The issue here seems to be that appreciating music for cultural reasons is somehow dishonest, like some Russian's appreciation of the Pogues is more pure than that of a London Irish kid who likes them partly as a signal of heritage. This is an attitude that's common among certain alienated young people but I think most people see it the other way around. And it's probably not in line with the way most artists think either, it's quite common to see them attributing their innovations to the need to differentiate themselves from squares.
I just downloaded the latest Radiohead album, and I love it.
Thinking back, I started listening to Radiohead years ago when I found out that some of the cool kids in school were into it. With all the hype about the new album, the status/fashion processors in my brain going to ensure that I enjoy listening to it. I would probably fail a double-blind test with a bunch of imitation bands' fake "new Radiohead albums".
But I'm really enjoying listening to the album, and that doesn't seem like a bad or contradictory thing at all, even in light of the statements above. If, hypothetically, I was enjoying it for purely non-fashion reasons, then presumably that enjoyment could also be traced back though a causal chain to facts about brain development, evolutionary psychology, or whatever. But we would have no problem accepting that enjoyment as A Good Thing since explaining enjoyment does not diminish it. And so it seems in this case.