Do we as a society actually listen to music anymore? Well, I won’t go as far as saying we don’t listen to music, that would be silly. However, the manner in which we listen has certainly changed. Not for the better in my opinion. The vast majority of people in today’s society listen to music passively, as opposed to actively. I’ll explain the difference.
Most people listen to music on their iPods/Zunes and other portable players on their daily commute to work, school etc. Not a bad thing at all, I do the same. I’ll include the people that drive in the same category also. They listen to music in their car. It’s just a way to make the commute more tolerable or to fend off boredom. I don’t know about you, but being on a subway or bus without an iPod or reading material is dreadful. It helps pass the time, and for many working people in metropolitan areas, this is all the alone time they have outside of their homes.
Others listen to music in the background, i.e. they have music playing, but they are “multitasking”. They are cooking, watching tv, playing video games, cleaning, reading, working out, using the computer etc. Other people basically listen to whatever is on the radio or watch whatever music video is played on tv, uploaded to YouTube and that’s it. This is usually done while “multitasking” as well.
What seems to be dead is the act of listening to music as an endeavor in of itself. Don’t believe me? Talk to your friends and ask them. I mean, the act of coming home, sitting down in a chair aka “the sweet spot”, firing up your home stereo and just listening, maybe even critically. Outside of audiophiles/avowed music lovers, this just isn’t done by most people today. Most people do not even have hifi systems or stereos, have never heard one or even care to own one. An iPod dock or computer speakers is about as good as it gets for most.
The “sweet spot” at John Devore’s office. The speakers are the Orangutans.
This to me is sad. Granted, I do understand why fewer people sit down and listen to music. 50 years ago, music was the primary choice of entertainment by default. There were no videogames, cable tv with hundreds of channels, Movies on Demand, PPV, DVDs, blu-ray discs, Tivo/DVRs etc. All these new entertainment mediums are vying for your time, money and attention. It should come as no surprise that sitting to listen to music is almost passe for most people. I once dated a girl who didn’t understand why I wanted to sit down and listen to music. I remember her saying “So, you’re just going to sit there and do nothing? The TV isn’t even on.”
I think many people today have extremely short attention spans. So the act of sitting down to listen to music is a foreign concept. Why do that when they can watch American Idol or some other “reality” program that is a carbon copy of the other programs with D-list celebs that they also watch regularly? Let me tell you, nothing says thought provoking and stimulating like Tiny & Toya and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Let’s see what marginally talented people are doing all day in front of a camera. Fun, fun, fun!
It’s almost as if listening to music by itself cannot stand up as an activity on its own merit. There has to be some sort of visual distraction. Lady Gaga might not be a great singer (subjective), but hey, did you see her telephone video? Who didn’t? People got so wrapped up in the video, that they didn’t notice the vapid, empty lyrics, but I digress. The message is clear for the average consumer, visual is in, aural is out. How many people own giant HDTVs with no speakers or dreadful Bose cube speakers because they don’t want to mess with the feng shui or they think it’s distracting? A bookshelf speaker or small tower is distracting, but a 60 inch television isn’t. Interesting.
Actively listening to music can be a wholesome, enriching activity, if you choose to partake. Try to go to live events or shows if you have the time. If not, your home is the next best arena. I liken active listening to music to eating gourmet meals. It certainly will never overtake fast food for the masses, but that’s fine. If you only eat fast food, what would you know about fine dining? You are what you eat.
Filed under: Analog, Audiophile, Blues, Classical, Digital, Funk, Jazz, Rock, Vinyl, iPod, music
Man you’re completly right. What’s worse (& I experience this too) is the music is so disposable now that once I download it & put it on my hard drive I might completely forget that I have it. I skim listening to see if all te beats or tracks “sound good”. Or if th. First 4-5 tracks don’t impress me I speed through to did what’s interesting. I think we’re at a point where artists are going to have visual components to the music also or have to master a science of grabbing you within 30 seconds on each song. Great post man.
Ps sorry for the typos I’m typing this on my phone. So much for doing things the more diligent way right? Lol
No worries Merc, I totally got what you said. Lady Gaga is a perfect example. Would most people care about her music if she wore a sweater and a skirt? We need to get back to the days where visual gimmicks and shock value wasn’t the defining matter. The talent spoke for itself. It’s wishful thinking on my part. Then again, my musical tastes skew towards music that doesn’t need distractions or gimmicks to stand tall.
I agree but people have been using gimmicks and shock value for ages, look up mozart, i mean if he didn’t dress in crazy red jackets and cravates all the time…
I love this post, Atane. And I couldn’t agree more. The fact that music is now seen as background noise to most people saddens and angers me.
Growing up, music was a major part of my life. My parents constantly had music playing when I was a child – Sinatra, Ella, The Beatles, hell, even disco! Certain songs, certain lyrics, can take me back to very specific times in my life, good and bad. When I meet people that see music as something to have on while surfing the web, I honestly want to understand HOW this happened to them. Why was music appreciation NOT a part of their life? And why weren’t they curious enough to seek it out on their own? It’s never too late to start.
Lyrics, melodies, song structure. All of these things are important. Music should strike a nerve, provoke feelings. (Mind you, I’m not saying ALL music should be like this…there is a place for mindless pop and I’m certainly not above liking some of it.) If you are just using music as something to listen to to drown out subway noise, you are missing out. Turn off the lights, sit on the couch, turn up some music and *just listen*. People would be amazed at the emotions and highs that music can bring about.
