In this article, the World Economic Forum identifies music as a finite resource which needs the right investment and support in its infrastructure. Following a period of such significant disruption as we’ve seen through the availabilty of free, digital and live music, the Australian music industry is working hard to get itself back on track. However, government needs to rethink its old models of creative and cultural support and recognise that this is a significant sector, just like dairy and manufacturing, that needs industry-wide support.
When something is wedded into the fabric of everyday life, we ignore the systems that create, sustain and support it.
The same cognitive dissonance is occurring with music and culture.
When you hear a song that moves you, it’s about that moment with that song, not the recording, production and marketing functions that led to that moment happening. But without these systems and practices, those moments disappear; that tap runs dry.
Music, like any other resource, is not infinite.
If we do not teach, invest and support it, it disappears. Given music is our universal language – we all speak it – it must be better understood for its capabilities to support, sustain and improve communities around the world. This is happening in cities all over the world. It’s the merging of planning, resource management, resilience and intentionality around music, called music urbanism.
Read the full article here.
Image courtesy of Gary Hallenan Photography and Penny Ikinger.