Do many people really listen to these music genres (punk/ metal/ goth/ classical) or is it not so?

First off, I meant punk rock, metal (heavy metal and other sub-genres) goth (and its sub-genres) and industrial (rock or dance) and classical music.

Back to the question...I mean, there is lot of music out there that sounds a lot like pop, or at least half-pop. Like, some of the 'modern opera' music sounds like pop. I recall a salesgirl telling me, 'No, it's not lounge, it's modern classical.' Could have fooled me!

As for punk and metal and goth...these confuse me too. Why the need for using the labels 'metal' and 'punk' and 'goth' etc? I could've sworn it sounded like alternative-pop...

Note: I'm not slamming pop. Everybody loves some form of pop (f.y.i., there's much more to pop than just 'top 40'). It's just the labelling that is confusing. And f.y.i., yes, I do know what metal etc. is.

Do many people really listen to these music genres (punk/ metal/ goth/ classical) or is it not so?theater

Maybe there's a perception that when a band, hitherto associated with a particular genre of music, tries too hard for mainstream chart success, they have sold out to the system.

Take the Blue ?yster Cult, for instance, a group associated since their beginnings with heavy rock music with a Gothic edge.

They kind of lost the plot around 1979-80 when they tried to do country-rock music of the sort that bands like the Byrds and the Eagles had made theirs. OK, not everything on the "Mirrors" LP sounded like a poor Eagles pastiche, but this has gone down in the band's CV as quite possibly their weakest and least effectual album. (It's interesting that on their very first LP in 1972, the band performed a couple of hard-rock numbers with a very definite Country and Western twang to them: these worked, but they were very much heavy rock first, country music second. On "Mirrors" it's as if they were experimenting with putting the country and western sound first, before the heavy rock)

It has been suggested the Cult were desperate to continue the modest chart success and big-stadium tours that had happened on the back of "Don't Fear the Reaper", and had made the mistake of compromising their style in order to stay in the big league.

It's also interesting to note that when the group did their follow-up LP "Cultosaurus Erectus" and got back to their old hard-driving rock style with critical and fan acclaim, the lead guitarist is recorded as saying "We've got our pride back!"

Do many people really listen to these music genres (punk/ metal/ goth/ classical) or is it not so?london theatre opera theater

yes there are many people who listen to thes genres and sub genres...there are alot of pop rock music but most people who like metal are loyal to metal
I love classical music. I mean Motzart and Brahms, Tchikovsky and Bizet. I like things like El Divo too.

I also like old heavy metal like Led Zeppelin and The Who.

I like good music, a melody that does something to me or lyrics that mean something. Currently I like Katie Melua and Norah Jones and James Blunt but will often put something classical on at the end of the night.
ive got everything in my collection from Dolly Parton to Napalm Death! Very varied and definately mood orientated
What kind of metal are you listening to?

Punk is usually more political based aiming to bash something. (the music is usually lot easier to play than any other kind of rock) It's more for guys with pretty bad voices, but sometimes pretty good lyrics.

Metal...well death metal, is more of a classical kind of approach using guitars and heavy sounding instruments like double bass pedals and such. Lots of fast and difficult stuff. No pop at all...

Goth...um i guess that's sorta like Marylin Manson music. Doesn't sound like pop at all.

You can even go to Screamo or hardcore music which is a lot of screaming and sometimes a mixture of popish guy voices mixed in...

But really everyone is trying to sing/play something totally different so it's really hard to categorize bands in one certain genre.

I listen to anything that sounds good. I can't really say all metal/punk/classical/hardcore etc... sounds good, but i can pretty much pick a couple from each genre. All depends on my mood. I even like Gregorian chants

Pop for some reason in today's world is categorized as a Britney spears and backstreet boys type of music, when it really means popular....
Yes, people still do. I do as a matter of fact. Pop and all it's forms originated from classical,folk, blues.... and so on.
"Pop" ... short for Popular, so i guess that any music that is currently liked, regardless of the genre is pop music... I try and not categorize music into anything more than a genre. If i like it, i like it, thats enough for me...
The simple answer is YES. I, like you, on the other hand agree with the label issue. I personally think that anything that sounds **** to me is pre-packed pop.

As for your Indie theory about 'rock, metal %26amp; punk' that is nonsense. The Smiths were Indie and did not like to be called Goth or Punk. ( Indie is alternative).

In my opinion Rock is Rock, Metal is Metal, they were borne out of one passion; ROCK!

It is the same with any genre or sub-sub-sub-genre.

ALL MUSIC IS BORNE FROM CLASSICAL MUSIC.

LISTEN TO BEETHOVEN, MENDOLSSOHN ORWAGNER!

I happen to love most breeds of rock music, in fact apart from Irish country, boy bands and girl bands I pretty much love most music, like those classical i mentioned above and more besides.

I love REAL music. Not pre-manufactured crap.
It doesn't matter what style of music it is someone somewhere will be listening to it! You are labelling it yourself when you say it sounds like Alternative pop (whatever that means) It usually just means that the bands or singers were seen as Punks etc! All the term pop music means is that its Popular with the record buying public!