In the end, It's Instinctual.

So why do we continue to listen to music?  The styles keep changing, so no matter what you like to hear it's going to be out of fashion in a few years, artists get corrupted by fame and fortune, and lose everything that you liked about them, and even the listening style has changed to a point where music is mostly in the background.  (Elevator music used to be unique in that it was the only form of music that was played as something in the background, and not something to actively listen to or dance to.)  Despite constant change-something we are designed to hate-we continue to listen to, create, and critique music, whether it's brand new or hundreds of years old.  Something inside us tell us that music is good, unifying, and worth our time, even if we only give it a little bit.  We, instinctually like music, when it seems like we should hate it.

In "Nostalgia of the Young" Turkle discusses how with todays tethered lifestyle, we are all programmed to instantaneously respond to texts and instant messages we receive, even if the risks are catastrophic.  Hundreds, if not thousands of car accidents are caused by texting every year.  Students' forgo doing homework assignments in favor of talking to friends online.  We all know this is wrong, but we all do it anyway.  Something inside of us has told us that we need to do what we know is wrong.

Similarly music, although the consequences are less strict, has also been programmed to be something we like and encourage.  It is merely a sign of the passing times.  There is no real reason as to why it happened, it just did.  Hundreds or even thousands of years ago, our ancestors decided that music was something that would benefit them as a species, and it has continued to grow past its helpful stage to a dangerous stage, yet we still use it.  A few decades ago, cell phone were invented to help keep people in contact with each other while away on vacations or business.  Today it is one of the highest factors that can get you killed.  In another fifty years, who knows what we will be doing that is hurting ourselves, but one thing is for sure.  We will still be listening to music and talking on cellphones.