The Symphony of Money
Why Our Generation Has The Worst Music Taste
O. C. Carney
IT IS NO MYSTERY THAT THERE IS A CRISIS IN THE CURRENT STATE OF MUSIC. I recently watched the “We Are the World” documentary, which boasted artists like Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Lionel Ritchie, Smokey Robinson, and so many more. It made me reflect: what would be the equivalent of these greats for my own generation? Maybe Drake, The Weekend or even Harry Styles? But even though these are talented artists, they really don’t have the same impact or the same legacy as the greats that came before them. So, what has changed in the last 20 years that has led us to this stage in music? Why is music now not at the forefront of our social thought?
This is not to say that music still doesn’t play a huge role in all of our daily lives. But it is to say that music now doesn’t have the ability to connect people in the way that it used to. In a younger time, music was integral to a person’s personality – it defined you as a character and it defined your friends and your clothes. Music inspired generations. Music inspired revolutions. Could the current output of music really be able to inspire and change people’s lives? No, I don’t think so.
So, how did we get to this commodification of music and how has it changed music? Well music is now a product, something to be sold to listeners. When we view music as a product, we take the inherent artistic qualities out of music. People, in conjunction with mass media corporations, now make music for the sole purpose of making money. Making music that grips you, hooks you, something you need to click on. It’s one of the reasons music is becoming over-sexualised. Because music producers and these massive corporations understand that they can manipulate you, they understand what makes you subconsciously click. They use you as “the consumer” to flow into mainstream culture and from their newfound position of influence they can capitalise on the brand that they have created.
Rick Rubin says it best: “You can’t make art with the audience in mind. You can’t make art for other people. You need to make art for yourself. And then people will be drawn to your sound, your passion.” I really agree that if you make art with the intention of the audience, it is no longer art. It is now a product. A commerce of musical supply and demand.
If music artists focus on what they like and what they want to produce and listen to artistic impulses, less than the constant noise of the outside world, they will inherently make more passionate and purposeful work. Art and music is an inherent form of self-expression and that’s where the true beauty lies. The beauty of this connection between the listener and the musician, to feel and understand the emotion of music. And conversely to feel like the music understands you. This is the true crisis of the current state of music – the lack of personality and relatability. But maybe instead of disliking music, I should instead try to make the best of it and enjoy it. But I think music is too beautiful and too special for me to let it go and let it run itself to the ground.