Do you base your opinion on bands and artists off of their popularity?

Certain people will not listen to a band unless they have been on TRL and then there are others who refuse to listen to anything that is on the Top 40 charts.
For example, before Paramore became popular I knew people who used to like them but now will not even bother with their music because they have become too mainstream.
Does the amount of radio play or CD sales play a role in your opinon on an artist or is that something you don't bother with?

I remember being extremely excited when Very Proud Of Ya by AFI was released. I also remember getting Decemberunderground the day it came out (as well as everything between). So it hasn't really changed my opinion too much. The only thing I can say is that when a band becomes big, sometimes they neglect their older catalog. In AFI's case, just look at the I Heard A Voice release. 4 of 18 represent all their material before Sing The Sorrow. I enjoy the new stuff, but I want them to be fair to the audience that has been with them a long time...play the old school as well!
This occurrence, which happens when most bands go mainstream, is what frustrates the "original" fans.

I really try to not let it change my opinion of a band/artist. However, most of the music I listen to isn't played on MTV or the radio, but I won't outright reject a band if they are. I listen to what I like and that's all that matters.

Nope, it's all about the tunes.

Yes and no. It just so happens that most of the music I listen to isn't on the top 40, but there's a reason for that. But then again, I have all of Paramore's CD's. I assume if its popular I won't like it because nothing I like is popular. But I buy stuff if I like it. I bought a Kelly Clarkson CD, so what? LOL.

No way.
Any one who does that its stupid.
If the music is good i dont care if they have 1 fan or 1,000 fans.
It doesnt make a difference to me at all.

I base my opinion on their sound and lyrical integrity, I like originality not fad bands like Boys like girls or Good Charlotte, man i hate pop bands!!! Bunch of self centered sellouts....

No,I was a huge Heart fan back in the 70s & it was hard to find them in magazines,I'm also a huge Mariah Carey fan but i honestly did not hear her music up until a couple of years ago,I always listened to Classic Rock ,Alternative or Oldies.I pretty much fell into hearing one of her songs and have liked her since.So in essence I didn't listen to Mariah Carey because she was popular, it was strictly because i Like her MUSIC.(I feel like i'm defending that)

It used to be that if a band / Artist was popular , that generally meant that they were good. Today , all bets are off, and i realize that you can actually suck and be popular! LOL! That's all i'm sayin...

No, I don't think popularity should matter. If the band is good, they're good, and that's all I need to know.

It used to. Whenever I would hear a band that I liked on the radio or MTV, I'd be so angry, and I wouldn't listen to them anymore. I realized that that was really stupid. The only reason I was angry was because I felt cool that nobody else had heard of them. And, also, why would I stop listening to something I like just because other people like them?

Though, some bands used to be good, and then after they got a little mainstream, their music started to suck a lot...but that's different.

Like Jake Wears Prada said my music is definetly NOt on the Top 40. But then again I listen to a lot of bands that are not even signed let alone "big". Personally, i don't like mainstream music just because it's not the type of music I generally listen to. but if I have friends that REALLY like a band then I check them put if I think they have good music taste.
So basically friends opinions=ok and TRL opinions=not so much. LOL

Certainly not!
My musical tastes are based on what *sounds* good, not how well known they are.

For example, there are a vast amount of people who've probably never heard of one of my favourite bands :~

Blackmore's Night


And that must be somewhere between the 10th ~ 20th time today I've mentioned them!

Not at all whatsoever
I could give a drizzley lumpy rolling donut less if a particular band is only liked by Me and some Yak Herder in Argentina.
If I like it I like it, if I don't I don't. The World's opinions on bands don't sway Me one whit. I think for Myself.

i guess i do, except the other way around, generally, i don't like bands that are very popular. there are some, but i usually discover them before they are popular

no. i dont care if they are mainstream or if they aren't mainstream.

no because i think the populrity doesn't really matter.

no.i can't stand it when people only listen to what's in the chart. there's so much better stuff out there. i won't start hating a band because they get big, just as long as they don't sell out.

No, sometimes, I just pick up a cd and just think what the heck. Sometimes, well, 9 times out of ten, I do right, and pick the right choice.

one of my sister's friends did this
she was in love with paramore but then totally rejects them now since the are on the radio (she also did the same with boys like girls)

personally it doesn't bother me
firstly most music that i like most likely won't appear on the radio and im fine with that but if it does i'll totally support and respect that band still
most people will only listen to that popular song and then thats it (in my mind i can't do that...i have to listen to their whole album)

usually the song that does (in this case 'misery buisness') isn't my favorite song from that band

with paramore i still love them
and i will always like my bands that are on the mainstream side as much as i did when they weren't

no, i like music because it sounds good and what the lyrics say and show. not just how popular they are other wise music would just be a big blur to me.

No,
I like a lot of bands who all my mates and practically everyone I know can't stand.
If I here about a popular band I'll check them out though.

No. Its all about the music.

No it all depends on if the can play and if there songs r interesting or not!!!!!
Anyone who listens to a band just b/c they r popular r not real fans!!!!!

I try not to, and I know I shouldn't care if the twelve year old down the street knows who Boys Like Girls are, or Paramore for that matter, but I have based my opinions on things like that. (I have actually stopped listening to those artists, and now because of this question I think I might start again)

I can't blame the band though, I mean, If you were in a band, wouldn't you want people to know who you were?

no, i actually like less famous bands because it is so much more fun to go to a show if they know you by name because you are one of the 20 people that actually listen to them.
and when band are less famous their true personality and style shines. once bands sign on to a label, the music gets twisted and changed a lot.

but i'm not one of those people that stops listening to bands just because they got famous. you can't blame a band for making it big. and i have started listening to bands that i heard on TRL or the radio, just because you haven't known them forever doesn't mean you can't listen to them

no I HATE AND DREAD MAINSTREAM!

no, who cares? i dont listen to much commericial radio or watch any fuse-esque channels, i dont know always know whats mainstream or not.

No, my favorite band, MCR, is so mainstream it almost hurts but I still love them. I listen to all sorts of bands, and it does give people a good feeling to say that they listen to music that rocks that nobody else knows about. Lol.

no, but evey band i like is getting into the mainstram , and it gets annoying because i was listening to them wayyyy b4 anyone else, and now since there on top 40 everyone thinks they are there biggest fan
but i still have a few bands to myself that i doubt will ever go on top 40

no not really. i mean if they're popular i'll give them a try because they're popular for a reason.
but if one of my favorite bands got super mainstream then good for them. why the hell should i stop listening to them because they have more fans?