I don’t listen to the radio except when I’m at work, and then I don’t have a choice. I’m 25, so I might be a bit old for this survey, but I listen to mostly to goth, ebm, and hard techno, with some other ecletic stuff. Scan of playlist yields:Funkervogt, Assemblage 23, System of a Down, Great Big Sea, Front Line Assembly, Led Zeppelin, Prodigy, Rammstein, Cake, BlutEngel…
I generally find songs I like by hearing them at a club and requesting the band from the dj.
and when I am in the gym I throw on some…
The Used, Godsmack, and trance…
anything that will help you run…
I’m 24. I like the Foo Fighters, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Hole, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Blondie, Green Day, Garbage, Tori Amos, Alice in Chains, the Beatles, Nine Inch Nails, Veruca Salt, Stone Temple Pilots, and about a thousand or so other artists.
19, here. I listen mostly to metal. Savatage, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, Dream Theater, Symphony X, Iron Maiden et cetera. I also like a bit of classical, opera, and lavish broadway musicals. But of course I also have the guilty pleasure of “really effeminate pop” so I can throw everyone a curveball by having “Total Eclipse of the Heart” on the same CD as Pantera.
The radio certainly does not appeal to me, and as near as I can tell there hasn’t been a single “rock” song that actually rocked since Guns N’ Roses. “Coldplay” are rock now!? Friggin’ Guys and Dolls rocks harder! Nu-metal is a stain upon this earth, too. So now when I say “I like metal” people automatically assume I’m into Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park or some shit, as though that’s as far and wide as the genre goes. Metal can have thoughtful, intelligent music too, dammit!
However, there are two songs that are a sign of being Eternally Damned, to me. If I hear one of these on the radio I turn it off and listen to the pounding of my own angry heart rather than suffer through it. Woe betide you if I discover you like these:
Hot Action Cop - Fever For The Flava. Awful, awful, lyrics (in all meanings) and it sounds exactly like one of the worse RHCP songs, which isn’t all that good. Please, how many euphemisms for sexual acts can you come up with? Also: “Flavour” has seven letters. Seven. Yes.
Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun. Exemplifies everything that is wrong with music these days (despite its not actually being from “these days”…). Talentless, dull, guitar playing with weedy, whining vocals that barely qualify as singing. Plus it’s way off tune.
I hardly watch television as it is, so I don’t watch Muchmusic, or MTV Canada unless I know something good is going to be on. (e.g. A band making an appearance). I can’t stand hip hop/rap. It was REALLY bad a couple of years ago when that was all that “accepted”, now at least there are the overrated pop punk bands to counter them, and pop punk is better than all hip hop/rap. Speaking of pop punk, it’s not something I’d listen to specificially, but I do have the Good Charlotte and Simple Plan CDs although I rarely pop them in to listen. As for bands I’d rather listen to, the list is as follows: treble charger, the ataris, gob, flashlight brown, three days grace, yellowcard, and probably some others I’m forgetting right now. I guess they’re “faster” rock songs, or even pop punk songs. But I generally lean towards thinking of them as rock rather than a subset of rock.
You rule.
22 here, currently in rotation is Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, The Offspring, some Metallica, eminem plus a few obscure Swedish, Norwegian and German bands.
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention Live. 
I was going to say something like this, but again for some reason I felt bad. It’s like the record execs said “okay, you five put on the shiny boy band suits and we’ll give you these songs to sing. You four, we’re going to the mall to get you some ‘punk’ clothes and you get to sing these other songs”.
A serious question: are these bands considered “punk” because people haven’t heard/heard of Black Flag, the Dils, X, the Dead Kennedys, Fear, the Germs, the Exploited, etc.?
“Punk” as a term has become so diluted that it has more or less lost all meaning. Ask ten different self-described punks, and you’ll likely get ten different answers (and at least one hundred sub-genres).
