Initial research- My music consumption

How/ where/ when do you consume music?

Consumption of music has always been a key part of my life. Generally, I listen to music whenever I get the chance, the majority of the time I listen to music through speakers in my room, when getting ready for school, or just relaxing or working in the evenings. However I also use music to pass the time when travelling such as walking to school or on train or car journeys- using my mp3 smart phone to store and play my music through- I prefer using this on long bus journeys and in my room at night time as a way of relaxing and zoning out from the world, as a way of escape. When at home i stream music through my spotify app on the computer- meaning I have access to a very large spectrum of music, I personally find excitement through discovering new music and artists, therefore I prefer using my computer and speakers as I have a wider range of choice. However, I also enjoy experiencing music performed live- at gigs and festivals, especially if I already know the artist as I feel that live music is more interesting and nicer to listen to, providing an emotional and memorable experience, especially if I attend with friends- proving a social stimulus which can also introduce me to new people of a similar taste. Similarly, music is played at parties to create an upbeat vibe to bring people together or provide something to dance to or engage with- you cant have a party without music.

What does music mean to you?

As a child my main music influence was  my parents, who had a wide taste in genres, in particular, I remember the British bands indie new wave artists my mum played around the house, alongside the more varied taste of my dad- ranging from dance music to reggae.

A song which I particularly remember from my childhood is Kanye West- 'Touch the Sky', I remember that this track interested me as it was when i was in primary school and me and my friends had just started to use youtube. I remember watching the video and enjoying the exciting story that the narrative presented, and being amazed when I realised that the lyrics related to the story, this was my first experience of both a Hollywood produced music video and also US rap music.


Teenage track

Being exposed to the internet from a young age, I quickly latched on to the youtube phenomenon, and using the almost endless database of music from all eras and genres, in particular I found American grunge such as Nirvana and really liked the use of electric guitars and the style of dress, with darker lyrics, I realised that music can be used to express emotions. However, when I discovered Jazz I realised that music is better when it makes you happy, and was amazed by the saxophone and in particular Gene Simmons.

More recent music

More recently I discovered soundcloud (www.soundcloud.com),an online community where users can upload their music, of any genre or lenght, which they have produced so that other users can listen to and leave comments to tell the creator what they think. This is ideal for bedroom musicians an people simply having fun, I like using soundcloud as I can share my own music whilst being inspired by others' -with no fixed style or meaning.