To Axe Elf and bobsvinyl,
You both mentioned listening to music as a way of charting one's path through life. I feel that is the overarching purpose of it in the first place. Over the years, I've heard countless artists state at various times in their careers that their intent was to "touch," "reach out," "heal," or even potentially "change" circumstances in their personal lives, friends/acquaintances/loved ones, or simply people in the world at large.
Yes, on the surface it's merely rhythmic refrains of varying complexity spanning different instruments/electronics. On an existential level, it's much more. There's a reason why fanatics ("fans") scream their throats out, mosh, and pass out at concerts. There's a reason why millions of records, even in this era of digital files/streaming/downloading, are still sold on an annual basis. There's a reason why casual hobbyists to outright audiophiles spend hundreds, if not multiple thousands, of dollars on audio equipment - whether it's from a yard sale find, Craigslist, or a high-end boutique. There's a reason why countless wives are pissed as their husbands transform the living room (or other room) of the family home into a listening area. There's a reason why quite a bit of the aforementioned equipment ends up in "man caves." There's a reason why file sharers risk bankruptcy/incarceration. There's a reason why people subscribe to "Stereophile," "What Hi-Fi?," or "Sound and Vision." There's a reason why quite a few teenagers (and some adult men) drive around blaring stereo systems that cost more than the vehicles housing them. There's a reason why quite a few of us end up with impaired hearing via live shows and/or headphone/earbud usage. There's a reason why that song is your song - whether it's for one's wedding, graduation, "first time," or some such life event. I could easily go on, but the point is this: If pundits insist that the industry (audio/music) is dying due to the devaluation of music by the masses (in no large part due to services like Spotify), where's the evidence? As much time and energy that is still poured into creating the product and with as much money that continues to exchange hands to obtain it, there presumably has to be more individuals than reported who still love music enough to be engaged by it. Contrary to reports of its death, it seemingly continues to reach and move millions, if not billions around the world.
