Evolution of Music Consumption
It is funny how a person’s music consumption changes over time. To get some background information on this subject I read an article entitled “A Nomad at Home: Pop Music, Pop Culture, and Christmas� by Thom Swiss. This article provided the author’s personal experiences with pop music and culture and how they changed over time. As a child Thom bought an electric guitar and was extremely interested in popular music and culture. His parents on the other hand did not seem to be interested in the same type of culture in fact they were fascinated with all things Christmas. As a result of this discrepancy in interests between parents and child, Thom felt homeless in his own home.
It is crazy to think about my music consumption over time. I think it’s crazy because changes in consumption happen without notice. Before you realize the change has happened and you look back in disbelief. Personally I can think of three distinct phases in my music consumption in my twenty-four years of life.
Music as a Child
As a child I listened to whatever my parents listened to. I can not recall making a personal choice in music before my middle school years. My parents were children of the 60’s and 70’s, as a result listened to all of the classics. Some of my parent’s favorite artists and bands were; CCR, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Cream, The Steve Miller Band, Tom Petty and many many more. My most vivid memory involving my parents and this genre of music are all of the quizzes that they would give me. My parents loved quizzing me on the title or artist of songs that came on the radio. They would say something like “we will stop and get ice cream if you can name this song� or “I’ll give you a buck if you can tell me who is singing.� (My parents found it especially amused when the name of the band was actually “the Who,� it’s like one of those “who’s on first?� jokes.) Of course there were times when I failed the quiz and got the question wrong, but there were also times when I passed with flying colors. My parents were always so excited and proud when I got the questions right. In hindsight these quizzes gave me an appreciation for this genre of music and a permanent bond with my parents.
Music as a Teen
As a teen I was hooked to my Walkman portable radio. This was the period in my life that I was just realizing that I was an individual and I could make my own decisions. I really felt a connection to hip-hop and pop music. It was as if these songs told the story of my life (or what I thought my life was at the time). A couple of specific memories that I have with pop music in my teens were taking my Walkman to church and making mixed tapes. I don’t know why I remember this, but I can recall bringing my Walkman to activity nights at church on Wednesday evenings. The music that I listened to was by no means church appropriate, but I still brought it and shared it with my friends. I felt cool listening to this music and I felt like sharing this music with my friends was like sharing a part of me. I did not want to mention this but I was also extremely into the band Hanson. My walls were plastered with their posters, I fanaticized about which one of them I would date and I taped every one of their television appearances. I can not say for sure what caused the end of my obsession, but one day it just was not cool anymore.
Music as an Adult
Today music does not play a huge part in my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love music and I like the way I feel when I listen to it, but I think I am too busy to sit around and just listen to music. My main source of music is in the car commuting to and from work. Beyond that I can not remember the last CD I bought or the last concert I attended. It is weird but I find myself listening to music for the words and not just the beat (like I did as a teen). It is fun to listen to songs I haven’t heard in a while and actually listen to the words. Today I like just about all genres of music. I would have a hard time answering the question “what is your favorite type of music?� A question that I would have answered in two seconds as a teen.