Listen to this
What would likely be the answer to a question asking what someone’s music preference is? You can’t tell. There are many options when it comes to music. Acapella, heavy death-metal, or afrojazz are all possible. Due to its many variations, music has become an important part of entertainment around the globe. The music industry has expanded in a variety of ways, which has sparked many discussions about its overall impact on society. Mo Tzu’s bold and fascinating opinion on music dates back to about 400 BC. His writings highlight his belief in the abolition of music and its lack of value for society. Mo Tzu argues that music has no benefit for mankind. His view can be applied to the current music industry, which is a reflection of the modern society.
In the last few years, there has been a dramatic drop in the salaries of musicians. Mo Tzu writes in “Against Music,” that they must impose heavy taxes on people to allow them to hear the great sounds of bells, drums, zithers and pipe. He claims that upper-class men must collect money in order for the rest of us to be able to listen to music. Music should be banned because it is supported by taxation. Today’s artists are like the common folk in Tzu’s day. Artists today are figuratively acting as the common people of Tzu’s time. It may seem that the declining pay of musicians is helping to remove music from the market, but in reality, it’s not the case. Labels and large companies wield a lot of power in the industry. This is very similar to Mo Tzu’s days, when the wealthiest held the power. It is time to remove music if its hard work divides our society between the upper and lower classes. The Jam’s Paul Weller noted that musicians are fueling and lining the pockets for label companies without receiving any benefits. It can also be argued that there are bands who make millions, which undermines the whole argument. There are some musicians who make a lot, but they’re a tiny minority. Tunecore reports that 99.9% (Resnikoff) of all musicians are not able to earn enough money from their music. In other words, less that one-tenth a percent make enough to live on. The lack of a middle-class or upper-class for musicians is evident. Lower class musicians do the most work but are paid little. The music industry is a major factor in the decline of recording revenue and its impact on society.
Mo Tzu is a great source of insight into the current state of music. He reveals many moral problems that are overlooked. Mo Tzu asked, “Does music do anything to restore order to the world and rescue it from chaos?” (Mo Tzu 238). This question highlights a major problem. The music of today is not only unable to save our world, but also causes it to fall into chaos. The combination of music and immorality has been a problem for the last two decades, when music has become more vulgar. The song “My Nigga” reached number 19 on Billboard Hot 100 Songs while selling more than one million copies, earning it a platinum record. The song contains a number of expletives, which should not be repeated. This is not acceptable in the past and shows that music has pushed morals out of existence. The VMAs of 2013 featured yet another wild display of immorality. Miley Cyrus displayed a risque performance that attracted national media attention. This is why, as Mo Tzu said, music should be eliminated. This is a major factor in our society’s blurring of lines, which can be difficult to solve. Music also raises a moral question: corruption. Many music companies put their own interests before those of their customers and take great steps to make sure they are successful. Spotify, which is among the most popular and fastest-growing music companies, is a good example. Spotify has been accused of shorting artists streaming music through their platform, according to many rumors. This is in an effort to maximize their Sony contract. Taylor Swift and Rihanna have both taken their music off Spotify. This has further fueled the notion that Spotify is corrupt. The math supports the suspicions and, in future years, we will be able to determine if Spotify actually shorted money (Ulloa 8). Even if Spotify turns out to be innocent, the uncertainty surrounding the music industry will continue even if Spotify later proves itself innocent. This includes piracy, deliberately leaked songs, inflation, manipulations of charts, and more. Mo Tzu’s statement is clear: music cannot save the world from chaos. It only adds more to it. Music must stop before it causes further destruction and moral decay in a world without morals.
Spotify and other services like it have made music more accessible than ever before. The music is available on virtually every device at a reasonable price. One can purchase music on iTunes or CD’s. They can also download it illegally. These are the cheapest options and they allow a greater number of people to hear music. This seems like an amazing opportunity but is actually a big problem. Mo Tzu presents a hypothetical example that illustrates the problem: “If those in positions of power and authority are fans of music and listen to it all day, they cannot exhaust the strength of the limbs.” He then goes on to list all the duties that will be ignored because of their love for music. As a result, the number of opportunities to listen to music will increase around the globe. This will lead people everywhere, including in the United States, not performing their duties. This is an important issue. The younger generation, who are not used to anything different, will be affected. Students in middle and high schools, and even some college students, are plugged into their earphones to listen to their favorite artists. It is important that they are able to focus on the teacher’s lesson. Musicians have given students the opportunity to destroy their lives, but others have taken it. Many backpacks feature earphones holes, and some jackets even conceal wiring by hiding the seams. This is an example of how the music industry can be powerful. Manufacturers make a profit on products designed solely to enhance accessibility. This is because the availability of music has no effect on its spreading.
When you examine music from the perspective of Mo Tzu, it makes one wonder if music is beneficial to humanity and what its effects are on society. The music industry takes from the people and has moral problems. It also neglects its duties. Music accelerates destruction in the world. Music is all around us, and it’s hard to understand the severity of the problem. However, something has to be done. Mo Tzu believes that music must be eradicated, but it is impossible to achieve with today’s ubiquity. It is important to implement regulations to help minimize the negative aspects of music. This will ultimately achieve Mo Tzu’s objective. The music industry today is characterized by corruption, vulgarity and immorality. The music industry is notorious for ignoring these issues, and it makes sure that they are a constant problem. This problem can be reduced and eliminated slowly.
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