So for a guy like me who's making somewhat of a return to the world of music but who's fully aware of the already underway protracted collapse of industrial civilization, it should be obvious that putting myself at the mercy of a streaming service might not be the best idea if I wanted to retain a bit of access to some recorded music once the ability for streaming disappears once and for all (which for whatever reason[s] I believe will certainly happen at some point in my lifetime). So supposing I'm connected to a community grid and/or have the solar panels or whatever it be to power some kind of setup, owning my music – be it on CD, vinyl, or MP3s – would most certainly be the way to go.
Personally, I think you are making way too much of all this. And in pre-industrial times, I’m pretty sure not all musicians were professionals who needed to be supported by the manual work of others, in that many people then, as today, are amateur musicians who make their own music by singing and playing homemade instruments. Some of my favorite times as a child were singing with my family, and going to family reunions where the uncles would get out their guitars and homemade whistles and we would all sing around the campfire. But maybe I was lucky, my family’s roots are in North Carolina, and before that, Scotland, so we were are lucky to have that folk tradition. But I’m sure there are many other folk traditions from all over that influence families. I think many people still know how to make their own music. It is almost a “commons” and all the electronics companies in the world can’t take that away from people, try as they might.
BTW, I love your blog, really enjoy it. I’m a lot older than you, maybe I just remember a time when people were not so addicted to all their devices. I remember my mother singing as she made her bed. It always made me feel so happy and secure!
Thanks for pointing that all out. It was a last-minute thing where I noticed that I’d opened a can of worms of professional vs. amateur folk music, and so tried to belatedly fill in the gap with “supposing that said toilers didn’t just sing to themselves and/or just make their own music”. Yes, I should have stressed that more, and will make sure to do so later (thanks!).
And perhaps you were a bit “lucky”. Having a Danish father and a Colombian mother, who met in “multicultural” Canada, you might say that I grew up with no culture but rather consumerism. Huge family now in Canada, but not one plays an instrument.
And thanks for the kind words, glad you’re enjoying the blog so far!