Opinion on Music's inherent value

True Value of Music

        Throughout history, music has served many purposes. The value of music back then was in the hearts of the people, rather than expressed in dollar amount. Of course, times have changed. While people from my generation will never be able to personally listen to certain masterpieces written before us, people in future generations will most certainly be able to enjoy music from this era, with the aid of technology. As music turns more and more concrete, questions inevitably arise regarding the value of music. No matter how the concreteness of music changes, however, I believe that good music will always have a certain value that cannot necessarily be expressed by a dollar amount. As you read, please bear in mind that one fact is undeniably true: music always was, and always will be, created for people.

      Obviously, if you’re an artist, it would be nice to be paid for your work. When people pay, however, they are actually expressing their appreciation for the artist’s work. This appreciation is, to the artist, the true value of their music. Some artists may disagree, but honestly speaking, a truly talented artist should have no trouble at all getting through life, even if people don’t pay for their music. In addition, there is a limit to how long a song can remain popular, how much people are willing to pay for the music, and the time length of an artist’s glory, but appreciation for the song is infinite. Beethoven’s work, for example, is most definitely not currently classified as popular music, yet always was and always will be respected as the work of a musical genius. People at the time truly believed that music was to be admired, not owned. Music today is very much the same: no matter how much or how little the artist is paid, his work will always have a value to the ones who learn to appreciate, but not necessarily own, the music.

      With modern technology, music can now easily be downloaded. While this may seem unjust to the artists and is in violation of certain laws, I personally think there is nothing wrong with obtaining music for free, as long as the artist gets some sort or recognition. Music is meant to be for communication, after all, and the artist should be happy to communicate their messages to more people. Easier means of obtaining the music attracts a larger audience, which, in turn, increases appreciation for the artist’s music, which will last far beyond the days of the particular song’s popularity. Music does have inherent value, but its value is determined by its listeners, not its creator.