Whatever its faults, most of the works in Bloom's list at the end of The Western Canon are probably very much worthwhile, yet appreciating them could occupy more than a lifetime for anyone whose job is not reading literature, even if other pastimes be largely avoided.
And it's mostly limited to fiction, drama, and poetry! It omits almost all math, science (including social science and history), and philosophy that's not of literary significance. Even within those restrictions, it's by no means a comprehensive list of every worthwhile work or author ever (if nothing else, the "Western" qualifier makes that plain).
We're even there for film, and we've only meaningfully had that medium for ~130 years. One may watch thousands of movies without ever leaving the realm of "widely regarded as excellent, meaningful, and/or important". I'd imagine there's far more than enough very, very good recorded music that it's in the same situation. Many lifetimes of top-notch media exist. Reading/hearing/watching anything that's not very good is entirely a choice.
>Reading/hearing/watching anything that's not very good is entirely a choice.
Stimulating, contemporary, convenient. Pick two. It is as much of a choice as home made food over fast food is a choice. But it is not always convenient.
Personally I just cut out the contemporary stuff and there is an abundance of good material. When I find something modern and stimulating, it usually involved a certain amount of luck, a lot of trial and error, or just perseverance scouring wikipedia, magazines, blogs, whatever. Most people don't choose what they're into, it is dictated to them by producers. And there is a widespread fear of b&w / classic definition films, stringed classical instruments and literature.
I think there is some stimulating, contemporary stuff. But I agree it can be difficult to find conveniently. I mostly follow a lot of you-tubers and subreddits that follow this stuff and then use them as a filter for it. But even then it's like something good once a month or two. Though I prefer the contemporary stuff for some reason and can't really give it up, so I am willing to put in that effort.
And it's mostly limited to fiction, drama, and poetry! It omits almost all math, science (including social science and history), and philosophy that's not of literary significance. Even within those restrictions, it's by no means a comprehensive list of every worthwhile work or author ever (if nothing else, the "Western" qualifier makes that plain).
We're even there for film, and we've only meaningfully had that medium for ~130 years. One may watch thousands of movies without ever leaving the realm of "widely regarded as excellent, meaningful, and/or important". I'd imagine there's far more than enough very, very good recorded music that it's in the same situation. Many lifetimes of top-notch media exist. Reading/hearing/watching anything that's not very good is entirely a choice.