Indeed there is, indeed there is 
Now back to the OP, I tend to take more pride in the bands I find because I spend countless hours searching labels, myspace, and music blogs to try and find music that I thoroughly enjoy.
I imagine that this sense of search and finally finding are what makes underground music listeners seem snobby.
But in all honesty it's no different than if you work for something, accomplish it, and then want to tell your friends what you accomplished.
If these bands were played on the radio after I had found them I would still enjoy listening to them, and in places like the PNW many of them are.
But, the problem stems in what popular music relies on in order to become popular.
Repetition.
Popular music is literally commercial, it's whole ideology is to get you hooked as quick as possible and to get stuck in your head.
No different than a good logo or catchy marketing phrase.
Also like many corporations, popular music is incredibly conforming to one thing.
Atm that is the heavy electronic instruments and auto-tune.
In the 80's it was heavy synth and sexually themed lyrics.
In the 70's it was all very electronic guitar solo oriented.
So on and so forth.
Also, the bands/artists that do conform and do repeat and what not, frequently enhance their voice, have someone else play instruments, and have someone else write their lyrics by people that know how to get things stuck in people's heads.
This is talentless and IMO a mockery of music.
Also if you actually listen to the lyrics they say absolutely nothing or something that has been said so many times, it has lost all value.
Also, I'd like to take this time to point out the recent increase in child artists.
The Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber, etc.
The record labels are jumping on this trend because their target audience, younger kids, usually are a more inept at downloading music illegally.
Anyhow, I'll conclude this rant by saying that my choices in music require more than just flipping on the radio and listening to what labels want me to hear, but rather what I want to hear.
If they were played on the radio, unchanged, un-autotuned, I would still listen, but I'd continue my searches elsewhere since I find greater value in listening to something I looked and worked for.
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