I’m stuck. What is the value of music?

Yes, when music is created live it dies within seconds of its production. I play a note on the piano, and the note decays. I play chords on the piano, the sound decays. The life of sound is short.

Yes, when music is streamed or played back, it dies with the click of a button. I can push pause or stop any time I want.

Yes, music is easily created. Artificial intelligence creates music easily. Spotify’s CEO says the cost is “close to zero.”

Memories are important to us. They help us retell the story of ourselves and our communities. These stories are important because it’s how culture is created and reinforced.

Our memories also fail us, and therefore our stories lose their fidelity and robustness; the bonds that keep the culture together loosen and our groups fall apart.

Music is like a key that when put into the lock that is our personal (or collective) memory, we can retell the stories of who we are and why we are.

If that’s true, then is it possible the value of music is the value of our stories. And if our stories help us communicate who we are, then it must be impossible to calculate the value of music.

Perhaps musicians can ask, “how valuable are the memories you hope to create?”