Why Music May be Losing its Cultural Relevance

The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

I LOVE MUSIC! You probably knew that already. As a DJ and songwriter, music has always been a huge outlet for me but I also love to listen to music. There are certain records that left a HUGE impact on me; Superunknown, Dirt, Parachutes, Wildflowers, Sea Change and of course OK Computer. And not to mention some of the incredible concerts I've been to which left me spellbound. Sure, I may be a BIT biased, but I believe the effects of music on our body and mind, can be deeply profound, inspiring and even healing. So what changed? Why does it appear, at least to me, and many of my contemporaries, that music has lost the cultural relevance and impact it once had on our lives. Sure you may be hooked on some new playlist on Spotify but how often do you find yourself transfixed by music? Where a song or a band piqued your curiosity to the point where you HAVE to learn more about this artist, maybe even go to their show, or talk to friends about them. Doesn't it feel like music may be losing its impact on our culture? ( I realize Taylor Swift is killing it across the country right now but I consider her an anomaly.) Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I explain why I think music has lost its stronghold on our society and why it may be because of our cultural's obsession with dopamine. I'm currently deep in the process of recording and writing my fifth record, so I begin by talking about my own process as a songwriter. It's a truly euphoric experience that fills my system with joy and even...dopamine. There's also something almost scientific about recording music. Writing the lyrics, recording all the different parts and singing the vocals and then somehow making it all sound like a coherent song. I bring all this up because I just finished listening to a new Rick Rubin podcast where he is speaking to one of my heroes, Trent Reznor. You can listen to that fantastic podcast by clicking HERE. Trent is the lead singer and creator behind NIN and it was deeply inspiring to hear not only his process as an artist but also his perspective on music and how its evolved in our culture. Back in the day, music seemed to be "the thing" that could catapult our culture in so many directions but now it feels like music has been diminished to simply "background noise" or a side dish. It's hard not to feel a bit discouraged as I prepare to release more new music into a culture that may be losing its appetite for fresh new music. Have you noticed this trend? Do you ever find yourself looking for new music or do you simply allow the algorithms of Spotify to do the investigative work for you? As always, thanks so much for listening to the show and being so incredibly supportive. I appreciate YOU! Remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, PLEASE subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's also always helpful if you share the show with your friends or maybe head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks again for listening.