The Wide World of Music

Meta Stange

I love music. I love the outlet it provides me to express myself and connect with other people. I love the opportunity to escape the banal reality of everyday life. I love the feeling of complete bliss when I’m walking around with my headphones on, blasting my own personal soundtrack until I’m just shy of becoming deaf. Most of all, I love that my experience is not unique.

Music is a global phenomenon that has existed in virtually every society on Earth. Even the most isolated groups of people develop musical expressions and traditions. Throughout the course of history, it has been a constant source of entertainment, spanning cultures, classes, and identities. From refined royal courts to bustling city streets, it permeates both public and private spheres and can be found in all contexts, making it one of the few truly universal ties that bind us together.

In the past, every culture established its own individual style. The advent of computers and the Internet provided the technology necessary to share these expressions, allowing music as a medium to transcend global and cultural boundaries like it never has before. In one afternoon, I can listen to my favorite bands from Turkey, South Africa, and Scotland, all without leaving the comfort of my own bed. YouTube, Vevo, Spotify, Pandora, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Rdio, the list goes on and on when it comes to platforms on which to discover new music. Though there may be drawbacks to the ways in which the internet has radicalized how to listen to artists and albums, it is undeniable that it has been instrumental in establishing a global community of artists and fans who now have the unprecedented ability to communicate with one another instantaneously.

Interaction on a global level has led to increasingly eclectic and innovative styles. Musical influences are becoming more obscure, widespread, and exciting. Today, producers in Paris can connect and collaborate with performers in Chicago without leaving their hometowns. The opportunity to establish a worldwide musical community when employing a global approach to music production is nothing short of thrilling.

Computers aside, listening to music is inherently a sensory experience, one shared by billions of people each day. The experience of watching a rad band in a beer-soaked basement is the same whether you’re in Detroit or Prague, creating a cultural common ground among anyone and everyone. No matter where in the world you are, music will be there too.

Meta went on her first trip before the age of two and has been infected with wanderlust ever since. Her dream is to live a nomadic lifestyle so she can experience all the world has to offer. She's addicted to music, coffee, and making really bad jokes.