Back before recording devices were invented (Thomas Edison invented the phonographic cylinder in 1877), the only way to hear other peoples’ music was by going to a concert, or picking up the sheet music on your own to play on your own.  Certainly there were quite a few instances of completely butchered pieces, but overall, the music was likely to be copied faithfully.
Now, we have cold, hard digital media that plays music from artists exactly as they recorded it. Â Every time it’s played, it’s exactly the same. Â No mistakes, no interpretation, no differences. Â With the exception of live concerts (always by the artist who makes the music) or covers by other artists, we consume music exactly the way it was recorded.
What’s the fun in that?
I think it would be really neat if we had concerts of popular music covered by multiple artists to see how they reproduce it. Â Different styles, interpretations, and of course, different feeling.
Yay! you’re thinking like an artist/musician and hit the nail right on the head. Music is a living thing and just because it was written long ago or yesterday doesn’t mean it can’t be interpreted in a fresh and amazing way today.
That’s why live music is so thrilling because art is being created right in front of you. It will never be performed exactly the same way and it’s new at that moment. Nice Note Adam.