Do you only listen to music that is released on clear 180 vinyl with a black sleeve? Are you one of those people who can't stand any type of music besides shoegaze bedroom dream pop? Does the very idea of supporting an artist like Kanye West make you want to profusely vomit? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have a problem.
Music is one of the most diverse things on this earth. Every culture has its own form of music; from ancient choral chants and hymns, to tribal drums and flutes, from grindcore to Drake, music transcends boundaries and captures cultures throughout history. There is more music than one person could listen to in three lifetimes, and there's so much more being released every day, it's impossible to keep up. So why on earth would you ever want to limit your horizons in this beautiful, infinite art form?
I'm not telling you to stop listening to all your favorite funk albums or to cut KISS out of your life, but there's so much more. Everyone has their specific tastes in music, just as some people prefer pizza to fried rice, but in a medium that is always expanding, limiting yourself is such a bad idea. I could spend hours on bandcamp (and I have) just looking through each genre's tags and listening to every artist that pops up on my feed. And it's wonderful. With so many billions of people on this planet, and so many millions of albums and EP's and singles available to listen to, it's hard to contain myself.
The amazing thing about music is it's diversity. Sure, I don't really like the mainstream rap music on the market today, but that doesn't mean there isn't some rap that I do like to listen to. Even within each genre, there's so many different types of things to hear, and everyone has the ability to find something they enjoy.
My biggest worry is that I won't be able to hear all the music I want to hear in my short lifespan. I'm almost in a constant state of panic thinking about it, and not only music but art, travel, and so much else! But, the good part about music today is it's accessibility. Spotify, Bandcamp, even YouTube, all have an insane amount of music to sort through, and you can listen while doing everything else you need to do. That's why I don't understand why people limit themselves to one type of music just because of a pretentious, self-inflicted sense of knowledge about art.
No one knows everything about music, and music always finds ways to surprise you. Pretending to begin to understand the emotion, creativity and spontaneity involved in music is a joke. So just listen to as much as you can. Experience other's pain and love and joy and just appreciate it. There's an entire universe of beautiful art (not just music!) at your fingertips, so discover it.
