The significance of music in people’s lives cannot possibly be overestimated. Though often overlooked as an element of the entertainment industry, music is, in fact, a form of art and, therefore, a massive opportunity for uninhibited self-expression. Despite the admittedly controversial perspective on the concept of music that the popular entertainment industry, with its emphasis on commercialism, offers, music remains a vital part of every individual’s life due to its power of being the language of free self-expression and a shorthand for rendering emotions and ideas.
The active increase in accessibility of music and the means of producing it can be seen as one of the main contentious points associated with music artists. On the one hand, the ubiquitous nature of music and its percolation into every aspect of popular culture and its commercial use could be seen as a blessing since the art of music has been open to general audiences. On the other hand, Rosenthal and Flacks rightfully conclude that the specified outcome has cheapened the concept of musical expression: “the dominance of the point of the controllers of pop culture […] minimize individual interpretations” (Rosenthal and Flacks 93). Thus, paradoxically, the availability of music and the related experiences as making it more difficult to locate the ways of making music sound unique and utilize it to express specific ideas, emotions, and concepts.
Furthermore, the issue of the author’s intent and the interpretation of song lyrics has been transformed into a major argument deserving closer attention. Specifically, with the rise in the availability of different musical genres to a broader audience and with most musical genres has become global, the interpretation of songs has become a significantly more complex and intricate task. Namely, audiences have discovered the idea of relating to music and song lyrics in their own unique ways that often bypass the original meaning of a song and imbue the lyrics with a new meaning (). Namely, Rosenthal and Flacks clarify that “fragmented meanings are ‘(re) constructed into a larger context’” (109). The described outcome indicates that, in a range of cases, music, in general, and songs, in particular, become free for interpretation and stripped of their original meaning once they are released for the consumption of a broader audience.
The specified outcome can be construed as a positive one since it allows exploring differences in perceptions that make other cultures and even individuals and communities within one culture unique. As a result, differences in music interpretation create premises for a multicultural dialogue that allows discovering new things about others and reconciling the conflicts that might have emerged as a result of the lack of understanding. In other words, the issue of a culture clash can be resolved with the introduction of a calm and cooperative discussion of music as it is viewed through the lens of different cultures and generations.
Although popular culture and the music industry could be seen as devaluing the impact of music, the latter unmistakably remains an indispensable part of any individual’s experience due to its power to bridge cultures and serve as the means of artistic expression. Therefore, music as the lingua franca that allows both improved communication and better opportunities for self-expression must be actively encouraged. By enhancing a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of music as an art form, one will contribute to its active evolution and the emergence of new and fascinating ways of musical artworks.
Works Cited
Rosenthal, Rob, and Richard Flacks. Playing for Change: Music and Musicians in the Service of Social Movements. Routledge, 2015.