Music and Song

This is a passage on the beauty and power of music and how we should bring it to good use in our lives. Also I complain about the modern music industry and its exploits of music to make money.

Music is the voice of the soul. It reflects what our lives sound like, and follow us wherever we go. Here's me (and hopefully you) subconsciously agreeing with this statement whenever I have my headphones in, listening to a recently released song that has caught my attention, or something older, or perhaps more lyrically engaging. As I look around the room I'm in at the time, or reflect back on scenes where I have seen people listening to music emitting from their phones or iPod, I wonder do they even know or care what they're listening to? I suspect many people around me today (especially the slightly younger age-group than me) don't appreciate and/or respect older music. 

              Of course, this is not everyone. I quickly can think of many friends who value a broad range of music, and all I can say is that I am glad that I have broken away from the illusion that is 'I have to be listening to the most recent music in the charts all the time'. Turning up the volume on my phone, I go into a world that is completely my own, one where I will remember, as well as cherish the songs I like now forever, while all around me people are enjoying the new catchy lacklustre song which they will probably not listen to again or forget once a new batch of the same type of songs has made it on to the popular mainstream music scene.

Before I start praising this wonderful gift which has bee given to us, I have some things to bring attention to with regard to music and song of today.

"Music is everybody's possession. It's only the publishers who think that people own it" said John Lennon, and by God is he right.

 I believe that this has always gone on, and probably always will, which saddens me; the greed of managers and publishers behind musical artists. To many in the music industry, it's all about money. For years, the public have been ripped of or exploited in some way by this industry. A mass of money-making tactics have been developed by these greedy people over the years, and I'm only going to mention a couple:

One that many may overlook, the digging up of old classic albums, remastering them (which makes hardly any substantial effect most of the time) and putting them up for five times the price.

Another example is making fans pay for over-priced concert tickets. Okay, I hear the argument: if the act is popular, the price goes up accordingly. But come on, there is a general idea of what reasonable is and what unreasonable is. Lets take the price of a One Direction ticket; sixty five euro. Without a doubt these could easily sell out and make a huge profit even if the price was lower - but no. Thousand of twelve and thirteen year-olds exploited around the country. Then you have an Ed Sheeran ticket; fifty euro. Does that extra 15 euro say that One Direction are better than Ed Sheeran? Please

***To be continued*** (Updated last 15/03/2014)

Author's Note

First two paragraphs to my essay I will add the rest tomorrow or gradually as it's quite long. But please tell me your opinions on this subject and keep posted for the rest of the piece.