BuzzFeed Gives Us 12 'Disappointing' Facts About Pop Music

Anyone who has a bone to pick with modern day pop music will enjoy the latest viral sensation to appear on BuzzFeed: 12 Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Music, which lists right off the bat that the band Creed has sold more records in the US than the legendary guitarist, Jimi Hendrix. 

Fact #1 Creed has sold more records in the US than Jimi hendrix

Fittingly, the article's subtitle proclaims "This is the saddest thing you'll read all day. YOU LET THIS HAPPEN! YOU!"

While America has indeed let his happen, there are still plenty of Americans who are echoing this disappointing sentiment. Posted about a month ago, the post has already received over 2,400,000 views.

Behind this list, and a series of other successful viral articles is BuzzFeed writer and junior at New York University, Dave Stopera. Specializing in 'cultural buzz', Stopera had published over 1,025 posts. Stopera has not only figured out the magic formula for viral content, but also has a large stage on one of the internets largest viral platforms.  In addition to his pop music rant, his top stories have varied from "25 Cartoons You Never Knew Were Voiced by Celebrities" to "Amazing Long Exposure Airplane Photography."

Fact #12 This guy exists.

However, while no one can argue with the story's success in creating buzz, there has been some backlash comments among over 2,000 reactions. While some of the criticisms  could very well be from a bunch of 'beliebers' in response to fact #12 which says "This Guy Exists" above a photograph of Justin Bieber, others allude to the classic-rock mentality. 

"A classic-rock snob dislikes dance and pop music. said Alex Knepper, an American University student. "Classic rock snobs are the worst because they refuse to acknowledge that anything else that's ever existed might possibly be good." She closed her comment denouncing the story, and Stopera as its author, saying "Flop article, flop writer."

Another issue which was brought up was the accuracy in statistics based and change in metrics through the latter half on the 20th century. The comment which has currently holds Buzzfeed's highest social rank, receiving over 1,614 "Likes", is authored by Princeton alumni Robert Campos "They way people bought music was both costlier and less easy than it is today, with our a la carte, online music stores." He says. "The first world population was also much smaller and had we had lower expendable income." However, Campos believes Stopera is "spinning this all wrong." 


While these are certainly legitimate concerns, it is undeniable that these numbers are daunting to many a "real" music fan. Even Campos closes his statement by joking "Could it also be that only idiots buy music more?"