I was reading your post and I found this section to be very interesting:

“Cage states in this article that harmony and counting in meters, both of which are pivotal to creating many styles of music, are not important to experimental music.

He also states that “each aspect of sound (frequency, amplitude, timbre, duration) is to be seen as a continuum, not as a series of discrete steps favored by conventions.” ”

I think that quote is such an excellent way of describing the abstract nature of this genre and the ways in which conventions and genre boundaries have no authority in this style of music. The best thing about experimental music is that it provides a new way of listening to sounds – it gives the listener an alternative way of consuming music – and that’s what has maintained its reputation.

I also think this is what excludes it from mainstream coverage. A lot of popular music is defined by the structures that they follow and (in some cases) is what allows the music to be marketed.

Great post Milman!