MUSIC AND LIFESTYLE ARE LINKED AND THIS FOR SEVERAL REASONS AND ON SEVERAL LEVELS. YET NOT ALL OF US AGREE ON WHICH COMES FIRST AND THEREFORE INFLUENCES THE OTHER. ONE THING’S FOR SURE, NO ONE DENIES THE RELATION BETWEEN MUSIC AND LIFESTYLE. MANY ORGANISATIONS EVEN CHOSE TO COMBINE BOTH WORDS FOR THEIR NAME AND BOTH NOTIONS IN THEIR MISSION STATEMENT.
LET’S HAVE A LOOK HERE AT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
FROM A FASHION STANDPOINT
The obvious link that comes to mind is the one between fashion and music, or the way people dress according to the type of music they like. It has existed throughout the 20th century: the poppies in the swinging 60’s flare pants and Disco, Soul and Funk music in the 1970’s, Hip hop and baggy pants in 1990’s… To illustrate this, let’s zoom in on the latter.
It all started when, in the mid 1970’s, breakdancers in New York started wearing sneakers for the comfort they offered while performing as well as how they matched their outfits. This “look and style of the street” quickly spread and was adopted by more and more people outside the circle of breakdancers. That embrace would define the next 25 years of Hip hop fashion.
In 1986, Run–D.M.C.’s song “My Adidas” told the places the band had been and what it had achieved, arguably enabled by the said pair of shoes, its comfort and its special touch (Run–D.M.C. wore them without laces).
Some brands saw real potential in endorsing groups and bands (adidas and Run–D.M.C.) and therefore cater to a much wider audience. adidas went on to form a long-term relationship with Run–D.M.C. and Hip hop more generally. Other brands soon followed. If you’re interested in the advent of sneakers in Hip hop culture and as a fashion accessory, I recommend you watch Just for Kicks; excellent documentary.
The approach brands took worked just well; so well in fact that some artists now design their own product lines: Missy Elliott for adidas (yet again), Kanye West for NIKE and Louis Vuitton. Some kind of shift occurred and now clearly music, via artists and their sense and vision of fashion, has a direct impact on fashion and trends.
MUSIC AND LIFESTYLE...
Let’s zoom back out for a minute. Lifestyle means the way a person lives.
Assuming this, music can have a certain influence on one’s way of life. We all have in mind the good old –somewhat inaccurate– cliché of the rock star, singing about social revolution, freedom of speech and sexual liberation while expressing himself any time and way he pleases, enjoying recreational drug use and the pleasures of the flesh without strings attached. “Sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” right!
Furthermore, ask DJ’s like Carl Cox and David Guetta how much impact their music has on their lifestyle. They perform in clubs, at night and everywhere on the globe so odds are they wake up when commuters head back home and finish their day as the sun rises.
When it comes to people who don’t make music, music can be source of inspiration, a sort of maxim. In that sense “My Adidas” by Run–D.M.C is pointing out that success is achievable in other ways than crime for a kid (in that case a black kid) from a tough neighbourhood.
So yes, to some extent music can influence lifestyle.
... OR LIFESTYLE AND MUSIC?
On the other hand, if we look at the bigger picture we realise that a certain way of life or social condition serves as a foundation for music. In fact, both rock and rap music, for example, found their origins in a youth that felt misunderstood by the institutions and trapped in society. In a rather different way, this is applies to Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals) and Reggae as well, with the release of the best of Bob Marley and the Wailers album Rebel Music in 1986 and 2002.
Music here is a channel, a mean of expression. It gives a voice to anything we want or need to express. Great examples of rebels are Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Who, The Doors, Sex Pistols, Public Enemy, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Nirvana and so many others...
REBEL MUSIC YOU SAID?
Yes, at least at the beginning. As we’ve seen above, brands, marketers, communicators see potential profit in an up-and-coming music movement and its growing fan base. For business purposes, the rebellion is “sanitised”. Trends are set, although the very essence of rebellion is to overthrow what’s established. Nevertheless some artists manage to stay true by either staying out of the mainstream music business or using it to spread their message even more.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Social groups based on music taste often come to life naturally. Music being the cornerstone of the group, acceptance is the name of the game.
On the contrary, massive campaigns push the buttons of our need to belong (one of our basic social needs), in order to build communities from scratch. They promote a lifestyle, a dress code, a language even. Whoever doesn’t match the profile doesn’t belong.
Yes segmenting the market helps marketers define targets, adapt their strategy, make and evaluate sales, but is it what it all comes down to? If I were to follow that logic, would that mean I can’t enjoy a good old Gospel since I don’t go to church on Sundays? Do I need to dress in adidas track suits and or baggy jeans, wear rope chains and Timberland boots to be a Hip hop fan or artist myself? Finally, does that mean I can’t dance Salsa or go to a Buena Vista Social Club concert because I’m not familiar with Cuban Spanish? Come on!
