There are many different types of music, all of which serve different purposes. We listen to music in big groups, in small groups, by ourselves, when hanging out, while studying, while partying, while walking downtown, while exercising, while driving, and the list goes on. Even more, certain types of music have specific effects on our moods. For instance, you might listen to a certain artist to get pumped up when you work out, but listen to a completely different artist to relax when you’re alone.
So with so many different uses for music should we really have such a one-dimensional industry surrounding it? The major labels’ mainstream agenda dominates the music world, but who’s to say their approach to selling music should still be the standard? They’re primarily concerned with selling entertainment but there’s plenty of music being made out there that goes beyond merely entertaining listeners at such a shallow level. Should music that impacts and uplifts people on a deeper and more conscious level follow the same business model as the latest Pop hit?
Of course there are already artists who have taken more innovative approaches to making money off their creations. But it is difficult nowadays to be original without fading into obscurity. What if the segmentation that’s occurring on the fringes of the industry became more solidified? What if the audience had more reliable sources for their particular niche? In some ways this is already happening.
What I’m saying is that maybe a single universal source for everything, like Spotify, isn’t the solution. Every style or genre of music, for the most part, has its own culture attached to it. So shouldn’t this “new age” of the music industry be more focused on creating digital spaces that cater to these specific sub-cultures instead of bundling them all together into one service?
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