I've been getting tired of people insulting other artists or the artists on YouTube music videos, so I'm just going to write a big long (Maybe shorter than I think, I tend to be more organized on paper) rant on why the heck people should stop saying they hate x band or y genre.
Here's the deal. In this digital age of mainstream music, no one ever listents to a full album anymore. I'm not saying that there aren't people that do, I personally listen to the whole album first before deciding what to rip to my computer and then pass onto my Walkman. I'm sure most metalheads still buy full albums and hard copy (holy shit that is so old) discs on CD stores. I'm sure there are Jazz lovers, Pop lovers, Dubstep, Hipsters, Emos, Punks, Goths et. al. that buy these albums. But 90 - 80 % of people now only listen to that one or three singles in the radio that get played because guess what? The artist doesn't have a say in what becomes a single, even if he poured his spirit, energy and everything into a single track, because it might not be commercial. And, I admit, not everyone has the guts to go Trent Reznor or Ash style and release content as it comes in the shapes of singles without having a record company as a medium. Marilyn Manson didn't have the money necessary to go completely label-less and just ended up searching for a better deal that kept the same freedom that no label has, just without the hassle of having to give copies to every major record seller across the world. But that doesn't mean we should judge the artist over that track.
People used to gather next to record players, sit down, and enjoy the music. The album was to be heard as a whole product, not as some losely connected collection of tracks. If you want that, go buy a greatest hits album. Huge albums like The Wall, Nostradamus, Darkside of the Moon, American Idiot, Humanity, and a bunch of other consept albums are based around the idea that the listener not just skips to the best tracks when listening to a CD. Sure everyone has their favorites, but I would not have the whole album of Nostradamus, all two discs, on my walkman, if I hadn't found what beautiful harmony each track has with each other. Darkside of the Moon becomes a series of weird short stories instead of the description of a man. And it doesn't need to be a concept album for these things to happen. Serj Tankian's solo work ties in beautifully, each track blending into each other, working like a gigantic symphony. Even the less complicated and more passion and heart-led albums like TINAGOWTFAY's 101010 or Weird Al's albums or The Nightwatchman's material work better as an album and a concept than individually. It is sad to see people go onto music sites or music videos or on blogs bashing other bands when I bet that most of them have never bought one of that band's cd's, sat down, heard it beginning to end, and then made a judgement on them. And think about it: you don't need to spend that much money; most iTunes albums are cheap as hell.
Now, you might say: but I don't like that genre or that style or whatever! I'm a hardstryle, dubstep, hipster junkie mofo! Well, that STILL doesn't entitle you to saying you hate Justin Bieber. I admit I've said I hate him. But after careful thought, I respect him, and actually feel sad for him in several ways, I just don't like his music. But because "Baby" and all those other tracks he made are so comercially viable, it just gets thrown ontop of us without careful consideration of whether that artist even considers that his best work. What's more, it shows that a man (or boy or girl or woman) with talent might be lucky enough to get signed in a time where success is more dependent on contacts and how willing you are to cheat your way to the top. That's the only reason I respect him, although it will be sad for him to get pigeon holed into music that's not of my taste (not that I ever see him as becoming the next Rob Halford, but you never know).
tl;dr? In short, no one has ever sat to judge an entire musician's catalog with careful consideration to be able to use the word hate or bash a band the way we tend to do so now. They should keep it at "I don't like their/his/her music".
