EastScene

Music speaks volumes, evokes immeasurable sentiments, and has been part of human civilization for as long as society has existed. It harnesses an inexplicable power to move, and to convey a message within a single movement. Music is a staple of popular culture that works as an identification tool for the masses, and is a juggernaut in the grand scheme of our media-exposed society. The five senses alone cannot give us the feeling that is experienced when we absorb the vigour and melody a song holds. Sound alone elates our auditory senses, and when accompanied by visuals it often provides even more stimulation. Think of the last time you were at a concert: the unabated tears – perhaps caused by the smoky haze or the rising moment of tragedy in a song – sow a salty flavour on your tongue.  The rhythm of the guitar forces you to tap your feet along to the beat as you share the hard floor with countless others. In the air there is the smell of incredibly distinguishable, and perhaps illegal, substances that complete that near surreal experience of a concert – music at its best.

The beauty of music is that all of these senses are universal and everyone celebrates them in their own unique way. Angst-ridden teens revel in their unlit bedrooms, humming along to a digital download of their most listened to track on iTunes. Fully-grown adults enjoy the atmosphere of a filled to capacity arena as they belt the words of their favourite Billy Joel song and reminisce of their youthful days with vinyl records in their family rooms. Everyone’s genre of music is different, but what connects all the different types of music together? The medium through which we enjoy music is the same. The way music is relayed to the masses has drastically changed over the past 30 years and has created certain risks in the physical aspect of its industry. Tapes are long gone and CDs may be enjoying their swan song. Digital downloads have become a growing threat and a perilous problem to the material symbols of music. In an industry that has been revolutionized and persistently changed by technology there has never been a more critical time for the future of music. Digitalization has put the music industry in jeopardy, whether we want to admit or not. Music can be obtained with the click of a button, free of charge, while taking a trip to the local record store is a thing of the past. For the live music scene there could be no better a time for it to chime in and take the centre stage.

With bands seeing less of a profit margin and more bottles of aspirin to ease their monetary migraines, something must be done to fill the gap that exists between increased digitalization and the physical aspect of music. To survive the digital shift and overcome the uncertainty of longevity, musicians and bands are pursuing and devoting more energy to serve the last undying physical manifestation of music: live concerts.