My music consumption is usually an individual experience, and one I don't like to share, because music can often mean something to you in a way that other people might have difficulty understanding. Someone can enjoy an artist or song so much because of associations they have with it - maybe just because of a specific lyric that they can identify with, that might not mean anything to other people. I don't usually like to share my music consumption with others because if they don't like it, or don't understand it in the same way, I would rather keep it to myself.
I usually buy music from iTunes, but if it's an artist I really like or album I've been waiting for, I might buy their CD. I don't like downloading music illegally because sometimes the pitch is altered or the quality isn't as good. I also don't use Spotify because I like to own songs.
Music can be so important to people because it offers them a kind of outlet for their feelings - you can find comfort in the actual melody or identify with the lyrics. If a song has lyrics that match what you're feeling or going through, it's like the artist understands you and how you feel. I think this is especially important for teenagers who often go through periods of feeling confused or like people don't understand them, and if they feel like they can't talk to anyone about that, having an artist you look up to seemingly understand you can help.
Often, I listen to music just because I enjoy it, maybe without knowing why. Maybe I just like the melody, or it's a fun song that can cheer you up, or maybe it's interesting to listen to because it's something different.
A TRACK FROM MY CHILDHOOD
The Beatles were the first band I ever listened to. I remember my parents listening to them in the car, and when I got my first iPod (I was ten), it just had my parents' music on there and The Beatles were the artist I liked the most, by far. When I first started secondary school my friends argued they were too old and I should listen to more current songs. This just made me like The Beatles more, and it wasn't until I was around 13 that I started expanding my music taste. I still like them now.
A TRACK FROM MY EARLY TEENS
Whatever people think about Glee, this show and its cast was probably the most important thing to me personally during my early teenage years, not just as a television show but as music artists, too. Because most of the songs are covers, they introduced me to new artists and new styles of music, current and older, that I hadn't heard before. What Glee does well is translate songs in a way that makes them accessible to fans of the show - songs I would never have listened to I enjoyed because I understood them within the context of a story, from the perspective of characters I cared about immensely. This song was the first time I really saw these characters that were so different from anything I'd seen before on TV - they didn't fit in, they all had their own individual problems, and at that age, this was something I really needed because that's how I felt, and it was reflected in the music. This song marked the beginning of something I grew up with, aged 12 to now - something that, despite its many (many, many) faults, I still love.
A TRACK THAT MEANS A LOT TO ME TODAY
This is a hard question to answer, because if I'm being honest, the music I really care about the most right now is the Frozen soundtrack, because, for whatever reason, I find it easier to relate to songs about a Queen with ice powers than most songs by actual bands and artists. But because those songs are from a Disney soundtrack, they don't exactly link to the music industry (even if "Let It Go" reached No.9 on the charts, proving that even Disney/Broadway-sounding songs can be hugely successful with mainstream audiences).
In terms of tracks by recording artists who have nothing to do with Frozen (...or other Disney films), one that I really, really like is this:
Kodaline are probably my favourite current band and this is one of my favourite songs. It makes me feel happy, I think because I first listened to it on the aeroplane to Los Angeles after finishing my GCSEs, and again in LA the year after, so I associate it with being there and being away from school and stress. It works well as a kind of escapism because of this. I also love his voice and the lyrics, too, because they feel personal so it's kind of a comfort.
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