When a musician’s dreams disappear... Will we ever be able to go home at 6 and make time for music?

Sound House is a company who supports hundreds of thousands of musicians nationwide. Because the company has become so well-known and has become synonymous with online music shopping, music lovers are applying for jobs and joining the company one after another. Many Sound House employees play in bands, and some of them still dream of becoming a famous musician and making their major debut at a top music label! I dreamed of becoming a rock star, too, until I was 22 years old. This is why I practiced so hard on the guitar, played in a band, and enjoyed my life playing music. I miss those days.

However, I suddenly realized that many of those who joined the company with high expectations as musicians have stopped playing their instruments. How is such an unfortunate thing possible? Taking myself as an example, I have not even picked up my guitar very often since I started Sound House at the age of 34. Up until then, I was playing guitar every weekend, writing songs, and I even started to compose music with the primitive software I had at the time. However, the clock stopped for me as a musician around the same time that Sound House started. The hands of the clock have not moved since that time, and the last of my lyrics are still on paper. I was the founder of the company, had responsibilities, and was absurdly busy with work, so I had no choice. Of course work was my first priority.

However, why is it that many of our musician employees who work at Sound House have similarly moved away from playing instruments? They all loved playing so much. Have their dreams of becoming musicians been cut short? Is Sound House the cause?

In retrospect, we found at least three reasons why employees gradually drift away from playing musical instruments. First, they may become so absorbed in their work that they run out of time and they lose time to touch their instruments. Then, they fall into a rut and it becomes so normal for them not to play that they end up never touching their instrument again. What a waste! Since we work for a company that supports musicians, and we are supporting those same musicians, shouldn’t everyone enjoy playing their instruments more?

Another reason employees stop playing music is because they get married and have children. Everyone’s values change somewhat when they enter married life. This is especially true for employees who love children and start having their own. If I had to choose between playing a musical instrument and playing with my children, I would definitely say, "Definitely my children!” Some people cherish the time they spend with their families so they end up putting off playing their instruments. Even if they don't, their leisure time is limited because they also have to work. Since they have two choices of how to spend their limited leisure time and they are focused on their children, playing a musical instrument naturally takes a backseat. Especially when it comes to band practice, there are many things to do after going out, and it eats up a lot of time. I spend so much time with my family that I end up not playing my instrument. This is also a source of sadness for me.

If I were to list one last reason, I would have to say that employees experience a decline in interest in their instrument. Normally, a musician should be able to enjoy playing until their last breath, as if they were a lifelong performer. However, as people grow older, their interests also change. Many people take advantage of focusing on their health by taking up walking or mountain climbing, enjoy fishing, or take up cooking classes or other cultural classes, and some employees find joy in learning new hobbies that they were not able to pursue before.

As for myself, it’s undeniable that I have also pursued a different endeavor: I started my own website about 15 years ago that has written hundreds of pages of articles on ancient history, and now I write manuscripts whenever I have time. I don’t even have the room to think about the guitar in my head. I now feel that it is my duty to become a writer. Therefore, my career as a guitarist most likely was over decades ago. The passion that I had when I was twenty is no longer there. However, as the founder of Sound House, I have challenges, issues, and worries that I have that do not concern the employees.

For whatever the reason, our employees who joined Sound House as musicians should continue to play their instruments and boldly take on any challenges in order to realize their own dreams. The very existence of Sound House depends on supporting musicians. There is no doubt that it is important for us to be successful musicians, enjoy performing freely, and have music as an integral part of our lives. If we do not value a corporate culture that enjoys music, how can we serve musicians across the country?

In order to achieve this, we must also change how we run the company. Therefore, we have decided to turn off the lights after our normal business hours starting August 2023. Although an hour of overtime is allowed per day, we aim for everyone to go home at 6:00 p.m., and the lights will be turned off in the entire company building at 7:00 p.m. When I tried this same plan several years ago, it collapsed within a month partly because I was not available. But times are different now. Systematization has progressed and we will soon be introducing AI. And so, the first step is to turn off the lights at 7:00 p.m. We must be true to our word!

Employees are to go home at 6:00 p.m. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be a dream or a reality. Only if it becomes a reality will the dream of musicians never disappear. And every time there is a performance, they are free to take a day off from the company and put their whole heart and soul into their performance. The company encourages this! I dream that Sound House will be transformed into such a company.