That said, there seem to be two general schools of thought- one is that punk is more about the set of ideals than the music, while the second school is the other way around. Of course, exactly what constitutes a punk manifesto, if such a thing could logically exist, or what constitutes punk rock, nobody really has a definitive answer for.
My own position is about halfway between the two- I think of punk as power-chord driven rock that emphasizes speed and energy over virtuosity, generally with an anti-authority bent. My definition places most pop punk bands (your Good Charlottes and your Blink 182s) more or less out of the realm of punk rock, as anti-“suburban parental control” seems as bland a form of “anti-authority” as can be imagined. But that’s just my personal opinion on a very subjective (and, in all honesty, rather pointless) point of contention- YMMV.
I’m 20, and I haven’t listened to mainstream radio or MTV in years. (There’s a few webcasts and an indie station that I’ll listen to occasionally, but avoid the rest like the plague.) To list everything I listen to would take forever, but there’s a few general categories:
Punk - The Clash, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly
60s/70s Rock - The Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Dylan, the Doors, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, Bowie, Lennon, Zappa
90s/00s Rock - Smashing Pumpkins (my favorites), Tool, Radiohead (listening to “The Bends” right now), Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, Nine Inch Nails
Jazz - Coltrane, Parker, Monk, Davis, Mingus, Buena Vista Social Club
Kind of a strange combination, but that’s the way I like it. 
(longtime listener, first-time caller, btw)
18 years old
listens to: No Doubt, Garbage, Republica, Save Ferris, Catch 22, Flogging Molly, Reel Big Fish, The Putrid Flowers, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Blue Oyster Cult, Boston, Styx, The Who, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Train, Vertical Horizon, Gin Blossoms, Our Lady Peace, Dave Matthews Band, 311, Incubus, Linkin Park, Medieval Babes (a choir of women that sing medieval english tunes) , Brian Setzer Orchestra, Cherry Poppin Daddies, Benny Goodman (and other assorted big band/swing), Daft Punk, classical
i didn’t categorize them because i felt there would be some discrepancies concerning who was placed in what category.
i don’t mind the radio, frankly, because i’m a chronic station surfer…if i’m not hearing something i like, i change it and flip til i find something i want to listen to. in one click i can go from singing along to Marilyn Manson’s “This is the new shit” to Dido’s “White Flag.” There are plenty of artists i would listen to more regularly, but i don’t have their albums (cuz im a cheap bastard). I’ll stop if the radio is playing NIN, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and sometimes I’ll go as far as to listen to a little Justin Timberlake (as ashamed as I am to admit it).
I’m an interesting car ride when it comes to what’s on the radio, let me tell you.
I like just about everything except country and most rap (though i have to say i’m starting to get hooked on Sean Paul…must be the reggae influence).
I’m a 20-year-old male. We didn’t have cable in my house, so I’ve actually never watched MTV, except a couple of times at my neighbor’s house. I don’t own a radio.
Some stuff I like:
Classic 70’s punk and rock: VU, The Stooges, MC5, Brian Eno, Roxy Music, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Big Star, Television, Richard Hell, Johnny Thunders, Neil Young, New York Dolls, The Clash, The Who, The Ramones, Buzzcocks, Wire, etc.
American underground bands from the 80’s: Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, The Pixies, The Minutemen, Mission of Burma, Beat Happening, Dinosaur Jr., Meat Puppets, Big Black, Black Flag, R.E.M (up until Document), Sonic Youth, X, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, The Misfits (IMHO the most underrated punk band of all time, seriously), Rites of Spring, Spacemen 3, The Dicks, etc.
Also lot’s of British underground bands from roughly the same era: The Smiths, Joy Division, The Jesus & The Mary Chain, The Stone Roses, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, The Cure (early stuff only), Echo And The Bunnymen, The Fall, XTC, etc.
