In short: of course we do.

But the question still cuts to the core of how music is experienced and valued today. From the artist, consumer and industry perspectives, the way we engage with music has changed dramatically. Ultimately, this topic highlights a fundamental tension between convenience and authenticity, accessibility and depth.

When Henry Bruce Jones posed this question in the SEED CLUB earlier this year, tongue firmly in cheek, he was highlighting a fundamental tension between convenience and authenticity, accessibility and depth, in how music is experienced and valued today. As you can see below, the conversation quickly snowballed to include topics such as:

  • whether our connection to music is still as profound as it once was;
  • how music has become commodified in a world where streaming and instant access have transformed our listening habits;
  • how streaming and instant access have affected artists’ identity, self-expression, and community.
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Screen record of the original SEED

We love seeing our SEEDS grow like this, so turned it into a FORUM with three experts representing three different perspectives:

  • As consumers, we may have more access to music than ever before, but the very nature of how we engage with it – through algorithms, streaming and the decline of live performances – raises concerns about whether we are truly valuing music as an art form or simply consuming it as background noise.
  • For artists, the challenge lies in maintaining their creative integrity while navigating a rapidly changing industry.
  • And for the industry itself, there is a need to find ways to adapt to this new landscape without sacrificing the essence of what makes music so vital.

Henry Bruce Jones is a writer, editor and Protein contributor. He writes about music, art, technology and fashion. Formerly an editor of Fact Magazine, he is now an editor at digital culture platform SQD.ZIP and head of editorial at creative technology studio A New Plane. His writing explores the social and political dynamics that run through contemporary artistic practices. 

Martha Bolton is on a mission to combat gender inequality in music. Drawing on a wealth of experience at labels such as Defected Records, UKF and Critical Music, she now focuses solely on her work as founder of Not Bad For A Girl, an organisation supporting female, non-binary and trans artists, and which has also recently launched its own label, Equal Parts.

Austin Robey is an entrepreneur and advocate for collective ownership,  solidarity economics and new models for online creative economies. He co-founded Ampled, a cooperatively owned platform for musicians, and was a co-founder of Metalabel. Austin is currently developing Subvert, a collectively owned and controlled online music marketplace.

Read on for some highlights, edited and condensed for clarity or click below to watch the recording (with the equally informative and entertaining side chat):