When I imagine a world without recording devices I think of two possible sides; the good and the bad. I didn't think there would ever be a good side to not being able to record music but when I thought it through I did actually find a good side, which is having more access to live bands.
If there were no recorded music the music industry would suffer hugely, that's if there would be a music industry like there is now- which I don't think there would be because record sales are the big money maker for bands and singers (well, was until we went into the digital age). The only way money could be made in the music industry is from merchandise like t-shirts, t-shirts would also make good advertisement for the band/singer and would probably be the best advertisement because, even now, when I see someone with a band t-shirt on I do sometimes go home and check out their music on Youtube.
Music styles would be very basic too, there would be a massive difference between genres and very little music would have crossed paths - would we actually have any genres? Different musicians would be playing in different parts of towns, take the mods and rockers for instance - they would go to completely different clubs and pubs and a mod band would never dream of wanting to be hired for a night in a rocker's bar/club and visa versa. That's even if cultures would be made from just live music, even the fashion industry wouldn't be as bold as what it is now. Politics would change too if we didn't have the Jam blasting their outrage at the Conservative party in the song; 'Going Underground', maybe the Tories would have been in power for longer as more youths (18+) would have voted for them if the Jam were to have written a song about how brilliant they were.
Life without recorded music would be, let's say, different. The amount of places we hear music now is unbelievable - I listen to it whilst I'm in the bath! I think life would actually be really boring and it would be harder for some people to have a voice, it'd be harder to cope without having that song you connect with - the one that makes you think 'ah, well I guess I'm not the only person who feels like that then'. Not that many bands or musicians would even be around, take Oasis for example (even though they're not together anymore, but when they were together); they would make an album, tour for a few months and then take a couple of years off. If a band wasn't able to record but went on tour then took two years off they would be forgotten as they wouldn't have albums to be remembered by so they would have to work and work all year through which would cause a lot of tensions between the band and they would most probably split up after a couple of years.
I suppose better social occasions would be make with being able to go and see these musicians and if you're a musicians yourself you could go to see these other musicians and bands to get inspiration for your own material. So maybe genres would cross paths and subcultures would be made - would life be any different then? No one would be bored because they've never had recorded music to keep them company or to keep them from boredom and so we'd find something that replaces it. There would also be more festivals, which would be better because, personally, I love live music and it sounds so much more better live than all cased onto one disc, it feels freer which always makes a better experience, musician and song.
A lot of aspects of our lives would be different because the music industry has created a wide range of jobs, music, fashion and cultures. I think we would always feel that there was something missing because if music was taken away from me now, record music, which meant all of my CDs, records, my iPod etc... I wouldn't be able to cope but I know that if I'd never had it in the first place I would have found something else that I loved just as much as music because you can't miss what you've never had. At least out of it I wouldn't have to hear people people blasting out their music as they walk down the street, with it blaring through their mobile phones that only has one speaker so the sound is all crushed together and makes it sound awful! Maybe there would be a lot more peace throughout the world too? Without recorded music I don't think subcultures would be that strong and have so much hatred towards each other because although music can make people feel great it can also fuel in anger in others.
So would the world be a better place without recorded music? Maybe, I mean there are two ways to go about it all but in my opinion it would create a difference but maybe a good difference, of course I would hate it if it was all taken away now but if I never had it, and therefore couldn't miss it, I think like would be quite decent, in a sense that everything would be more free. There wouldn't be as much plagiarism because not many bands would have heard of each other or have heard past bands, nights out would be more enjoyable because I could and see my favourite band for, let's say £15 because they wouldn't be massivly famous with not being able to record albums, for example; I'm going to see Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds next February and a ticket cost me £50, now if he hadn't recorded those album with Oasis or his new album he wouldn't be as famous for being a musician. So everything would be cheaper, well to go and see a band anyway.
Would the world be a worse place without recorded music? Maybe, because I love the fact that I can walk around the little village of Skelton with my iPod listening to whatever suits me best and feeling on top of the world. I know I won't last ten minutes in the back of a car without feeling sick if I don't have music on, it's strange but it does help.
So all together I've been trying to sum up how our lives would be different if recording equipment, for music, had never been invented, and basically I've worked out that it would make things better and worse for everyone. Hurrah!
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