What is popular music?

Over the years, the definition of 'popular' has changed drastically. Different eras define what music is seen as popular, usually looking to what's fashionable at the given time. It can mean all sorts when applied to music, music snobs and indie kids tend to turn their noses up at the 'popular' and delve deeper into the more obscure and unknown. 

I used to be one of those people.

I absolutely hated it if a band I felt like i had discovered alone became popular and well known, I felt as if they were my band, and nobody could EVER appreciate them the way I did. So for a while, for me, the term 'popular' was definitely a negative.

Then I grew up, and began to appreciate music more and see that what was popular was not always bad. I grew to like things I would have previously scorned, e.g. Lady GaGa and Beyonce, and almost was happy if a band I liked became popular as I realised they should get the recognition they deserved (except Kings of Leon, because they became crap with popularity...) 

To be honest, one person's popular music isn't another person's popular music, and it could be sen as a positive or a negative. And perhaps the only real way of defining pop music is to look to the charts, as they should probably hold the answers.