>>/7338/
> and it turns out that...
...most of my music catalog, the singers of those albums I tend to listen to aren´t exactly very talented people with huge vocal ranges or voices that you would normally judge as any worthy member of any opera. Either the genre/the music they play doesn´t require much from them or they sing good enough for fitting into the song and it matches accordingly to the tone that they are singing. A perfect example:  punk music 
 
anyway,

 >>/7335/
> Rather than giving something a chance you judge first by popularity, and though that may act as a filter on mediocrity but also discovering cool stuff. I actually have felt this with fanfiction before.
ironically enough, while looking for obscure seapony images (among images of the princesses as well), I have had to navigate through all kinds of stuff. I suppose that I don´t do that with fics and/or music because they would require more time than scrolling down a single page full of images (and this statement could be quite stupid because I could listen to a few songs of any new record while I am seeking those pics)

In reality, everything is mostly boiled down to passion, eagerness, interest and curiosity of exploring more; it´s unrelated to the mediums and accessibility. Either way, you´ve nailed it, I tend to consider Bandcamp and the unknown as a risky bet and a swampy territory where your job consists at finding the gems within the underground. Now, if you get to find the music that clicks and resonates with you, the feeling of discovery, at the time,must be satisfying. 

I will also say that I didn´t start exploring music for real until late 2015, expanding my tastes and listening to experimental/diverse stuff and even after 5 years, I would only fit as the average /mu/tard at best. So, I had to catch up quite a bit in the matter in order to shape my tastes and push myself so I could have a minimum amount of knowledge related to the matter.

> Doesn't surprise me that their would be a lot still kicking but I expected things to bleed out more than they did for sure.
they reached the 5 digits not long ago with gen 5´s announcement. Back to the numbers of 2015/16, I think (edit: around 14000 posts)

> Weirdest timeline.
not so weird if you consider the users who normally use it...

> It was a major reason why many, especially on the music side of things, tried to memory hole their work. Out of a fear as they moved up of it being cringe that would ensnare them and hurt them professionally.
exactly the same pattern that happens with the fanart. I suppose that the curse applies to all the departments. All lies within the same problem: the social stigma. Each time I see a line like this one, I certainly have the theory that, while a brony doesn´t have any contract to stay, it seems that there is an invisible rule where professionalism and social standards are sacrificed whenever you are into it. Otherwise, you would have to remove all traces of it in order to progress as an artist...and this doesn´t seem to go away anytime soon...

we are talking about a business and money here, so there is another layer on top of that social factor that enhances the likelihood of making said transition and said norm of removing MLP stuff becomes a standard by force. Either you swallow up your pride or no company will offer to you anything (unless that you found your own independent discography and create a market out of it).