Bob Marley sang what we know to be true, it's true everywhere and there will never be a time when we don't need music in our lives!
But so much music is made for personal gain, or to make profits within the music industry. The problem I try to solve is how to make music without it becoming a commodity within a purely money-based system. Musicians need to connect with audiences, but are often not so good at self-promotion. Musicians benefit from others who make up part of the 'industry', and many of these people share the same goals of bringing good music to the people. Bob Marley is a good example - globally known because of Island Records. But in excess it becomes just another part of neoliberal capitalism, generating commodities (songs, videos, etc) to be bought and sold for profit within a system that puts profit first, despite the best intentions of the people working within it. And if an artist becomes popular enough, they are used to help sell even more products - that's how the big stars get paid so much. They work within and for a system that is set up to generate profit with no care for how this affects our life-giving biosphere or our social communities. Too often their music distracts and deflects from the most important challenges we face, and does so in the name of 'entertainment'.
But not all!
Many parts of the music business are actually changing or trying to change. There are new grassroots movements finding new ways to bring the music, new ways to connect with audiences which respect and protect our physical and social worlds. In England, Julie's Bicycle (https://juliesbicycle.com/) ; in Germany the Green Touring Network (https://greentouring.net/) and the Community Music Netzwerk (https://communitymusicnetzwerk.de/), then there is the international Music Declares Emergency (https://www.musicdeclares.net/) - and many more beyond these. (See links page.)
The need for integration
One of the biggest challenges we face, politically and logistically, is global migration. This problem is growing as the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss lead to more natural disasters, more war and more oppression. The global south carries most of the weight of this burden, while richer global north countries benefit from the current financial systems which emerged from imperialist colonialism over the last hundred years. Many people flee their homes and go to the nearest safe destination - often somewhere else in their country. But many are forced to flee further, and of course the relatively stable and wealthy countries of the global north - of which Germany is significantly one of the richest - are attractive destinations.
This fact leads to the question: how will the richer countries respond? We know some people want to build walls and use military force to keep people out. Everyday Music does not want this.
Everyday Music aims for integration, a musical hand held out to invite people to come together, to experience each other, and to find harmony together through music. There is no land on this planet where music does not exist. What kind of musics might we find when we sit down and play together? And what else might emerge once we find we can sing a new song together?
We need only the vision, the intention in our hearts and the frameworks in our communities to create the opportunities to make music together, everyday. Imagine that!
Let's get together!
If you like what you read here, get in touch and let's join forces towards these ends. Together we are stronger, have more ideas and more capacity to make changes.
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