What Is Happening to Music Culture?

A Music Scene Feature by Luke Wain. March 2015.

Nowadays we see people walking around with’ ‘Ramones’ and ‘Rolling Stones’ t-shirts as a part of daily fashion, and if you dared to stop and ask them their favourite hits, they’d look at you as if you’d escaped from the mental asylum across the street. But now it spreads further than fashion, as some bands are no longer taken seriously. Becoming ‘fads’ before the interest eventually dwindles, but who’s to blame?

Through the power of social media, opinions are spread far and wide and there’s plenty more people to share your own interests with. It’s clear that young people feel the need to impress these strangers on the net; fitting into this months trend becomes important to them. Through this, certain artists within the mainstream get massive quantities of attention, leaving artists outside of this with a significant lack of attention. However, are these bands becoming products over musicians? As their image is sold and the constant stream of merchandise flooding from them to their target audience, turns them into brand over band.

Yes, these groups need to live and carry on their careers, but sometimes this can damage the industry. Soon enough “fans” become lazy and care more for the product and image over the music, shown through depreciating revenue gained from putting out albums (although downloading is also a huge factor).
It’s this idea of ‘feeling over meaning’ that prevails in the world of modern music, as nights out to gigs become about alcohol fuelled fun over listening to the musicians, what they're trying to implement and the accompanying message of the music they've slaved over. No-one’s saying don’t go out and have fun at gigs, but don’t forget to listen. The feeling of a great night is instantaneous but understanding the meaning and being blown away is something that can stick for a long time and change your perception the world around you.

Those who claim to be “true” music fans turn up to shows without singing along or knowing the words to their “favourite” bands, other than the latest hit played 24/7 on MTV. A relationship with music can be a deep, intimate one; with work and passion it will reward you with great memories of albums and shows, with a message that sticks to your mind for a lifetime. Researching new or old artists and just sitting and listening to their music, whilst in deep thought or even as a pastime, is nothing to be ashamed of. Or buying an album and reading the lyrics just so you can understand their thought process and build a meaning for your self.





Just remember all these artists you adore or follow, want you to have a great time and gain that feeling, but more so they want to be heard and that’s why they became musicians. So next time you’re at a gig and having hopefully an amazing night with your friends, maybe stop, just listen; watch as the passion drips off the performer’s faces. Take in that meaning and you’ll find that ‘feeling’ becomes a lot stronger and everlasting. Keeping every empty feeling just won’t work, but maintaining the meaning in your mind will make you more appreciative of what your favourite artists have created, and shared for your own selves.

Luke Wain.
www.primalmagazine.co.uk