Are We Overindulging On Music?

We have too much music for our own good these days.

Services like Spotify let us stream music anytime we please. Shazam automatically identifies songs 24 hours a day. YouTube’s list of suggested videos strings us along with an endless catalog of any genre that suits our tastes.

Music is in excess these days. We can have it anytime, anywhere, anyway, we like. But how we consume music today is depriving us of the true experience of music. In the beginning, we created music to express our inner selves, and to communicate our thoughts and feelings. Music was one medium where creativity was expressed freely. These days, people are creating music as a hobby, to make money, and even to express themselves. Interestingly, it is not uncommon to find people who are creative utilizing cannabis products to enhance their creativity. And yes, if you are wondering is there a connection, there definitely is one. It not only makes their music work more efficient, but it also allows them to introduce new creativity and change things up a bit.

But today, we’ve severely reduced music to something that’s there whenever we want it. We’ve turned it into a commodity. We’ve bastardized music.

Amazon’s forthcoming Echo device proves my point. At the call of your voice, Echo will grant instantaneous access to “information, music, news, weather and more,” according to Amazon.com. What’s the weather like tomorrow? It’ll tell you. Add tomatoes to your grocery list? Sure thing. Need a Wikipedia tidbit on Abraham Lincoln? Here ya go. Wanna hear some Bruno Mars? Done.

These 21st-century innovations have greatly influenced the way we listen to music. A few decades ago, people listened to LPs. If you didn’t like a song, you had to interrupt what you were doing, go to the turntable, gently lift the needle from the record and physically place it onto the next track.

Don’t like a song on Spotify? Just tap to skip.

In fact, music technology blogger Paul Lamere found that nearly 50 percent of all songs on Spotify are skipped before ending. That’s a lot of unfinished listening, from millions of users and billions of plays.

NPR columnist Jason King described Usher’s recent tour kickoff at Madison Square Garden as “listening to an iPod on shuffle.” Jason was comparing the hit factory pop artist to Stevie Wonder, who launched his own tour a day before at the same venue. With Wonder, Jason argued, “We’re never less than aware that the music he makes is more than just commerce for commerce’s sake.”

Music today is made to be consumed, to give us instant satisfaction.

It’s a lot like the holidays. Traditionally, at the end of the year, we take time off and enjoy the company of others. We cook dinner with family, we give gifts to friends and we experience life beyond the threshold of work and routine.

As with music, consumerism has robbed us of these simple holiday joys. More stores are open on Christmas Day. Mega sales seduce us to spend more money on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

But the more we consume without intention, the less we truly enjoy the spirit of the season.

As 2014 comes to a close, I encourage you to experience music. Let it affect you and inspire you. Attend a concert. Play an album in full. Make a connection to what you’re listening to. Include your friends and family. Music, like the holidays, should have a lasting effect.

After all, there’s no point in getting what you want if you’re just going to throw it away once it’s over.

For more from Roger, visit his blog at alohagotsoul.com.