it- virtual era is that, by having but in the context of the forum 2004 had been the year of the access to an infinite archive of itself it was a essential signifier to release of “Gasolina”, an the history of pop music, one can introduce yourself. In similar ways extremely successful reggaeton virtually live in a mental 1967, to the ways youth subcultures used single by Daddy Yankee. Gallucci 1979 or 1994, depending on your clothes as an essential signifier, (2008) defines the essence of the choice. You can immerse yourself forum users needed these to genre as highly sexual lyrics over A Walk in the back catalogue of Shed explain who they were and repetitive, aggressive beats. Seven in a way that no-one could establish status within the online Reggaeton has proved resistant to even dream of (or fear) in 1996. community. the constant backlash of Simon Reynolds (2010) famously specialized music media. The analyzed this phenomena using harsh media reception of the genre Through the concept of retromania, and has even been analyzed as a racist while his words addressed the expression by Lenore (2014). subsequent revivals of diverse un- derground genres (from I heard reggaeton for the first time, post-punk to shoegaze) in the as did many people in my Music Forums noughties, they perfectly describe generation, from the giant the general discourse in music speakers of the bumper cars in

Santiago Fernández SánchezSantiago Fernández forums around 2005. I registered a small town fair: reggaeton has “We’ll invent some new 2008). with pop music, as, more or for the first time on elotrolado.net been, since its inception in Spain, computers For this piece of work, I less, 2004. There was not an in May 2005. I was 13 years old. a music for celebrations and Link up the global vil- draw on my (subjective) epiphany. The majority of festivals. Music forums lage memories of belonging to autobiographical narratives emulated the canonical values of And get AP, UPI, and Spanish music-related in- relating to musicians, crit- rock (Jones, 2008): complexity was ternet communities, such as ics or fans of pop music Reuters celebrated over simplicity, message boards, during the mention a magic moment technique was regarded as the ob- To tell everybody, noughties. I scrutinise how when something clicks in- jective measure of quality in mu- news news” these living entities that are side a teenage mind. Years sic3. Metal and rock were Husker Dü - Divide forums reproduce or reb- ago the Spanish music After years of internet presence, I celebrated, rap was judged as el against the discourse of journalist Nando Cruz had and Conquer (1985) have been able to perceive poetry, the “disco sucks” discourse the mainstream critics, how the habit of asking all his changes in the ways of expression. of Steve Dahl was still alive. The We are the children of the they shape tastes, how its interviewees a very These changes were not just due to arrival of reggaeton was internet. We were raised on members became what they simple question: “Why do the appearance of new platforms, consensually judged as a disaster, a diet of a trolls, (we) are as music fans, and you make music?”. the take up of social media or an evident proof of the terrible sockpuppets, avatars and how the fragility of internet Depending on the generational gaps. Between 2005 decadence of music since the signatures. We stayed awake servers erase the memories generation the majority and now, the amount of internet golden age of rock music, the until 4 am discussing why of a collective virtual expe- of the musicians, tended users in Spain has tripled. In the purest, the “most authentic” Radiohead's In Rainbows rience. to mention a song on the mid noughties, users were still (using Frith’s (1996) terms). was a step beyond or a living radio, a Top of the Pops virtually internet illiterates, “Reggaetonto” (reggaedumb) was proof of their decadence. First there was Google. I broadcast or a recorded precisely because there were not coined as the term to define the Rock critics were a matter barely remember how the cassette tape that a friend any rules on how to express new genre, and it was depicted of criticism themselves, world was before Google. I gave them. For me, there yourself. The grammar of internet with graphic emoticons that sometimes an argument was born in 1991, the year was not a single discussion on music (or any other 2 expressed the shared feelings for of authority, sometimes a that punk broke1. By the life-changing moment. My topic) was being written, while the a phenomenon that did not fit the laughing stock. In internet time I reached the age in approach to pop music discussions were happening. Users rockist canon. We learnt how to forums, anyone could be- which I developed a was gradual and cerebral. were identified with a nickname, hate reggaeton without listening come a respected expert and conscious awareness of the It was through words, and an avatar (a small image to it. It was not “real music”. It had a followed creator of world of sounds that not through sounds. It was appearing at the left of the screen) “no instruments”. opinion, subverting the surrounded me punk was reading music forums. and a signature (which could be canon of rock music that has well buried, but I didn't either an image, a short text or “I heard reggaeton for the first time... been vertically imposed by know it. I date the One of the biggest both). Holtz (2012) dismisses this from the giant speakers of the bumper critics in mass media (Jones, beginning of my obsession paradoxes of the –let’s call visual information as cars in a small town fair” irrelevant for the study of forums, 34 35 Democracy had fallen in a We can say that repetition of the most Bibliography obvious stereotypes of rock Rolling Stones were y lists. We mimicked the rock just another British Frith, S. (1996). Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music. Oxford: Oxford University critics we used to criticize. Press. The (poor) dialectic struggle R&B band, you can in which we were immersed say it if you are aware Holtz, P., Kronberger, N., & Wagner, W. (2012). Analyzing internet forums: A practical guide. used to end up using critics Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 24(2), 55-66. as an authority argument. of the Birds, Down- Music forums (which were liner Sect, The Pretty Jones, CW. (2008). The Rock Canon: Canonical Values in the Reception of Rock Albums 4 overwhelmingly masculine) Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series. were a mixture of a Things, Remo Four, Lists are an obsession of rock community and a The Yardbirds, Small Lenore, V. (2014). Indies, Hipsters y Gafapastas. Madrid: Capitán Swing culture. Anyone who has been a competition, of saccharine Faces, Chris Farlowe, regular reader of any music zine and testosterone. There was Reynolds, S. (2011). Retromania: Pop culture's addiction to its own past. London: Faber & has been exposed to a wide an element of competition in Georgie Fame, etc.5 Faber. variety of lists. Von Appen and the discussions and Doehring (2006), in their critics were our guides in that Styvén, M. (2007). The Intangibility of Music in the Internet Age. Popular Music & Society. 30. analysis of the “best albums ever” macho world. We used critics We needed to overcome the 53-74. lists from major music magazines as an objective proof of how critics, we had to invent our found out a huge amount of our masculine tastes were own canon, express a perfect Von Appen, R., & Doehring, A. (2006). Nevermind the Beatles, Here's Exile 61 and Nico: 'The coincidences, regardless of the superior to those genres that individuality which showed Top 100 Records of All Time': A Canon of Pop and Rock Albums from a Sociological and an geographical or temporal origin were dismissed as “for girls”. how far we were from our Aesthetic Perspective. Popular Music, 25(1), 21-39. of each list. In my forum we Eurodance, “flamenquito” or previous arguments of decided to create our own list. We reggaeton were not part of authority. We had to show that Waldron, J. (2013). YouTube, fanvids, forums, vlogs and blogs: Informal music learning in a fought, we insulted each other, the critic canon, so they were we had become diggers, unique convergent on- and offline music community. International Journal of Music Education. 31. some people were even banned. instantly regarded as individuals. 91-105. This was the result: second-tier styles of music. Japanese psychedelia, harsh noise, tropicalia. 1.The Beatles By the year 2010 my forum Santiago Fernández Sánchez currently studies the MA programme in Hispanic Studies at Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club had declined. On one hand the University of Sheffield, focusing his research in the intersection between Spanish pop Band social media had changed, Obviously Phil Ochs music and politics. He has worked in several roles in secondary education and music journal- 2.Pink Floyd and platforms such as ism. He also plays in the indie pop band Autoescuela. Wish You Were Here Facebook or Twitter had is much better than 3. Led Zeppelin become central to virtual Dylan6 IV interaction. On the other 4.Pink Floyd hand, discussions in forums [1]This is a reference to the VHS box set directed by Dave Markey, 1991: The Year Punk Broke. Dark Side of the Moon had become boringly circular, We had become the online, and [2](online)https://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_canciones-de-reggaeton-favoritas_898356[seen 5.Queen and the majority of the users unpaid, parody of a rock critic. 5th May 2018] Creative Commons Licence. A Night at the Opera had sophisticated their taste [3]Examples of such artists are Joe Satriani or Steve Vai. These musicians, in addition to many 6.Dire Straits in peculiar ways, by Again. others, were praised by musicians and fans alike because "objectively" they had a better Brothers in Arms overcoming references that technique than no-one else, as they could play more musical notes than other guitar players 7.The Beatles seemed too “basic” or, in And that is how we learnt to in the same amount of time. Abbey Road internet slang, “normie”. love music. [4](online) https://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_a-nadie-le-gusta-el-reggaeton_554600[seen 5th 8.Nirvana Exclusivity and rarity of May 2018] Creative Commons Licence. Nevermind artists were being used as an [5](online) https://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_grupos-sobrevalorados_1228180_s150[seen 5th 9.Guns N' Roses argument of authority, as a May 2018] Appetite For Destruction way to climb in the forum [6](online) https://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_vuestra-cancion-favorita-de-bob-dylan-de-los- 10.Iron Maiden hierarchie. The Beatles, Pink 60_1798732[seen 5th May 2018] The Number of the Beast Floyd or Led Zeppelin had become too obvious.

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