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Once upon a time, music was incredibly tribal\u2026once you picked a tribe, you had to conform to serious and rigid rules\u2026whatever the prevailing dogma dictated was your reality\u2026snobbery abounded\u2026.\n\nFor example, in the 70s, 80s, and well into the 90s, rock was divided into two camps\u2026on one side were the mainstream rockers, fans of the artists that occupied most of the attention: radio airplay, record sales, concert tickets\u2026they were on top of the Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll zeitgeist\u2026\xa0\n\nOn the other were the alterative kids\u2026they were the outsiders, the weirdos, the misfits\u2014and they were very happy with their position\u2026alt-rockers were content with their own musical universe\u2026\n\nBut here\u2019s the thing: during this period, these two tribes were locked in a cold war\u2026it was a war of musical ideology, musical outlook, and musical aspirations\u2026and woe to any tribe member who tried to change tribes\u2026you might as well try to take a stroll across the DMZ between North and South Korea\u2026things could be that rigid\u2026\n\nAnd there was more\u2026if you were a mainstream rock fan, you couldn\u2019t admit to your fellow tribe members that you liked music from the other side\u2026same thing if you were an alt-rocker\u2026to admit that you liked Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, or Van Halen was nothing short of heresy\u2026\n\nI recall one time when Billy Corgan admitted that some of the Smashing Pumpkins sound was influenced by Judas Priest\u2026shock and horror!...treason!...if social media had been around back then, he would have been trolled to death\u2014even though if you listened to the pumpkins, you could hear that kind of metal influence coming through\u2026it just didn\u2019t make sense\u2026\n\nToday, though, those rigid tribal groups have broken down\u2026we have entered an era when we\u2019re very ecumenical about music\u2026more and more, the prevailing philosophy is \u201crespect all music, listen to what you want\u201d\u2026\n\nThis is healthy because it opens up new vistas for music\u2014for listening andfor influences when it comes to making new music\u2026\n\nHere\u2026let me show you what I mean\u2026\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices