So the "consumption" of music is "passive", is it?

Depends what you mean by "consumption". Music is not a commodity, like lard or handkerchiefs, whatever people might say. It can start out as an overtly commercial, money-making commodity, and can be viewed as such by those who set out to make the money, but the ramifications of "consuming" the music are far more subtle than that.

The influence of listening to music, whatever that music might be, has all sorts of knock-on effects, not least of which is the desire which has come to many of us at one time or another, the statement - I want to do that! You can take what some might think to be the crassest, most banal musical guff in the world, and many people may well be inspired by it to learn an instrument because of hearing it. Having acquired an instrument and started the process, they may well then move on to other music. I have known many, many people who've started in music this way - and not all young and foolish.

Now this music starting and making may not have been fashioned in the traditional way, as we imagined it to be in earlier communities, but it's still perpetuating a line of music learning and creation. Whether it's to your tase is a different question. And, as far as older communities were concerned, there were no set patterns of likes and dislikes where music was concerned. Bob Copper had a huge love of jazz, and his dad's (Jim's) favourite song was "Brother Can You Spare A Dime" - this was told to me by Bob. Billy Pigg, the Northumbrian piper took his repertoire from older pipers like Tom Clough - and from stuff he heard on the radio. Doc Watson got a lot of his repertoire from gramophone records. In Sussex, Scan Tester had a repertoire which included traditional tunes, polkas, waltzes, scottisches and dance tunes of the day.

The Pure Drop is what turns you on to music - and gets you making it yourself. And you, in turn, can become the Pure Drop for other people.