I get it.
You have a strong dislike towards Music Curators.
But is it justified?
You notice your eyes twitch every time you check musicto.com for the Track of the Week. Have Music Curators somehow become both the kid you hate – the one who sits like a right angle in front of the class, raising their hand before the question is asked, AND the kid you hate – the one who sits like a protractor in the back of the class, talking noise with their crew about how no one uses geometry in real life?
I can sense the internal struggle, and I’ll shoot it to you straight, there is some cause for concern. The good news is, you are not alone, and I think I know why. Here are the 7 reasons why you may be a hater of the Curator.
1) they know more about music than you
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
The first step is admitting you have a problem. You are not the music savant you aspire to be. Yet and still, you refuse to “like” the Music Curator’s post about how the guitar plucking in “Old Town Road” was sampled from track 34 of the Nine Inch Nails album “Ghosts I-IV”. Even though you immediately went to YouTube it for confirmation. The sobering reality is, Music Curators know more about recorded music than you. You don’t try to trip the curator at the Smithsonian for knowing more about presidential portraits than you, so what’s the big deal? Oh, maybe it’s because…
2) They know more about having a good time than you
Show me a house party firing on all cylinders and I’ll show you a party under the guidance of an MC, or Music Curator (as our forefathers taught us, MC stands for Move the Crowd). These folks know the formula to get people hype. Imitators will snatch the aux cord and play what THEY want to hear. A smart host will suppress their urge to play what they THINK is hitting, deferring to the Music Curator who KNOWS what will hit. It’s the reason so many MCs double as DJs. And when they aren’t tasked with driving more bar sales,
3) They make “popular” music unpopular
Photo by Giles Turnbull on Flickr
Music Curators turn up their noses at the lowest common denominator. They are our explorers, out in the wild, searching high and low for the perfect track with 193 streams. You want to get fat and lazy to Top 40 radio? You will be labeled the biggest loser. If you want a sonic workout, one that tones your brain and feeds your soul a carb-free diet, take a jog down winner’s lane. Why? Because
4) They make up their own rules of what’s cool to listen to
Nelson Mandela. William Wallace. MLK. Joan of Arc. Some others I would have to Google. Progress is made from the work of rebels. We need renegades to lead us into the unknown, whether it be the dark void of social change or the vast abyss of Spotify. When a Music Curator puts their name behind some unsigned Cloud Rap trio from Kalamazoo, don’t ask questions. Just follow. Speaking of Cloud Rap,
5) They are culturally literate know-it-alls
Photo by Nischal Masand on Unsplash
Knowing the best music isn’t a one-trick-pony. Music Curators need to be on the cutting edge of all things culturally relevant, from celebrities to slang to social media. Staying plugged in is critical to their success, as the next banger can grow from many types of soil. Call them Horticulturalists. Identifying beauty is very different from creating it, which is why
6) They are the epitome of “those who can’t, teach”
Music Curators love music. Most of them would trade their day job to be a self-supporting musician. Instead of scouring the internet for great music, why not just make their own? Because explaining the Pythagorean theorem doesn’t make you Pythagoras. There is a specific level of hate towards those that rise to the level of teacher without proper dues being paid. So a “Top 50 Rappers” list from TI is more credible than a ranking from a Music Curator? Fun is fun, but ranking Nelly above Big Pun and Ghostface Killah, and only one notch under J Cole is felonious. Bottom line is,
7) You need them
Because life is better with great music as the soundtrack. When you need that song, the one that elevates and penetrates, check your ego at the aux cord and allow your friendly neighborhood Music Curator to save the day.
Don’t hate your heroes.
Photo by Mike Burns on Flickr
Banner image: Photo by Marc Schaefer on Unsplash
If you’d like to learn more about curating a playlist with musicto, we’ve written a couple of pages that break down exactly what we’re looking for and what it takes. Curious? Come and check us out:
About the Author – Ben Young
Ben Young lives a life of polarity. He has split his life between the coasts: half his life on the West (California) and half on the East (Georgia and Virginia). He has pursued careers in the art world (film school graduate) and the corporate world (executive with Fortune 500 companies). And he is Biracial, the personification of being two things at once.
Ben’s musical influences were formed by music loving parents, raised in a world of John Coltrane and John Lennon, James Taylor and James Ingram, Huey Lewis and the News and Prince and the Revolution. Saxophones, electric guitars, synthesizers, and breakbeats filled the air Ben breathed from birth. And being born one year after the birth of Hip Hop, Ben has been joined at the hip with the genre his entire life.
You can check out Ben’s Music to Quit Your Job playlist below:
