Krukowski asserts, “the marginal-the rejected-the repressed is whatever the powerful have decided is of no use at the moment.” Then he goes on to say, “ But might it [the marginal-the rejected-the repressed] not to be a key to alternative approaches-to art, to society-to power itself?” what he means is how music companies have a sense of control over listeners. The music companies choose what type of music you like depending on what you listen to. As a listener, your options are limited your stuck not exploring other types of music. For example, when you sign up for Apple Music, they ask you what kind of artists you like, then they customize stations, playlists, and similar artists (popular artists) for you. No music company is going to suggest random music automatically unless you do that on your own. For instance, you usually listen to R&B music and magically see Rock music pop up in your suggestions, which will motivate some listeners to join another music streaming service because they are unfamiliar with that sound.
The distinctions Krukowski draws between being “surprised” by music and “discovering” music is when a person finds music that sounds similar to what they like vs. finding music they’re not used to hearing.
Forced exposure allowed music companies to find and listen to thousands of songs and choose what they thought was worth putting out on the radio. Before music was downloadable, people listened to the radio and changed the station until they found something they liked. It might not be the exact song they’re looking for, but it sounds similar. Paul Lamere works on platforms like Spotify to help listen to stream music they are already familiar with quickly. In addition, it gives listeners access to a wide variety of music to choose from.