Ok, I’ve rambled too much…but this is obviously an important topic to me. lol
I agree Lori. Like you, I grew up listening to music. It came part and parcel with growing up. There are songs that I can relate to, not just because I liked it, but I can remember that time in my life, where I was mentally, how I’ve evolved. The good with the bad. I remember trying to get a kiss from a girl once after playing Black Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours”. That’s my emotional attachment to that song. You can tell obviously, I was a total casanova…lol. Anyway, boy has mainstream rap changed over the years. De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Digable Planets – this wasn’t underground music, it was mainstream. There was a time when being smart and being able to say things intelligibly was admired. Now the dumber and more vapid the music, the better it seems.
It just seems like everything is disposable. If it doesn’t grab your attention in 30 seconds then it’s bad. Why? Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture – outside of the scope of music, I think people don’t really appreciate the arts anymore. Many people aren’t cultured or even care to be. Geography is stupid to them. Knowing about other cultures, cuisines, customs etc is lame. Git r’done. Man, heaven forbid they apply for a passport.
I’m shocked by the amount of people in New York that have never even visited a museum. In New York f’kin City! So I’ll put music into the category or arts. They have no emotional attachment to it.
The same can be said for reading for pleasure. I read a stat that said most college graduates today stop reading books after college. How sad is it that outside of textbooks, there is no interest?
I remember not too long ago when the worst thing about Mtv was Kurt Loder’s face. God, how I long for the days when that was the worst thing about Mtv. Now, Jersey Shore, The Hills etc is par for the course.
Maybe we are just old…lol.
No, your not old. The world, in general, is becoming more and more stupid with each generation. I say you’r not old because I totally agree with this post and all the comments and think the same way and I’m 16 years old. I don’t understand how people prefer to watch jersey shore above doing ANYTHING else, and by Jersey shore I mean watch all the stupid things there are on T.V. instead of reading, listen to music. I actually prefer to do homework than watch those stupid shows.
It is also impressive how they don’t want to learn an instrument , I mean, playing an instrument is one of the greatest hobbies one can have. This may sound totally narcissistic but i think we have a superior thinking than them…really…
Like Einstein once said: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
P.S.: sorry for my English, it’s not my main language.
Your English is just fine Oliver. Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
Music is a language. If people don’t know the language, they can listen, but not truly understand. Since most Americans have not had any formal music training, this is why music is disposable art.
Interesting viewpoint Viz. I agree!
I honestly believe that you don’t need to understand it to feel it, enjoy it, love it, be moved by it etc.
As a kid growing up in the 80′s in communist Romania, interesting music was hard to come by. Radios blared fake folk music, with lyrics such as “my man is driving a tractor, working to finish the five-year plan in four years” etc. There were a few good rock bands, but they were only allowed to put out records once every two or three years. The two jazz festivals (jazz was kind of tolerated, being mostly instrumental music) gathered every music-loving soul in the country.
Once in a while, someone’s dad or uncle brought LPs from abroad. These guys were our mentors, our heroes. (Some of them had links with the secret police, but that’s another story). Even a Serbian bootleg of Atomic Rooster or an Indian re-issue of “Houses Of The Holy” brought us close to ecstasy. We cherished the covers and read the liner notes or the lyrics. Every album was recorded on tape or cassettes and shared with friends. It wasn’t uncommon to hear:”I recorded this from a guy who recorded it directly from the LP – it’s got to sound good”. Albums weren’t usually lent except among very close friends, whose equipment one knew and trusted.
These music listening sessions had something of a ritual about them. Some of us smoked already, but they did so only before or after the album had been played, in its entirety. We sat in perfect silence, eager to experience all the dynamics of the music, the eerie flute on “I Talk To The Wind” by King Crimson or Dizzy Gillespie’s sparkling trumpet on a Finnish recording date (“To A Finland Station”, with Arturo Sandoval) that had miraculously surfaced in a Romanian record store (it disappeared after three days). We usually gathered in the afternoons, when our parents were still at work, and it was mostly a boys’ thing. The few girls brave enough to join us either left after one side or became hooked on music, thus gaining our utmost respect. For me, these sessions were probably the reason I became a musician… I wanted to be like those people we admired. I was the only one to follow this road, but all the others grew up to become passionate music fans.
Now music is a commodity, like running water. I certainly don’t miss the times when records could only be bought on the black market or smuggled from abroad. But most people’s appreciation of music seems to have vanished because of this non-stop availability.
I enjoyed your post, Atane, and what people replied to it. I almost never comment on blogs, but this deeply touched me.
iordache,
Thank you very much for the thought out response & kind words. I appreciate it!
Cheers,
Atane
Thank you for putting it so clearly and critically. This truly is a lost art, and one I spent much of my childhood and teenage years doing. It’s unfortunate that with the quick fix of computers, internet and television, it’s all to easy to forget how forcing yourself to actually SIT DOWN and LISTEN to something is beneficial, both for your body and soul.
By contrast, people today hear, but they do not listen. Their attention is otherwise inclined…
M@
Well said.
I find I have the opposite problem. I’ll put my headphones on and browse Youtube videos for hours, and when I find a song I like, I listen to it incessantly for a week straight.
Atane,
Spot on! I think the youth of today prefer to watch music, as opposed to listening to it. Their loss.
I used to love getting a new LP, hitting the sweet spot, and listening to the whole album.
Truly great read.
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High Five! Isn’t it great when somebody appreciates your work with the time and effort you put into it? I appreciate yours, wonderful read, have a great day!