Column

Music pervades the life of one and all. Many exalted expressions describe the importance of music in our lives. It is said that the language of music cannot be put into words or that magical music never leaves the memory.

Music has different meanings for different people; it can be a sentiment of creativity, of love, of disappointment, of celebration or victory, even war. Likewise, people’s taste in music differs. Some like jazz, some like hard rock, while some others fancy country music; some prefer instrumental and others swear by classical, whether Indian or Western. Seldom do we find a person who does not like any form of music, from its many genres of rap, rock, blues, ghazals, fusion, reggae, folk, devotional and Bollywood.

Giving a human form to music, people idolise singers, ustaads, composers and musicians. Music icons rule the emotions of music lovers across the world, the Ahmedabad-based Rafi fan club that meets monthly to celebrate his songs; the Chennai-based Rahman fan club that tours the world religiously attending each and every concert of his, or the immortal, undisputed king of rock ‘n roll — the Elvis Presley craze that rocked the world in the 1970s, are manifestations of people’s intense love for music.

Music lifestyles have undergone a sea change with mobile technology taking over the music world. Listening to music is getting increasingly comfortable compared to the HMV LP days. While the invention of the Sony radio and CD walkman may be treated as a turning point, it is the iPod revolution that changed the face of music habits forever. Every alternate semi-urban person in the world now owns an iPod.

Among the many creative and innovative products that Steve Jobs has launched, few products have grabbed the current generation’s imagination like that of the iPod. It is the first cultural icon of the twenty-first century, offering a mix of a style statement and functionality.

“On the street, or underneath it in a crowded subway, iPods let users carve out at least a sense of privacy,” Dr Bull University of Sussex, England, says. They allow people to control interaction. Women reported using their devices to ignore unwanted attention.
While the marketplace is battling it out for supremacy between the Apple’s new sensational launch of the Ipod Touch and the Sony X Series that boasts of digital noise-cancelling technology, built in wi-fi for YouTube users and onboard FM, music lovers have reasons to smile.

It is an accepted fact that music touches our souls in strange and mysterious ways and since companies worldwide understand this fundamental need of humans, they will put their best research teams to exploit this sentiment and offer newer and superior products in the marketplace.

The writer isan entrepreneur and educationist