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Where exactly is the border between underground and mainstream in music? How do you define them? Is an artist with a gold record in the US(for 500 000 records sold) mainstream or underground? What about bands that used to be mainstream many years ago, but no longer have big sales in records and maybe concert tickets too? Are they underground now or are they still mainstream for being famous from years ago?
The boundaries are definitely blurred, and people have very different opinions about this. I think it's a big factor in what DJs decide to play at clubs. Mainstream is stuff that's popular with the regular average people. The radio might play it, but it's what you hear generally in the trendy spots. Of course, mainstream music comes up on the radio so much because, listeners love the songs. However, sometimes the music is popular only because of the celebrity status of the artist. Although these songs have a memorable tune, they also tend to be more meaningless. For example, many fans believe that lyrics of popular artists like Lady Gaga lack a deeper meaning. On the other hand, underground music is often recognized for its quality and not necessarily for the person who sang the song. Underground is the opposite of mainstream. In my book, underground is anything the general masses are not into. Something could have a nice pop, energy, melody, etc, but if the mainstream masses see it as a big "no way", then in my book it's in the underground. Part of this though is that there is some following. So if you have a style of music that you can't get played in clubs/bars or on the radio, but a show of it gets 50-1000 people out, then it's underground in many ways. Personally, I think quality music can be found in all areas to differing degrees. Take Bjork for example. She's extremely famous, possibly mainstream. But to her credit, she keeps her music aimed at people with underground sensibilities. The same goes for Daft Punk, deadmau5 et al. Also, Lady Gaga and Madonna started in the underground.