For this week’s reading, I’d like to respond to the section on mass consumption of music (pg 92-95). There's a myriad of modern inventions that enable us to listen to music instantly and easily (sound recording, computers, the internet, music streaming platforms, etc). However, as Ge points out, it feels like were making less music than ever. Ge then poses the question,
"Has technology made it so easy to consume music that it no longer seems necessary to make it?" (pg 93)
I believe, if the creation of music has truly diminished, it would be a result of our tendency as humans to prefer immediate gratification over long-term rewards. This relates to a topic that Ge discussed in a MUSIC 356 lecture last winter -- Type 1 and Type 2 fun. Type 1 fun is fun in the moment, but Type 2 fun is fun (and typically more fulfilling) in retrospect, and often not fun in the moment. For example, eating a donut is great in the moment (type 1 fun), but eating tons of brussels sprouts is only rewarding in retrospect (type 2 fun, sorry brussels sprouts fans). This concept seems closely related to "thinking fast and slow", a concept popularized by psychologist Daniel Kahneman that explores how humans operate with both impulse and forethought. Humans have a natural tendency to think quickly and operate for short-term rewards (type 1 fun), so it requires a concious effort to think slowly and choose to do things that arent immediately rewarding (type 2 fun).
If someone offered to drive you directly to the peak of a mountain with a gorgeous view, or to let you hike for a few days through a grueling path to the peak, which would you choose? Most people would rather take the car ride up, which isn't necessarily a bad thing -- it would still be a cool experience. But looking back, the hike up the mountain might actually be the more fulfilling experience. You saw beautiful views that you couldn't access from a car, got some great exercise, and proved something to yourself in the process of climbing that mountain.
In the context of music, most people would rather jump to hearing a finished piece, rather than go through years of training to learn music theory, instrument-specific technique, mixing/mastering skills, etc. Moreover, with new AI tools for generating music, people can skip all that training and immediately satisfy their songwriting urges with a prompt.
Listening to music is a lot of fun in the moment (AI-generating it can be too, if you aren't using it for commercial purposes), and for many people, satisfies what's an essential part of the human experience (see page 59). That need is satisfied in a quick, immediately gratifying way, but nonetheless satisfied for many people. So revisiting Ge's question from earlier,
"Has technology made it so easy to consume music that it no longer seems necessary to make it?" (pg 93)
one could argue that those people don't actually need to make music. However, if those people tried learning to play and instrument and/or making their own music, they might look back on that experience as more personally fulfilling and meaningful. And I think that's a great reason to make music, and to encourage others to make music!