I've thought about this same idea before, but especially as it relates to film/television, and writing. Think of your favourite TV show. If when you first wat

I've thought about this same idea before, but especially as it relates to film/television, and writing. Think of your favourite TV show. If when you first watched that show, you were told no one else had ever watched it, or ever would watch it, would your engagement with it be the same? Part of our enjoyment of art is the shared cultural context. Maybe saying "art" here isn't the salient thing. Maybe it's our engagement with ideas. I personally haven't even considered this concept as much in relation to music, because while I do love to deeply engage with music and the shared narrative behind it, both real and imagined, I also just like to put on music that sits in the background as a tool to drown out noise while I'm working, walking, etc.