OP-ED: Do we take music for granted?

Life today is drastically different from the mid-1990’s to mid-2000’s. Instead of being able to stream any song we can on different services like we do today, the past was much different. We’d have to sit and wait by the radio until the ‘next big thing’ hit the airwaves or drive to record stores to get an album on CD or vinyl.

With the drastic differences in today’s world compared to the past, I think it’s important to ask ourselves this:

Do we take music for granted?

Accessibility was hard to come by

Before the meta of MP3 players hit the markets in the early-to-mid 2000’s, we didn’t have much access to the music we all loved on-the-go. We had walkman’s that held CD’s, but they were big, chunky, and only held whatever storage a CD could hold at the time. You either needed to own a CD or cassette tape to put into your car stereo to listen on-the-go as well. When you were at home, usually, you’d have to watch TRL and MTV to get your fix on the latest music videos or live performances. More often than not, you’d likely be looking at the TV guide to see which musicians were performing on late-night talk shows or find out who was the big band being interviewed on TV. We appreciated the rarity and limited chances to catch performances, new music, and the next big thing. It was a world of excitement for music.

When Napster and Livewire came out in 2001, it became easier to download music and burn into a CD, where you could make your own mixtapes, but it still wasn’t the same. Not everything was being uploaded. New bands who weren’t in the limelight didn’t get their chance to shine. The DIY scene was still a thing back then and helped push bands, but no one got the recognition they deserved because there weren’t many outlets when you come to think of it.

Flash forward to more accessibility and diversity

When streaming services such as Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, and iTunes all came out, we started seeing more and more music from many different places. The music world got more diverse, showing off different sounds from different people from all over the world. Bandcamp became a thing, allowing a brief period of time where the DIY scene thrived.

However, there came a point somewhere along the road of streaming services that killed appreciation for music. Back in the day, people were eager for new sounds, songs, and bands. Now, whenever you see or hear someone advertise their latest work, it’s almost seen as a burden. No one really cares or wants to care about a new band chasing their dreams. No one wants to watch a live performance on TV because they can just watch it the next day or night on YouTube. There’s just no excitement anymore.

The abundance of new music and was something we all looked forward to growing up, to mature and expand our interest and music tastes. However, all that excitement and love spilled over and soured into this cynical way of thinking that, “all the new music sucks. It’s not the same”. I see these comments on nearly every new post or song a band promotes.

I think right now is a perfect time to sit back, recollect, and remember why we enjoyed music so much before. Try and figure out what changed in our minds and at least try to change the narrative and appreciate what we have right now with all of the accessibility we have.

Music is the only thing that will never let us down. Once something is out in the airwaves, it lasts forever. So go ahead, find new music to listen to, search for up-and-coming bands. Support the newbies. Try and appreciate new art and hard work.

Looking for THE scene podcast? Look no further. Unplugged w/ Tyler Winters & John Pearman is exactly what you need. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow or Subscribe below!

or another podcast platform.