Indie rock: Guided By Voices, Pavement, Built To Spill, Sebadoh, Slint, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Mountain Goats, Will Oldham (and his various incarnations), Chavez, Drive Like Jehu, Jesus Lizard, Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, Elliott Smith (R.I.P), Cat Power, The Microphones, Mirah, Sleater-Kinney, Q & Not U, Trail of Dead, At The Drive-In, Wilco, etc.
I’m also a huge fan of James Brown, Nina Simone, Ennio Morricone, John Coltrane and, ahem, Queen. Actually, nobody should be ashamed of liking Queen; they were rock and roll Gods.
I also like a couple of Finnish death metal bands, some underground hip-hop (mostly, but not exclusively instrumental), lo-fi rock from New Zealand and Nuggets style 60’s garage rock. My favorite classical composer is Vivaldi, with Edvard Grieg as a close second.
I dislike prog-rock immensely, but I’m quite fond of Rush. I also hate all Swedish bands, with the exception of Refused, who were some sort of freakish accident.
My favorite band that is still keeping it together in 2003 would have to be Fugazi, who in my opinion can do nothing wrong. But the band that I own most releases off has got to be Guided By Voices, with over 13 official albums, plus various solo albums by Man-God Robert Pollard. The most exciting new band kicking my ass right now are The Constantines from Canada, which are going to blow up the world in a year or two.
21 years old, and there’s no way in hell that the major music companies are ever going to cater to my tastes. My music collection consists of:
Rush
Large amounts of early vocal music by a variety of ensembles, but primarily Ensemble Organum, Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Schola Hungarica, Anonymous 4, Hilliard Ensemble, and Sequentia.
Large amounts of chant recordings.
Various recordings of various metal groups.
Many albums by various rock groups, several mainstream, several not-so-mainstream, of which my favorite performers currently are:
Spiritualized, Flaming Lips, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Shudder to Think.
Miscellaneous other stuff, ranging from Celtic traditional to Qur’anic recitation.
25 year old male - I have ~ 800 CDs and maybe 300 LPs, roughly I’d say my collection breaks down as:
30% Rock - Mostly older stuff, very little from the last 10 years.
25% Jazz - mostly be-bop
30% Classical (mostly from the Romantic era)
15% Blues - mostly electric Chicago blues, also the most rapidly growing part of my collection.
In terms of most represented artists that title probably goes to Beethoven, but only because I have two sets of complete piano sonatas which eat up 10+ CDs each and one set on 13 LPs. Next in line is the Grateful Dead, with 50+ CDs, after that is probably Pink Floyd or Bill Evans each hovering around the 15 album level, next is probably Chopin, and then Count Bassie or Oscar Peterson.
The only thing I have heard lately on the radio that I really like is the White Stripes.
Its not cool to listen to pop music if you’re over 13.
If you want to be cool, your tastes in music have to be “different”–just like everyone elses.
Yet, check out their Mp3’s… 99% will have at least a few songs from Britiney, Justin, Nelly, or some similar over-payed, over-played popstars.
My taste is what I like to call “who the hell is that?” Basically for a while there I was essentially only listening to bands from Australia or NZ that no one in this country had ever heard of. I’ve branched out a bit in the last few years. Here’s the short list.
Crowded House/Split Enz, Contintental Drifters, dB’s, Big Star, Mutton Birds, Wilco, Ryan Adams, Caitlin Cary, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Ella Fitzgerald.
If I’m listening to the radio, it’s usually the Pig. http://www.radiopig.com
except for an annoying habit of playing Bonnie Raitt at least twice an hour, they’re the best station I’ve heard yet. And you can listen on the internet.
In Classical I really like Haydn and Chopin.
-Lil
18 here.
Nothing too esoteric here.
In general, I listen to:
70’s/80’s punk: the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Dead Kennedy’s, Operation Ivy, Bad Brains
Modern punk, mostly pretty poppy: AFI, Rancid, Thrice
70’s/80’s Gothy British music: The Cure, Joy Division, Bauhaus
Electronica-type stuff: the Faint, the Postal Service, New Order, Iris
Misc. indie and other: Hot Hot Heat, HIM, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, the Spotlight Syndicate
I don’t listen to the radio ever since I acquired a car with a cd player. My greatest shame is my Nelly cd and I used to listen to Linkin Park.
