Future of Music — Meeting Recap

For our December meeting, we continued the “Future Of” series, discussing the future of music.

Future Of… is a series of structured conversations where we come together to find signals of change and emerging trends in topical areas of interest. Together we analyze and draw implications from the signals we find. In the futurism community this is referred to as “future scanning.”

Some of the signals we discussed:

• Music for healing
• The risk of commercialization
• Music education and the issue of expertise
• The manipulative power of music
• AI-generated music—as an additional gift or a technique that cheapens the power of music

As you think about future developments in the world of music, I’d encourage you to reflect on these analysis questions, drawn from Jane McGonigal’s book Imaginable:

• What kind of change is this an example of?
• What’s driving, or motivating, the change? Why is it happening?
• What does this signal make me worry about?
• What does it make me excited about?
• What would the world be like if this signal became common?
• Do I want to wake up in that world? Is it a future I want?

Our next event, on January 31, 2023, is a free online panel centered on the future of cities: Toward a Future of Healthy and Sustainable Cities. Register and join us!