Thoughts on folks who gatekeep music?

I've been hearing about a lotta folks that gatekeep certain music artists to "Keep them Niche" but personally I don't think it's a good thing to do, since a lot of music artists work hard to create the songs we know and love. What are y'all's thoughts on this?

@RayFromTheNet

no shit. that specifically is elitism. let me make what i said very very clear: having genuine interest in music doesn't require memorizing wikipedia pages and fun facts, or answering pop quiz questions about what color socks a guitar tech wore in 1979. that's not how it works. being that kind of snob does nothing to prevent grifters and corporations from watering down art forms and subcultures to make a quick buck before moving on to the next trend.

even if that was their intention as opposed to jerking themselves off over their ultra expensive/obscure/niche record collection, they're picking the wrong targets. discouraging the discovery/support of artists who are often already struggling to afford an honest living let alone create said art is antithetical to "keeping the scene alive," but to many of them, their ego boost from being perceived as a badass [subculture member/music listener] "club" member because they [barely] peaked in high school is evidently worth their favorite artists living out of their car even if their music is built to never see the light of day of mass consumption [see: harsh noise/power electronics]. snobs like that are best ignored, but most are deterred from embracing what they enjoy because some loser told them they're "too new?" don't get it twisted, nobody is disagreeing with you here whatsoever.

Gatekeepers aren't just clowns. They are the entire circus

I could never. I feel like I don't shut up about artists I like, especially the ones who're less popular.

I think it's utterly stupid to gatekeep a band. Most non-popular artists can barely afford the money to keep making music, and all of these alt weridos want to keep them niche to have them as their whole personality. I get where they're coming from, because (as a mainstream pop music enjoyer) I have to go through WAR to get a single ticket, for them to later be super expensive, so by keeping them niche they can afford to go to more shows for a cheaper price. Those people, instead of wanting their favourite artist to live their dream, only want to make something their whole personality to seem different and unique, and they don't think about the musician at all.

I think it's more damaging to gatekeep artists work. they work hard to get their music out there and I think true supporters should be blasting from the rooftops if its truly their favorite band!! Exposure to new audiences gives them more music and inspiration!! 

Gatekeeping is the stupidest thing ever cuz like anybody could do listen play all that whatever they want to at the end of the day. If you want your favorite artist to get big post about them! But I will say as a millennial I do gate keep a couple things like yeah this is our stuff nobody else could touch it but like that's stupid too cuz at the end of the day we're just the cooler older siblings now although technically I'm an only child so... k bye!

I think ppl forget that elitism and gatekeeping aren’t the same thing most of the time. You can gatekeep and not be a piece of shit; it’s a necessary evil in some subcultures that have a close association with music. Ik a couple ppl said it already, but when it hits the mainstream and becomes a trend, people not only water down the music but usually the subcultures that come along with it. 

I will always give recs if someone is genuinely interested in learning more about a genre of music. But I do gatekeep some artists I like, simply because I don’t want them to get popular for the wrong reason or to get into the hands of bad people and become their “anthem” (as u can see with a lot of eurodance artists & their stuff. It’s been completely associated with “save Europe” mfs online)

Gatekeeping for the sake of keeping an artist niche is extremely cringe, yeah. That said while I do see merit in the "our culture is not your costume" argument, it seems to go from gatekeeping to just being unnecessarily rude and unwelcoming way too fast just for the sake of someone's ego trip, because how dare this newcomer not be intimately familiar with every single detail raaaagh and stuff like that. Benefit of the doubt and all that, y'know?

I honestly understand both sides of the coin when it comes to gatekeeping. I do think It's a little unjust, especially when it comes to lesser-known artists. I hate how people start dogpiling others for making songs popular when the artists clearly deserve to get recognition. People have a bad issue with keeping things "niche" and it's hella annoying. 

But I also understand gatekeeping to an extent. When it comes to certain types of music, it is made fun of almost half of the time, and it kinda ruins the vibe for people who genuinely enjoy it. 

But overall, gatekeeping is pretty unnecessary and could hurt someone's career before it even flourishes. 

it sucks cuz a lot of bands got their sound from an older band even if they were chasing trends, and a lot of posers are dumbfuck teens so it ain't worth the struggle (log off of twitter if u see posers online lmao)

I mean, on one hand I get it and on another I find it irritating. If someone has a small band they enjoy and gatekeep it, it's probably because that band has a small "club" of fans and the fan enjoys having that small group without people coming in and "ruining" it. I personally do not have a single friend who has a similar music taste so I do tell all my friends about the smaller bands I like in which they tell me it sounds like ass but ya know. Gatekeeping is irritating when you're trying to expand your taste and grow but having people who gatekeep it from you is annoying, but you can always find it on your own anyways. 

I think that gatekeeping is useless when it comes to music. Music is meant to be shared and enjoyed with everyone. I mainly see people trying to gatekeep more underground artists and it honestly makes me feel uneasy because this artist could possibly be struggling to get just an ounce of recognition and the little bit of fans they have are trying to keep them from growing. It's immature and kind of sad.

On one hand, excessive gatekeeping just blocks out newcomers who don't know much about the scene. On the other hand the right amount of gatekeeping prevent a bunch of creeps and just nasty people overall from sneaking into your scene, which is good. Some of yall take it too far and just use it an excuse to be annoying shitheads.

It's a hard topic since some people that gatekeep think that tourist ruin genres and are posers. Even so, I don't think it's okay to do it with very niche bands; a lot of band really need to get more recognition to be able to keep doing music, if they don't get the support they need they end up disbanding, and the scenes die slowly. Also, if they start a music project is in order to eventually get a strong fanbase that allow them to keep doing what they like and live from the music, at the end of the day they also have bills to pay so.

The people who gatekeepe popular music are idiots to me but gate keeping a smaller artist is okay sometimes

g8keepin lozerz need 2 git gud XD

@skrewdriver "undesirables" ROFLing thank you mr. goebbels

I think there is a very important distinction to be made between gatekeeping and being an asshole to newcomers/elitist. 

Gatekeeping is absolutely necessary to keep your subculture a proper subculture with set beliefs/practices and not just a vague vibe someone kind of connects to. 

Gatekeeping anything is a huge pet peeve of mine 

there's definitely a way to be an asshole while gatekeeping, but i do understand the feeling behind it (at least for me, sometimes when i feel gatekeepy its because im scared of seeming like a poser by association). doesn't give an excuse to be a dick about it tho.