Paul Carroll, junior

There isn’t anything better than listening to a new band or song for the first time and loving it. That first song can only lead to two, three, hundreds more, all waiting for their unique debut. It’s exciting to know that there are other songs just as good or better than the first, but often the tricky part is finding them. That is where the Internet, magazines, friends, the radio and many other mediums become essential. Unfortunately, it seems to me that sharing music today is not for the simple act of spreading a great new band, but rather for a competition to see who can accumulate the most music and make sure others know it.

            I can’t begin to express how many times I have been asked, “Hey have you heard of this song?” And if I reply no, usually it is followed with, “Wow are you serious? I heard about them like two years ago.” For some reason, just because I have not heard of a certain song, It means that I am musically naïve. And in the off chance that I have heard the song, I am greeted with a look of frustration, and often the person offers another song, hoping to one-up me the next time. It is as if people need to stake their territory around what music they like. It shouldn’t be like that.

            Perhaps what is worse than being challenged about my musical knowledge is that people assume I am challenging them when I suggest new music to them. It has reached the point where I have to choose my words carefully when mentioning a band I have recently discovered. I avoid phrases like “You should listen to” and “Haven’t you heard of…?” One wrong step and I never hear the end of how the song in particular has been around for ages, and how I am so “out of the loop.”

            I completely understand, however, that finding an unknown band before anyone else does is awesome; sometimes selfishness comes into play, and you keep the band to yourself. Or, you go around telling everyone about it, making sure they k now that you found it first. I understand both. I have done both. But I don’t think it is right. Music is a beautiful thing, and should not be treated like a trophy. Why shouldn’t people be able to enjoy the same song equally, regardless of when it was discovered or by whom?

            And so when you find a new band, song, or album, spread the word, and most likely the music will come back to you tenfold.