. . . individuals who participate in the music who require a definition . . . They require authoritative sources not for edification, but to validate and corroborate the opinions they already hold.

Who are these people that have some need for an authoritative source that I keep hearing about? Do they really need an authority to know what to play or how to play it? Do they really need to have their opinions vetted by some outside authority? I've never actually played music with anyone for whom this is true. Do they really exist?