish writing this song. It was the only time i understood fans gatekeeping a song from social media.

Being mad your fans only know one part of a song discounts the adrenaline that comes from seeing your idols perform. I was obsessed with a song that Hatsune Miku sings called Secret Police (produced by buriru-p) and there’s one part where she shouts ‘wo miru’ and the audience is expected to shout it with her at concerts. I LOVE this song. I used to blast it in my car constantly. It was one of the first non-English songs I put effort into learning the chorus of. I had a messenger bag with art of Miku’s outfit from it I used for years and everything. But when I saw her live I got SO EXCITED I forgot how to shout ‘wo miru.’ You may be thinking ‘that’s a second language, not the same thing!’ THEY PUT IT ON SCREEN NEXT TO HER AND I WAS STILL TOO EXCITED FOR MY BRAIN TO PROCESS THOSE WERE MY MISSING WORDS. If she held out her mic and refused to sing and it started to get quiet, I could easily have seen myself freaking out and choosing something close so it didn’t seem awkward. I’m sure a lot of people in the audience panicked and just let their muscle memory take over.

Ngl it is SO sad going/trying to go to a concert of an artist you love and admire only to show up and it be full of younger kids who sit quietly until their one verse comes on. It’s sad, like you wasted all that money to hear a sound byte live, while the rest of us are actually trying to enjoy the vibe around us

I always want my friends to listen to the music I listen to, I absolutely love sharing music with people. But one thing Dev didn’t mention that I think should be is when cishet people use explicitly and unirrevocably queer songs to mean something completely different when those songs are very special to the communities they’re about, like The Village and certain cavetown songs (this is home, dysphoric), and especially when the artist has said that the song is not up for interpretation and/or they don’t like it being used to mean other things (like wrable did) or if it’s being used for the opposite of what it’s intended for (like transphobes using parents by yungblud) There’s nothing wrong with them liking or listening to the songs, or even twisting the meaning just for themselves when they listen to the song, but publicly distorting its meaning when it’s something very important to a whole group of people is messed up.

I went to a TØP concert after knowing them for less than a year. I went in January 2017, so they were at the top of the charts at that time. And I went by myself, because no one else I knew wanted to pay $200 for a floor ticket, which I understand. Compared to prices now, that was a steal! I remember feeling like I didn’t earn it because I wasn’t a longtime fan, but I figured the majority of the people there probably weren’t in the fandom since the beginning. It’s still my favorite concert to this day!

i completely agree! gatekeeping music for the sake of feeling special and unique is lame. i used to think i was super cool cuz i thought i had a unique music taste (oof 😅) but as i’ve gotten older ive learned that its really fun to share the music you love with friends and even random people, because its fun to talk about and they might enjoy it too! i feel like more people discovering my favorite artists is overall a good thing because like you said thats the only way the artist is gonna be able to make the music that we love! and reaching a certain level of success can provide access to better equipment, recording spaces, producers, features, and overall “higher quality” music i gotta say though, i really do get a little sad when a song i like goes viral on tiktok and gets absolutely ran into the fckn ground to the point everyone starts to hate it 😂 but its the same thing with radio play, some songs get way overplayed but thats not the artists fault and it doesnt mean its no longer a good song or that so many people are wrong for liking it. ALSO ive been listening to your EP nonstop lately and just wanna say that you made a really beautiful, personal and fun work of art. thank u for sharing it with the world ❤ #gatekeepdevlemons

it was defintely disheartening to see people get $100+ tickets to ghost when i went to their concert leave after they played a song that was popular on tiktok.. it was wild to me

Dev is actually in my top ten human beings

hi dev "you tear me apart" is my #3 most listened to song this year so far i listen to it while i clean and through an entire plane ride

I think for me it's more about like. when a lot of people discover something at the same time there can be a lot of bandwagoning and it can totally change the fan space. So like a really fun thoughtful community can disappear overnight because it got flooded with people who are coming at it from a different angle. That's inevitable and I would never actively try and stop people from discovering something I love but I will complain about it in private lol.

I can see both sides to the Steve lacy video argument. Like I can see how fucking disappointing it could be for literally the whole crowd to sing the wrong part of the song, but also expecting them to sing the whole part for you is also annoying b/c YOU’RE the performer, people came to see YOU sing.

When it comes to event production, it's totally understandable to be exclusive in an attempt to curate a safe space for your friends. And yeah, that can be seen as a form of gatekeeping, but it's for a good reason. However, no one has the right to gatekeep any style of music

I think people should take the time to learn about the artist’s discography before going to a concert. 1. Become a fan from TikTok 2. Listen to their other songs 3. Go to a concert here, now that u know more of their discography

i want everyone to love things i like. any time i find some new artist i like, i send their songs or videos to all my friends. and i don't think a trend has to take away anything from the song. there are songs that i have a huge emotional connection to but someone else doing a silly dance to them doesn't change it. for me, the part that makes me feel 'different' is spending time discovering new artists and sharing them with people.

as much as i wanna gatekeep, i want my favorite artists to flourish and succeed and ACTUALLY make a living, so it’s always exciting to tell someone about an artist i love and then we can share the music together

Thank you for bringing a funny, kind, and inclusive perspective to the music-tube/music lover community. We need more people like you around

I feel like it's because once a song or artist becomes mainstream, it loses the meaning fans attach to the song or artist. if originally, most listeners were hard-core fans, and then the landscape changes such that most listeners could care less about the artist themselves, then being a listener of that artist looses meaning

not to be offering a boomer like perspective but my mum was so gassed when walking in the sand was big on tiktok because she’s loved that song forever lol, gatekeeping never crossed her mind and the same when running up that hill blew up thanks to stranger things

LISTEN TO KEG The only time its ok to gatekeep is not wanting things to get popular on tiktok because almost every song thats really popular on tiktok everyone will hate because they've heard it so much, even if its a good song.