I doubt rock will ever go the way of the “big band” because it is such a general term. “Rock” encompasses practically every damn genre in the world. If you mean rock in the guitar-solo “classic” rock sense, then maybe.
I think there’s some genuinely interesting stuff on the radio–stuff that has earned the privilege (in many people’s minds) of being both popular and cool. By this I’m thinking of bands along the lines of Radiohead, Tool, Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails (to a certain degree), Coldplay, etc. I don’t actually listen to most of these bands myself… but I do think they have that aura of both critical and popular acclaim. And this isn’t counting the older bands played on the radio.
I take advice on bands from people I respect, but in general my friend’s tastes hvae little to do with mine. One listens mostly to music I uncharitably (and unfairly, no doubt) dub the Estrogen Brigade: Tori Amos, Bjork, PJ Harvey. Another listens to pop of completely different generations–the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Billy Joel. Another listens almost exclusively to pop-punk. The incredible variety in musical taste never ceases to amaze me–my own pales in comparison.
(I’m 20)
I take the view that there is no such thing as a bad genre, and I think my musical taste supports that view. That said, I don’t really listen to classical music, jazz or heavy metal, but since I do like occasional instances of those genres, and like other music which draws inspiration from those genres, I do not discount the possibility that I may find an appreciation for them.
As such, I’ll listen to pretty much anything (though not everything - I know what I hate!) I like rock, electronica, hip-hop, country, punk (pop, modern and old), pop, old music, new music, mainstream music, alternative and indie music.
I’ve got into making monthly mix CDs of stuff I have on rotation. My October mix (which is actually more upbeat and poppy than I usually listen to) includes the following:
Missy Elliot - Pass The Dutch (pop hip hop)
Outkast ft Killer Mike and Jay-Z - Flip Flop Rock (hip hop)
Basement Jaxx - If I Ever Recover (house)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Art Star (indie rock)
Belle and Sebastian - Step Into My Office, Baby (indie pop)
Dizzee Rascal - I Luv U (Sharky Major and Wiley remix) (uk hip hop)
Spod vs Decoder Ring - Born 2 Luv (electroclash/hip hop)
Peaches feat Iggy Pop - Kick It (electroclash)
Pharrell ft Jay-Z - Frontin’ (r&b)
Sean Paul - Get Busy (dancehall)
Blink 182 - Feeling This (pop punk)
Go Home Productions - Sly Beyonce Walks Like A Nerd (mashup)
Big Star - Thirteen (Rock)
Aimee Mann - I’ve Had It (adult pop?)
September featured:
Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down (ep version) (emo)
Northstar - Rigged and Ready (emo)
The Appleseed Cast - Fight Song (indie/emo)
Death Cab For Cutie - The New Year (indie/emo)
Hot Hot Heat - No, Not Now (indie/new wave)
Magic Dirt - Boys Next Door (alternative)
The Strokes - 12:31 (indie rock)
Cat Power - I Don’t Blame You (indie)
Chicks On Speed feat. Peaches - We Don’t Play Guitar (electroclash)
Basement Jaxx - Good Luck (house)
Dsico vs Justin Timberlake - I R*cked Britney (Moonwalk Style) (glitch/bastard pop)
Cam Farrar - Wasted (electroclash)
Mya - My Love Is Like… Wo (r&b/pop)
Ol’ Dirty Bastard - Got Your Money (hip hop)
Kanye West - To The Wire (hip hop)
Also, my top albums of the year so far include Outkast, The Sleepy Jackson, Death Cab For Cutie, Cursive, Architecture In Helsinki, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Basement Jaxx, The Strokes, Dizzee Rascal, The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Radiohead.
Hope that gives you some idea…
Which ones?