Long live media art! --Brilliant Transformation in the Future Music Market

In the past, music was all about sound itself. Melody, harmony, and rhythm - the crystallization of pure art woven together was the great legacy of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. However, as we approach the quarter century mark of the 21st century, we are witnessing the dawn of a new art form. Yes, it is the age of media art.

A Beautiful Past and a Merciless Future

Classical music? Traditional music? They are certainly beautiful. But in the market economy of the 21st century, "beauty" alone is not enough to survive. In the past, musicians produced their works under the patronage of patrons, sometimes bowing down to the authority of aristocrats and churches. But what about today?

Western classical music is governed by strict musical notation, and the emphasis is on the performer's accurate reproduction of the great works of the past. Traditional Japanese music, too, emphasizes the preservation of styles and schools, and it takes extraordinary effort to bring a new style to the music. However, the market is changeable, and simply clinging to past glories is doomed to be labeled "outdated" sooner or later.

A brilliant triumph of media art?

Then, media art made a dashing appearance, fusing sound and image, technology and the senses.
Fusing sound and image, technology and the senses, AI composes, programs perform, and the audience "generates" musical experiences interactively.
Transcending the good old concept of "performance," music is no longer something to be "owned," but something to be "participated in.

Now, let's think about it. What is market value?
It is "whether or not it sells.
Then, the overwhelming market value of media art is no longer in doubt.

Museums and festivals around the world are paying more attention to installation-type music experiences than to traditional classical concerts.
NFT-ized music data is traded for millions of dollars, and AI conductors lead orchestras in virtual spaces.
Perhaps 100 years from now, AI will be more highly valued in the marketplace than a pianist playing Chopin's Nocturne, providing an "ultra-personal musical experience" generated in real time by an algorithm.

Will traditional music strike back?

Here, as a lover of classical music and traditional Japanese music, I understand the temptation to voice my lament.

But I dare to ask - do classical and traditional music really need to seek "market value"?
No, perhaps their value lies somewhere beyond the clamor of the market?

On the other hand, I am not sure how far the glorious future of media art will really go either.
The technology has advanced so far that human involvement is no longer necessary, finally producing music that no one "experiences." ......
Such an ironic outcome is quite possible.
Or perhaps the day will come when people, bored with the endless generation of music, will return to Bach or Gagaku as a return to their roots.

Conclusion: long live media art! Is ...... good enough for you?

Finally, let's have a shot here at a grand celebration.

Long live media art!

We have finally arrived at a music beyond music, an experience beyond experience!

But whether this celebration will last forever or be only a fleeting dream - that is for future history to decide.

Nevertheless, please rest assured, all lovers of traditional music.
As history has shown us, good art survives.
If classical music and Japanese traditional music are eliminated,
It is simply because they are no longer needed.
And if media art will win the future, it will be because it is "what we want today.

So, here's to media art! And to the music market of the future!

(But honestly, Chopin's Nocturne makes me cry more...)