STORYTELLING

For some of us, music isn’t just something we consume - it’s something we live with. The connection is kept alive through interviews, stories, magazines building bridges between fans, bands, labels, and scenes. Even if you don't like a band, the story can still matter and be of interest. That hasn’t all disappeared, but as content and marketing seems to be almost the same thing, and the only thing, something is definitely missing. 

Social media, digital marketing and a life spent online have in too many ways stripped our culture down to transactions, and looking at the accounts I follow (just these words are weird) it's a mess with everybody just screaming for my attention, my time and my money. And they all wants me to do things: click, like, subscribe, share, show my engagement. Most bands/artists are all the same, not that much difference between huge stars and underground bands - it's all transactions and there's something off when it's all about: 

- Hey! We’re on tour - buy tickets!
- Hey! New single out - stream it!
- Hey! New merch - buy a t-shirt!

The storytelling is disappearing and with that, the connection gets lost. By getting more updates than ever, I feel less engaged than ever. It’s all instant, all surface and soon to be forgotten. Bands, labels, and us fans are stuck in a cycle of pushing content rather than building a culture. At Westside , we’re not blind to this. We know we have to balance things, clicks and engagement is good for the reach (and we suck at it, mostly) and we need to reach people. But we also know that without real stories, there’s nothing to believe in. That’s why Viva Sounds isn’t just another business event type festival. We try to create a place where we actually talk about music, what it means, why it matters and how we can rebuild the connection that’s been lost. If the industry keeps treating music as just another product, like it does, people will stop caring. And if people stop caring, what’s the point? We can't fix all that, but like the idiots we are, we're gonna keep trying. After all, we're fans first, not consumers.

Pic by: Streetsh (Unsplash)