The music industry is transforming right before our eyes. Being a popular artist used to mean bringing a new and unique aspect to the industry. However, under that system, careers only lasted roughly 10 years.
But, because of the digitalization of music, artists like Arctic Monkeys, U2, and Joni Mitchell are still having major success. And through their success, instead of living in wealth, they use their voices to create change.
Joni Mitchell released her debut album in March of 1968. In 2024, but nearly 60 years later, she won a Grammy for best folk album. In 2026, she won a Grammy for Best Historical Album. Through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Spotify, the availability of music from older generations is easily accessible. Not only is it accessible, but it’s also wildly popular.
Junior Lain Hecht listens to artists from the 1960s like The Chordettes, The Mamas and Papas, and The Beach Boys.
Hecht says, “I just really enjoy the music. I hear about it, and it makes me want to learn about music.”
Although this music is from before her time, the use of the tracks in both movies and TikTok audios has brought new light to these artists, making it easy for Hecht to enjoy the music.
Instead of shuffling through records in a music store to find a hidden gem, you could scroll across a song, search it up, and add it to your music library in less than a minute.
Some students prefer artists who are even more vintage. Junior Shen Xinbo enjoys listening to Mahler, a composer during the Romantic period, who lived from 1860 to 1911.
Xinbo says, “This is the foundation of classical music, you can’t go anywhere without Mahler and his influence.”
Students at our school actively listen to music produced well before they were even born. These students openly praise these older artists and their musicianship. Although music is always evolving, only so many notes and chords exist. Music and art are bound to repeat themselves.
Although artists may reuse chord progressions or lyric ideas, through digitalization, bands have kept themselves relevant.
Arctic Monkeys, a band starting in 2002, just released a single in January and plan to release a charity EP this March to benefit War Child UK. TikTok has blown up songs like “505” and “Do I Wanna Know?” released in the late 2000s, but these songs are easily recognizable by kids who were born after they were released. Although Arctic Monkeys seemed to peak in the early 2000s, social media has introduced a new, younger fanbase. Even today, these artists are still making new sounds and using their platform to benefit their community.
U2, beginning in 1976, continues to be influential today. The band has always been political in their music, and through their artistry, the band is able to do what punk was meant to do: focus on social issues through music. Instead of settling into their riches and fame, U2 continues to use their platform to uplift voices that need to be heard.
The band released a surprise EP this February, commemorating recent protests and condemning the ongoing global violence. U2 honored Awad Hathaleen, a nonviolent Palestinian activist, Sarina Esmailzadeh, a 16-year-old Iranian protester, and addressed the murder of Renne Good on January 7 in their EP.
Through music, stories are told. The only difference between the industry in 2026 and the industry in 1996 is that today, the average listener has every song ever released at their fingertips. The experience of saving up to buy your artist’s favorite album is gone, but the joy of discovering new music is still persistent.
Instead of the abundance of music in 2026 worsening the lives of listeners, it’s encouraged older artists to continue speaking up and made a pathway for change to continue to happen.
Overture says, “There’s always gonna be a story, and people are gonna tell it a million times. Art is about the way people tell it, and everyone is going to tell the same story differently.”