25 years ago, the CD was at the height of its popularity. With approximately 125.9 million sold in the year 2000 – this was what music was about. Just 25 years before, vinyls were the main format for music. And now, 25 years later, of course, streaming services dominate the music industry. Spotify alone has over 640 million monthly listeners – but this isn’t the only way we consume music. In every shop, on every smart speaker – music has never been more accessible. However, what has this change meant for the world? Are we truly listening or has music itself lost its importance – is it simply background noise?
When was the last time you actually sat and listened to a piece of music? I mean, really listened. From a more scientific approach, this is called ‘active listening’, as opposed to the more common ‘passive listening’. Now, I have nothing against ‘passively’ listening to music; in fact, multiple studies have shown the powerful impact music in the background has on focus and our ability to be productive. Moreover, this idea of background music is nothing new (think elevator music for one!) However, I do think there’s a certain beauty in truly listening to and appreciating a piece of music.
With vinyl, this was much easier as the physical format itself was something to seek out and treasure – the scarcity of the music was what made it so valuable. Now, though, we see that through the integration of music nearly everywhere, people tend to value it much less. I believe that the second we stop actively appreciating music is the second we lose music as an art form it rather becomes a tool, an addition to the already busy lives we lead.
There are countless benefits to active listening – and not just on a personal level. Since as long as human history can be recorded, we see how music brings people together and that the collective experience of it is intrinsic to the true art of music. On the one hand, this could be achieved through trying to pay more attention next time you put on some music in the background. But even this can be hard when we are so used to taking the songs we listen to for granted.
For this reason, I’d like to suggest the most simple yet significant solution to this problem and it is simply to go and listen to some music in a public setting. Many of the local Weymouth pubs have live gigs, the Pavillion is always likely to have some new event, and even people busking on the high street.
So no, there is no such thing as too much music. But there is such a thing as too little, and if we fail to go and support and enjoy our local musicians, then everyone misses out. The art of appreciation cannot be one we let slip away.
By Jacob McCulloch
