A New Year’s Resolution for Music Fans

As genuine music fans, it is our job to use our passion to spread the knowledge we have to as many people as possible. If you’re reading this, it means that you are taking valuable time out of your day to read about the music you love. This means that you probably deem music as an important aspect of your everyday life. And if that is true, that must also mean that music (whether it be a song, an artist, a live concert, etc.) has changed your life at some point. And if you’re reading this and you think that music has not changed your life and/or heavily influenced you in some way, then you’re lying to yourself because MUSIC IS IMPORTANT.

Now, because we just established that music is important and that it can influence people’s lives, we must also acknowledge that music needs to be shared. Every single person who listens to good music was “introduced” to that music by somebody else. Think back to your youth, I guarantee that you had a person in your life who nudged you at some point and said something along the lines of: “Hey, you know that music you listen to… you know, the top 40 radio stuff? It sucks. You need to check this out.” It doesn’t matter if it was your dad when you were 10, your new friend at school when you were 14, or the pot head down the hall in your dormitory when you were 18, somebody somehow somewhere blew your mind by introducing you to music you had never heard before.

Fast forward to 2013. This past year, more than ever before, I have noticed people’s dissatisfaction with popular music on the radio. Regardless of the genre, people are fed up with the music that represents the genre that they love. Whether it is Luke Bryan to country, 2 Chainz to hip-hop, or Fall Out Boy to rock, people are becoming weary of the inauthentic music that they are constantly bombarded with. This is a good thing. This is a great thing. But it’s not enough. Weariness and anger are only step one in the process of achieving musical liberation.

Step two is out of their hands. We cannot expect casual music fans to have the knowledge and skills to seek out authentic, passionate, and intelligent music on their own. If they figure it out on their own, that’s great. But we, as non-casual music fans, cannot be content with letting them attempt to figure it out on their own. We should feel a hunger to share the music that has changed our lives. If music has done so much for us in our lives, shouldn’t we want our friends to experience this as well? We should see the spark of weariness and anger that our friends have shown and facilitate that spark by helping our friends find the music that will change their lives.

Lastly, our musical evangelism should not cease with friends. We should want everyone to experience the beauty of good music. We should want everyone to experience the emotions and feelings that are contrived when listening to good music. We should share this music with our associates, family, coworkers, enemies, and complete strangers. In the best way possible we should attempt to articulate and communicate our feelings towards the music we love. We need to give these people a reason to care more than they do. Their apathy towards music frustrates you, right? Give them a non-snobbish and compelling reason to care, and they will. Liberate them.

The motto at Galleywinter is “Support Music You Love.” As a genuine fan of good music, I challenge you in 2014 to spread the music you love, share the music you love, and ultimately, to support the music you love. Relentlessly. Because it matters.

Here is a very insightful video from a man that is much smarter than me. Listen to his thoughts, ideas, and wisdom.