hahaha. but i think you mean prepubescent. good point though, with the whole religion analogy.

not all popular music is good. there was a time when it was. but now most of it in my opinion sucks (cause i don't like fergy, akon, or fall out boy). some of it is cool though. but U2 isn't what it used to be. they are really good and they still sell out all of their shows, but they don't appeal to the current generation of teens.

so does popularity determine how good a band is? does skill determine how good a band is? no. primus is probably made up of some of the best musicians known to man, but i can't stand listening to their music. the guys in greenday on the other hand are probably not as good of musicians as the guys from rush or pearl jam, but they freakin' rock!. they can write really good music, and they can sell out madison square garden (they are also a punk band, so brotherman probably doesn't like them).

what im saying is using record sales as a meter for determining how talented a band is is ignorant. and most people today are ignorant of good music, which is why indie rock groups are not selling out madison square garden. people are to lazy to go out and explore new music, so they listen to the same old crap that the media feeds them.