The story goes something like this: An unknown rock band develops a strong following in its hometown and catches the attention of a major recording label, gets a contract, a studio album and a new flock of fans. The old fans feel superior because they were there before the band “sold out” by having hit songs on the radio and videos on MTV.

Once a band has made it into “mainstream” society, it loses the respect of such musical elitists who scoff at popular music, regardless if the band is still good.

This has often made me angry, but it mostly just confuses me. Why is it that some of us prefer our music when it’s exclusive, when we think that we’re the only ones who have access to it?

Taking it a step further are those who have the ridiculous notion that the wrong type of person listening to underground music would somehow decrease the music’s quality.

I experienced this firsthand when friends in the metal scene told me about a group that they referred to as “the band that shall not be named.” Apparently, this band’s excellent music is so unknown that if it got into the wrong hands, it might just become – God-forbid – popular.

That is why my friends won’t reveal the band’s name, Helstar, to just anybody. The person has to be a diehard “metal head” with a true appreciation for long, intricate guitar solos and heart-pumping drum beats.

The metal scene’s fans’ protective attitude toward disclosing Helstar’s name is a prime example of musical elitism at its worst, but I’ve grown accustomed to being at the bottom of the musical hierarchy. I’m the one who hears about a band after it’s made it big, and then I get slammed for following a trend.

In the Feb. 1, 2005, issue of The Daily Aztec, Contributor Chris Michels wrote the column “If you love something, let it go.” Its subject was the Seattle-native band Modest Mouse. Michels blatantly slams Modest Mouse’s newly acquired fame brought on by the release of its 2004 album “Good News for People who Love Bad News.”

“To be honest with you, I’m not the least bit excited about the band’s overwhelming success,” Michels wrote.

Besides seeing the band perform live 13 times, Michels bragged

about knowing and loving Modest Mouse before MTV ever showed its videos.

“But even with the increased underground buzz, I felt relatively secure that Modest Mouse would never break through to the mainstream,” he wrote.

Well, if Modest Mouse had never released “Float On” as a single in 2004, and if it had never made the radio and video playlists, some people might’ve never gotten the chance to know a true gem of a

band, myself included.

I have seen the band perform twice now, and I own all of its albums, even the old, underground LPs that I’ll gladly share with anyone who wishes to listen even if they’re “indie” enough or not.

I see this pattern happen over and over. Music is being judged by the quantity of listeners and what image they seem to fit.

However, music should be evaluated based on its quality, not its consumers.

We all have cravings for some enticing tunes, but when everyone seems to be enjoying the same platter, to some it appears less appetizing.

Perhaps I just have a healthy appetite.

-Laura Lim