5 Wishes of a Middle-aged Bassist

1. AI, algorithms and bots

Have you noticed the strange stats in this year's Spotify Wrapped? You're not alone. A lot of people complained about the weird data, saying mostly that Spotify using AI put a foot wrong. My son, for example, was wondering why a rapper appeared in his Top 5 that he listened to one song from – and only because he collaborated with my son's favourite musician on it. But it definitely didn't appear in his favourite tracks and the rapper in question definitely wasn't in his playlists. Why was he included? AI hallucination? Manipulation? Preference for famous names?

The constant data analysis of social media users, streaming platform listeners and online store customers has become the mantra of all corporate companies that have carved up the internet. In music, this has resulted in a push for virality, instantaneousness and a preference for quantity over quality. You have to impress within thirty seconds or you don't stand a chance. That's pretty scary if you're a musician. How can you develop an idea, share an emotion or play with poetic metaphors in your lyrics? The digital world is awash with AI automatisms, repulsively manipulated algorithms and, most importantly, a huge number of bots – empty user accounts that serve as bait for algorithms and to increase influencer marketing numbers.

My naive wish is that the internet regains its freedom, gets rid of all this content garbage and returns to the organic creation of real users. How to achieve this I'll leave to some IT genius who, like Neo in the Matrix, must exist in some dark corner of the world.

2. Small club, big PA

I grew up listening to the underground scene in small music clubs, which gave Prague (but also much bigger cities like London, New York or Los Angeles) an unmistakable atmosphere. Often I didn't even know what band I was going to see. I just believed that I was in for the unexpected that night and that I definitely wouldn't be bored. But times have changed considerably. Musicians want to sell out stadiums or at least large enough venues and only a few are interested in the club scene. Big festivals are preferred, as well as all these prestigious locations that will help make your videos viral on TikTok. So get a few million followers and off to the arena for a mega concert.

For me, the small-to-medium-sized club scene is hugely important. It's where I learned not only how to drink and booze, but more importantly my craft as a musician. Of course, keeping a small club in the black numbers is a miracle. There is an overwhelming offer of great shows that are rather expensive, so nowadays people would rather spend more on a "big show" than go to see an unknown band at a small club for the same amount of money, say, several times a month. There is also the problem that clubs often have inadequate PA systems, undersized stages and unattractive interiors. Why should you pay fifteen euros for a gig in a venue that smells of stale beer, the band can't play much and the sound reminds of a tin can?

Don't take me literally. There are some amazing little clubs with unique atmospheres. But in general, I would stress a lack of clubs with a good PA system, a spacious stage, a nice backstage for musicians, attractive interiors with suitable acoustics and, most importantly, a meaningful long-term program. This is a huge amount of work with little prospect of economic gain. But it doesn't have to be that way. We could dream together of clubs that will revive interest in bands, the charm of the underground and the community, and at the same time can meet the high technical and aesthetic standards of modern times.

3. Music as an integral part of academic education

You may immediately argue that your music lessons in primary school have discouraged you from music rather than brought you to it. And you are right! It's the same with talented children whose parents or teachers have stifled their passion for playing a musical instrument through too much pressure. Music education (and especially from an early age) is a huge, almost cosmic challenge if it is to be done successfully. You can take the path of absolutism and simply order children to practice, sing or memorize the rules of music. Parliament may pass laws with the best of intentions, allocate a huge budget for the development and promotion of music, but it may still not have the desired effect.

For me personally, the desire for education is fed by wonder, fascination and longing. The bass guitar came to me out of a natural desire to be able to reproduce the riffs of the bands I listened to. I wanted to play the slap riffs as Flea or Les Claypool, the solos of John Patitucci or the tapping of Victor Wooten. It was an obsession. I just had to do it. It didn't even occur to me that I should be doing something else, maybe going to the seaside instead of practising for long hours. And this desire of mine gradually grew stronger while attending gigs, jamming with friends in the rehearsal room or listening to CDs and vinyls. I didn't just want to be a passive consumer, I wanted to create music.

If the academic system is set up as a healthy breeding ground for the growth of aspiring musicians (of all styles, not just classical or jazz), it will help us have stronger social connections and set the confused souls of teenagers on a course. Actively making music, playing an instrument and singing are the most complex activities our brains are capable of. Both hemispheres of the brain are engaged to the max and extremely sophisticated neural connections are made. Music deserves one of the highest positions in the social hierarchy and a dignified place in our national budget. Every penny invested in music education will be returned tenfold in the beneficial effects of social cohesion.

4. A return to music

Do you also feel that you are a PR agency, web designer, manager, graphic designer, driver, engineer, publisher, sound engineer, model, producer, photographer, video editor and director all rolled into one? Basically, independent musicians have become an all-in-one agency. You have to do a lot on your own while also practising your instrument, composing music and playing gigs. It's just too much! As they say, you are spreading yourself too thin. But is there any other way? Is it possible nowadays just to devote yourself to music and creative work? Can you afford not to have an account on a well-known social platform? Not be on Spotify? Not to make videos on TikTok?

If you choose to go the music-only route, you can easily become invisible to the world. How to get interesting gigs when all the promoters will be searching the internet to see how many views or likes you have. It's a tricky dilemma indeed. Most of the time it's solved on the way to the top and if you're successful you get more freedom by delegating all these activities to professionals (who you have to pay, though, so we're back to the commercial aspect and thus the pressure on your creativity).

My wishful thinking is to have more time for the essentials: to play gigs, create new pieces of work and have beautiful moments in the rehearsal room when you can fool around with stompboxes, explore new possibilities, turn the pots on your amp or just jam, chat and enjoy the luxury of not having to post it anywhere or edit the video from your always-on GoPro camera later.

5. International agreements for musicians

As I have been living in London for a while now, I have witnessed a big change in the travel arrangements for musicians in the UK after leaving the European Union (Brexit). There has been an increase in paperwork, fees, complications and frustrations. Why on earth? If you and your musical crew want to go and play in a legendary London club, or conversely a British band wants to play in Europe, it shouldn't be the slightest problem. You're not going there to fleece the state in question of money, but, instead, you're investing a lot of your own money during the organisation of the tour and then in the gigging. Why do you have to prove how much money you have in your account or pay for dealing with pointless bureaucratic hurdles?

My dream is to have something like the UN but specifically for musicians. Imagine a world without borders if you are on a music trip. You could play in any country or club without having to get a visa or work permit. You'd have something like a musician's diplomatic passport that would automatically open up national borders. Of course, pure utopia and the fantasy of a crazy forty-year-old babe in arms. But it's a very nice idea. Music would truly connect and enrich literally the whole world that way.

In practical terms, this is a field that could be worked on in the context of some less ambitious agreements between states. In general, it is far more beneficial to promote cultural tourism instead of the classic commercial tourism that is now taking on monstrous proportions, with tourists swarming to the same popular destinations, destroying the genius loci of iconic places on planet Earth.

Do you also have any wishes, desires or visions for the musical world we now live in? That may possibly materialize in 2025? Let us know in the comments below the article shared on Facebook.