A Call to Guitars for Young Xweetoks

     Have you ever realised that there aren’t any Xweetoks in any of the many Neopian bands that currently play at the Tyrannian Concert Hall? Probably not. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you’ve probably never spent much time considering the bands that play at the Tyrannian Concert Hal, at all. That’s okay, why would you? At this point, the beloved bands that take to the stage at the Concert Hall each month have been playing shows for longer than any of us can count; they’re fixtures in Neopia, ones we take for granted but don’t think too much about. Sure, we go to the odd Sticks N Stones or M*YNCI concert now and again, just for old times’ sake, and to stock up on band merch, but for most Neopians, the lights and sounds of the Tyrannian Concert Hall fade into the background, and we go on with our lives.

      But there are some of us avid music fans for whom the lights will never fade. For us, live music is a way of life. Music feeds our souls, and the members of our favourite Neopian bands are as dear to us as our favourite Altador Cup team players. We display our Wock Til You Drop band shirts in our galleries with pride, and still have our Twisted Roses posters hanging over our beds.

     So imagine the disappointment this young Xweetok feels that there are no Xweetoks on stage at all! There is not a single Xweetok in any of the bands that play at the Tyrannian Concert Hall. Now, I understand the reasons behind this, and don’t want to cast blame or worry about the “whys”. Instead, in honour of Xweetok Day, I’d like to take this time to encourage all Neopians to get behind a call for more Xweetoks in the music industry.

     Here are some reasons why:

     Representation Matters

     We need to show all young Xweetoks with a passion for music that there is a space for them in Neopia. How are you supposed to imagine yourself playing in a band, if you can’t see yourself represented on stage? You might have received a guitar one year in the Advent Calendar, but what’s the point in learning to play it if there’s no space for new bands or solo artists around Neopia, or if you’ve never seen a Xweetok play music before? What’s a little Xweetok meant to do then, I ask of you?

     The Music Industry Should Promote Inclusivity

     Everyone matters in Neopia, or at least they should! Regardless of species, we should be encouraging all Neopians to get out there and do what they love, have fun and believe in themselves. This is most important of all when it comes to artistic expression. True art knows no limits, so why should Xweetoks? I don’t want to cast any aspersions on how our successful music idols got their big breaks to begin with – there’s no need to go into all that. Certainly nobody is making any claims of nepotism, or anything sinister like that. Nobody is accusing anyone of a dedicated decision to keep fresh faces out of the music industry. But the point still stands: the Neopian music industry should be inclusive, and at this point it is not.

     It’s Good for the Economy

     And here’s the bottom line: fresh faces in the Neopian music industry will translate to more concert tickets sold. It’s really as simple as that. More merchandise will enter the market, as well. And when the economy is doing well, so are all Neopians. How do you think the Soup Kitchen affords to give out food for the needy? How do you think we can afford to put on the Altador Cup every year? Do you even know how expensive it is to run a major sporting event? Those who think that money has no place in the arts is being unrealistic.

     Those are just some of the many reasons why we should be encouraging more Xweetoks, and more Neopians in general, to pick up a guitar or some drumsticks. We should demand more from our leaders and ourselves than the status quo. What’s wrong with the way things are, you might say. What’s wrong with the way things have always been? Why fix what isn’t broken? These are compelling questions, I’ll admit. But if we never had anything new in Neopia, where would we be? We’d never have held the first Altador Cup, and we’d never have discovered new areas of Neopia, like Moltara. We’d have turned our backs on species like the Vandagrye or the Lutari, instead of welcoming them with open arms into our fold. Even this esteemed publication was not launched at the same time as the creation of Neopia. Who says all change has to be a bad thing?

     Now, It’s important to state here that we at the New Music for Neopia Campaign are not calling for the removal of any of the beloved bands that are already on the roster at the Tyrannian Concert Hall. That would be against our ethos. No, we’re calling for new bands to be included, alongside our beloved enigmatic Yes Boy Ice-Cream, and that artsy mysterious Blue Kacheek Group, and of course Chomby and the Fungus Balls, whose concerts are still so much fun on those nights when all you want to do is let your Boo-ffant Wig hair down and boogie to some groovy Chomby disco!

     So what can you do to help our campaign for more Xweetoks in music, and new faces in the Neopian music industry in general? Flock to the neoboards, write to the editor of this esteemed publication – make your voice heard. After all, that’s the entire point of this campaign: everyone should have a voice, and the platform to use it.

     Signed,

     A Disappointed (but Hopeful) Xweetok