MUSIC APPRECIATION: The 3 Tiers

In an attempt to classify the music I listen to, I have come up with a system of tiers. Three of them actually. Not based on genre or importance but on their intellectual value. For me, it helps filter all the new music I hear on a daily basis (which can be daunting).

TIER 1: Historically and Culturally Important
This is music that I listen to because it is importance to the cultural zeitgeist. Like reading classic literature in order to participate in dinner party conversation. Sometimes I will listen to a Tier 1 artist/group and begin to appreciate them for the music they make and not just for the conversation topics they've left. If this happens they join Tier 2.

TIER 2: General Listening
This category is enormous. 70% of my musical library falls into this category. These are artists/groups that I just genuinely like listening to. My highschool memories, my guilty pleasures, my daily players. Every song that floats into my ears vies for a spot in this category. And once in, you're almost never evicted.

TIER 3: Educational
This is my favorite category. This is music that I don't necessarily understand – or even like – but for one reason or another, I can tell will influence the way I appreciate or create music. Like Tier 1, artists/groups can very easily move into Tier 2 but I generally hold the artists/groups that make the transition from 3 to 2 more dearly than those going from 1 to 2.

Examples:
TIER 1: Elvis, U2, Johnny Cash
TIER 2: Explosions in the Sky, Daft Punk, The Promise Ring
TIER 3: Rusko, Battles, The Locust

(you should definitely listen to every artist/group that I have listed. A great place to start is at Hype Machine: www.hypem.com)