music theory

what makes good taste in music? does one need to have thousands of cds, or go to concerts every weekend? my music collection, while decently large, comes nowhere close to the libraries of some of my friends. i know people with a cd collection that takes up entire rooms. myself, i have bought exactly one cd in my life. i own three or four more that i've been given, but that's it. my collection has been pieced together a few downloaded songs at a time, generally after i hear them on the radio. i am just not a cd guy. i don't really see the worth in paying 10 dollars for a cd that i'll listen to maybe three songs on. and that's where my question comes from. should i be considered less of a music authority because i don't own cds? at times, i feel this way. it is true that i am often behind the curve when it comes to new music. since my main, often only, source of music is the radio, i am dependent on the judgement of whatever executive it is at clear channel (for they basically own every station by now) that chooses the music content. this means, while i may love a new single off of an album, i might never hear the rest of the songs, even though there's a good chance i'll like them too. additionally, i am never really up on the newest music, cuz everyone knows radio really isn't edgy or new, no matter how hard some stations try. i do hear about new bands a lot, from friends or where ever, but i rarely do anything about it. i'm not going to go out and buy a cd based solely on a few good reviews, and downloading is too time-consuming. the best chance i had was at school, when i could listen to other's libraries using itunes, but even then, it wasn't worth it. unless i know a particular song that i want, the music universe is simply to large to just browse. so yes, my music collection consists largely of singles and top hits. i have a good number of other songs, but the majority could have been pulled off of some top 40 list or something. but does this mean my musical taste is in any way less than the person with 1000 cds? maybe i didn't know a band before they hit it big, maybe i don't have their song that was only included as a hidden track on their third album's uk release, maybe i only have one song from the band. this doesn't mean i appreciate them any less. i would argue that my methods could almost be said to be a product of greater taste, not less. instead of having an entire cd with a dozen songs, only two of which i actually listen to with any regularity, i have just the two. i can say with absolute certainty that every song i have is one of my favorites. so yeah, i may not have the newest indie band's album, and i may not have every song from my favorite artists, and my library could be mistaken for a top-40 list, but my musical taste is just as good as any of yours, no matter how many cds you have.

and it's 3 in the morning and i'm done ranting for the night