i don't hate people who listen to pop music, nor do i think the rest of the music industry has some artistic message to put across. However i disagree with the practice of some comapanies to push and market music like it is a product rather than for music, and it starts to become all superficial and its all about image and perception.
The music that means anything to you, whatsoever, is the music you're still lisenting to 5-10 years later. You'll find that there are very few pop artists who can influence anyone to do this. However it is all in the eye of the beholder, but i feel that your intentions for listening to it is because you like it and that it somehow resonates with you on any level, be it just the tunes or you get some kind of spiritual awaking or something ( i love it when i get goosebumps or a chill down my spine from listening to some music, you know then that it truly does impact you).
Another reason i don't like some pop music, is that it simplies music to a very basic and shallow level, so then some people are then unwilling to accept anything else. I'll admit that i do listen to some poppy music and like to sing along to the happy chorous that tries to make you feel better about yourself, but ultimately i generally need more challenging music to fully stimulate my tastes and juices.
When it comes to music just try to keep an open mind, i feel that sometimes pop music is kinda like spray painting your third eye black (to paraphrase bill hick, poorly
).
So in summation i feel that pop music tries to simplify music too much and closes you mind to other possibliites, thats generally why i dislike what it's doing.
And please don't measure how good music is by its success, thats a measure of how well accepted and accessible it is. NO one can really measure the quality of music, as it always effects you, generally, on a personal level.