Question: Who are these people that are buying the new Nickelback album? Are there really enough music-listeners purchasing this CD to make it the highest selling album of the week America? Are they actually leaving their homes, driving to their local CD conglomerate, picking it off the shelf and walking up to the counter with a straight face?

Answer: These are probably the same people that have put The Black Eyed Peas most recent album ninth on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. This, just 18 weeks after its release and the onslaught of the Peas selling themselves to every media outlet in existence, not excluding ‘getting the party started’ in Twix commercials and the live-action film, Garfield.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve come into the whole concept of a new release from Nickelback a bit biased and uniformed as to the actual content of the album. However, relevant knowledge is not a prerequisite for writing a Viewpoint. And I stand by my right to be bitter and uppity when it comes to this particular subject.

Nonetheless, I’ve decided record companies need no real originality to release such a high grossing CD, like Nickelback’s “All the Right Reasons.” I’m sure the execs only need to ask three questions before saying “yes” to the backing of such a band. 1. Have they made money for us before? 2. Can they reproduce the same mediocre hook and or chorus in their forthcoming singles? 3. Can we cut the lead singer’s hair to give him a new look and provide a metaphor for the artistic progression of the band?

Of course, the answer to each of these questions is: why not? Unless you’re Ron Burgundy, answering a question with another one is simply not the best solution. These record companies should hire at least one man or woman competent enough to jump into these conversations and actually tell them “why not.” The answer is: because the music is recycled, boring, and will subsequently be featured in the trailer for the upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer movie. And no one needs to see that.

I apologize for the blaringly obvious complaints I have made. It goes without saying that it has become a problem. American FM radio is simply appalling, and it has been for as long as I can remember. I had no problem with it when my mom was driving me to basketball practice and the new Sister Hazel song came on the air. Though it may be silly for me to hope for such things, it would be nice to see radio mature, just as my musical tastes have since then.

Despite all of these problems, I really do think decent music has a chance to overtake the Nickelbacks and Sugar Rays of today’s culture. Whether its college radio, mp3s, MTV2, or the one “Float On” type song that becomes mainstream every few years, I won’t rule out the possibility of good music pervading our culture.

However, this potential for change only brings on another question. Do you want your favorite band or song that only you and your friends know about becoming the favorite band or song to millions of Americans? I say, “why not?”

And this time, I think it’s okay. For example, it only took exactly one week before the release of the new Franz Ferdinand album became engrossed in pop-culture. FOX, airing the Major League Baseball postseason, took advantage of the band’s catchy riffs and played their new single throughout the broadcast. Though the song will, of course, become overplayed and hard to listen to in the same way, I’d rather have it be Franz Ferdinand over Nickelback any day.

While tunes like these will surely go from fun and enjoyable to a matter of annoyance, I can still take pride in knowing I listened to that song three days before the rest of America did. It doesn’t matter to me. If it means one less consumer being able to keep a straight face when they go to buy the new Nickelback album, then music in the mainstream might be finally on the right track.