IN THE END,
LET’S HAVE A LOOK HERE AT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
FROM A FASHION STANDPOINT
The obvious link that comes to mind is the one between fashion and music, or the way people dress according to the type of music they like. It has existed throughout the 20th century: the poppies in the swinging 60’s flare pants and Disco, Soul and Funk music in the 1970’s, Hip hop and baggy pants in 1990’s… To illustrate this, let’s zoom in on the latter.
It all started when, in the mid 1970’s, breakdancers in New York started wearing sneakers for the comfort they offered while performing as well as how they matched their outfits. This “look and style of the street” quickly spread and was adopted by more and more people outside the circle of breakdancers. That embrace would define the next 25 years of Hip hop fashion.
In 1986, Run–D.M.C.’s song “My Adidas” told the places the band had been and what it had achieved, arguably enabled by the said pair of shoes, its comfort and its special touch (Run–D.M.C. wore them without laces).
Some brands saw real potential in endorsing groups and bands (adidas and Run–D.M.C.) and therefore cater to a much wider audience. adidas went on to form a long-term relationship with Run–D.M.C. and Hip hop more generally. Other brands soon followed. If you’re interested in the advent of sneakers in Hip hop culture and as a fashion accessory, I recommend you watch Just for Kicks; excellent documentary.
The approach brands took worked just well; so well in fact that some artists now design their own product lines: Missy Elliott for adidas (yet again), Kanye West for NIKE and Louis Vuitton. Some kind of shift occurred and now clearly music, via artists and their sense and vision of fashion, has a direct impact on fashion and trends.
MUSIC AND LIFESTYLE...
Let’s zoom back out for a minute. Lifestyle means the way a person lives.
Assuming this, music can have a certain influence on one’s way of life. We all have in mind the good old –somewhat inaccurate– cliché of the rock star, singing about social revolution, freedom of speech and sexual liberation while expressing himself any time and way he pleases, enjoying recreational drug use and the pleasures of the flesh without strings attached. “Sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” right!
Furthermore, ask DJ’s like Carl Cox and David Guetta how much impact their music has on their lifestyle. They perform in clubs, at night and everywhere on the globe so odds are they wake up when commuters head back home and finish their day as the sun rises.
When it comes to people who don’t make music, music can be source of inspiration, a sort of maxim. In that sense “My Adidas” by Run–D.M.C is pointing out that success is achievable in other ways than crime for a kid (in that case a black kid) from a tough neighbourhood.
So yes, to some extent music can influence lifestyle.
... OR LIFESTYLE AND MUSIC?
On the other hand, if we look at the bigger picture we realise that a certain way of life or social condition serves as a foundation for music. In fact, both rock and rap music, for example, found their origins in a youth that felt misunderstood by the institutions and trapped in society. In a rather different way, this is applies to Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals) and Reggae as well, with the release of the best of Bob Marley and the Wailers album Rebel Music in 1986 and 2002.
Music here is a channel, a mean of expression. It gives a voice to anything we want or need to express. Great examples of rebels are Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Who, The Doors, Sex Pistols, Public Enemy, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Nirvana and so many others...
REBEL MUSIC YOU SAID?
Yes, at least at the beginning. As we’ve seen above, brands, marketers, communicators see potential profit in an up-and-coming music movement and its growing fan base. For business purposes, the rebellion is “sanitised”. Trends are set, although the very essence of rebellion is to overthrow what’s established. Nevertheless some artists manage to stay true by either staying out of the mainstream music business or using it to spread their message even more.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Social groups based on music taste often come to life naturally. Music being the cornerstone of the group, acceptance is the name of the game.
On the contrary, massive campaigns push the buttons of our need to belong (one of our basic social needs), in order to build communities from scratch. They promote a lifestyle, a dress code, a language even. Whoever doesn’t match the profile doesn’t belong.
Yes segmenting the market helps marketers define targets, adapt their strategy, make and evaluate sales, but is it what it all comes down to? If I were to follow that logic, would that mean I can’t enjoy a good old Gospel since I don’t go to church on Sundays? Do I need to dress in adidas track suits and or baggy jeans, wear rope chains and Timberland boots to be a Hip hop fan or artist myself? Finally, does that mean I can’t dance Salsa or go to a Buena Vista Social Club concert because I’m not familiar with Cuban Spanish? Come on!
IN THE END,
whether it is genuine or simply made up, there is an undeniable and close relation between music and lifestyle.