I don't "hate" bands, or any particular style/genre of music. If I don't care for them, or it, I simply don't listen to it. Too much stuff I do like to listen to, to worry about the stuff I don't.
There are several bands I have every release of, because they have yet to come out with a song that I don't like. AC/DC, KISS, W.A.S.P., Great White, Metallica, Poison....to name a few. I've got all of Kid Rock, too....it's interesting to hear how his music's evolved over the years. About the only "new" band I am into to that extent is Nickelback, because they have that "old-school" hard rock sound.
My tastes run from country to classical, though. Blues, bluegrass, and Cajun Zydeco are in there, too.
The question I have about the "new" artists is: Doesn't anyone go "on tour" anymore? The Black-Eyed Peas came through town a while back, but that's about it. How do bands get out there? TV and the Web, alone? To me, that's not earning your place in the business. But, I guess if it works it works.
Cover songs, if done well, are cool in my view. I like hearing different spins on songs. Dolly Parton does a lot of covers of rock songs (Train, Train for one); W.A.S.P. has done very faithful (but much harder-edged) covers of The Who, Queen, and Humble Pie.
I got hooked on Sara Evans because she's hot, and has a dynamite voice; same with Orianthi (not to mention being a killer guitarist!). Sugarland used to be good......for about one CD. Once they got "Bon-Jovi-itis", this last CD kind of lost the country feel. Kind of like Sammy Hagar before VH...he used to rock, and rock hard. Now, not so much. I'm not saying he sucks, but his edge was lost after VH.