At the end of 2018 I randomly stumbled across a live video of Poppy singing her song "X" at her Halloween show that year. I was vaguely aware of her RU-vid videos, but didn't know she did live shows, much less had music. It was interesting and good enough that I checked out the rest of the album and showed my best friend. We decided on a whim to go see her live because she was coming near by a month later. She sang a bunch of stuff from her previous album and EP as well, and I hadn't heard any of it before, but I had a great time, and immediately wanted to listen to the rest of her music more. A year later, "I Disagree" was blowing up, and we saw her live again, and there were so many new fans that had no clue about her past pop music or her videos, they just knew she was a cool new up and coming metal artist. Was it a very different vibe in the crowd? Absolutely. But we were stoked that her audience had grown and diversified, and it didn't tarnish the memory of seeing her at a tiny show the year before and discovering something new and exciting. For a bunch of people, that second show was them discovering something new and exciting after only hearing one or two songs. That's awesome. Sometimes seeing a band or artist live having only heard one or two songs is the best way to get the rest of their songs under your skin and into your head and make you a fan. The very tiny percentage of people who are there just because it's a trendy event and they want an excuse to mosh and beat people up, or just party and ignore the stage, shouldn't ruin the experience for everyone else there, new fans or old.

this was beautiful thank you

dev you are literally so cool. will never gatekeep your channel girl

agree w/ you 100%, i honestly love that artists i love are becoming more well known (though ngl i will miss the cheap concert pricing if they end up super popular) the only times ive ever had some issue with it is i do kind of hate that glass animals became popular bc of a minecraft streamer rpf, bc thats kinda just a very weird and morally ambiguous thing to exist in the first place and also made spotify class them as part of a genre based around said streamers?? i was kinda mad when it was super high up on my spotify wrapped bc i Do Not Like Those People At All the other time is when hayloft got picked up by tiktok and got mother mother more attention, the band was obviously very hyped about it which i loved to see bc ive loved them for like 10 years now (also made them finally release merch which i ofc got), but within like. a few months suddenly tiktok decided they were now cringe??? it was so sad to see the hype die out so quickly

i always get SO happy when i convince people to listen to my favourite music gatekeeping it truly baffles me

I also listened to that La Dispute album in high school 😭

you're a genius and i think the fake hammer gag was funny and didn't deserve the amount of backlash that it got. I respect you ma'am

ppl in Starberry's comments make jokes about wanting to gatekeep his music and "keep him for themselves" even though he openly works extremely hard to get people to hear his music..... gatekeeping in general is annoying but i feel like it's especially rude to say it to an artists face that you dont want them to be successful????

One thing i gotta say about the Monte Booker Smino collab is I got onto it thru smino and his page and never got the vids from that dude, rather more iterations of the goopie dance so I gotta admit it made my experience of the song richer since i smiled through the whole song 😂

Gatekeeping is cringe, but I do get it in the tik tok era where tiktok is simultaneously basically the only way to market your music and also sort of defaces it. Like right now to blow up especially in more alt music you sort of need to express an emotion in a very clear way in 6 seconds, or you need to have absolutely ridiculous lyrics and delivery. This doesn't actually denote the quality of the music, but it does make it almost embarrassing to listen to for me. One clear example to me is I Think I Like When It Rains by WILLIS, an absolutely great garage rock/soul song that sounds beautiful, but its also used as a generic audio to get a feeling across on tiktok so I can't listen to it publicly without feeling silly. It hasn't happened for this song yet, but I can absolutely see it happeninf with one of my favourite songs, Ambulance by TV On The Radio. It isn't fair or rational but if I saw people posting on that song constantly I'd probably lose love for that song.

dominic fike has ALWAYS been a huge part of my life. i’ve always been a huge concert goer, i’ve been to TONS. however my best friend hasn’t, a few months ago i was given the opportunity to get two tickets to go see dominic fike, i love him and i love how tight knit and small he is, HOWEVER, i want him to be HUGE, and that’s why i made my best friend come with me as it was her first concert and i’ve kinda forced her to listen to him for years now lol. she isn’t super big on his music but she knows that i am so she agreed to go with me. to this day she still tells me that it was one of the coolest/best concerts she’s gone too because she not only got to just vibe and dance with her best friend but because she also got to see and understand why he means so much to me as a musician. i think gatekeeping is okay in some circumstances but if it’s holding the artist back from growing it’s an issue. i think it’s okay to love an artist and not want them to become oversold/wornout but it’s not okay to sabotage their career b/c you want them to stay small and personal.

I love watching you with generally everything you do! I would also LOVE some more videos with that chaotic energy dating app / messing with others too! So good!

music gate keeping feels like a teenager thing to me. i was into owl city before fireflies went viral. in the 2010s way. and was all hipster ‘i liked owl city before it was cool’ but damn i’m so happy when artists get popular and they go on tours that have stops somewhat near me

I feel like the use of media to define yourself or your personality is a slippery slope that leads to being evil and gatekeeping

it is. i gatekeep queef jerky. jk i tell EVERYONE and get weird looks but oh well 🤷‍♂️

We studied this gatekeeping of music in art class. I learned that it is how certain groups preserve their "status." By making a song only for a certain group, it kinda relates to maintaining that song's value as a "high art" rather than a "lower" form of art which is usually mass-produced - and in music's case, mainstream.

That Steve Lacey clip cracks me up sm like bro. They paid to see YOU sing the second verse

I haven't watched yet but I agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dev really got me thinking about the 2nd verse of shape of you