"This is a cause that musicians can take to heart because one of our main reasons for being is to share our music with other people, and this takes us to people who probably wouldn't otherwise get to hear music on quite this level"
About this Quote
The subtext is about access, and also about legitimacy. “One of our main reasons for being” elevates performance from entertainment to something closer to civic service, but without grandstanding. He’s careful not to say “we’re saving people.” Instead, he stresses proximity: “this takes us to people.” The artist moves toward the audience, not the other way around. That’s a subtle rebuke to the usual cultural pipeline where “good music” is something you discover if you have the money, geography, education, or luck.
Then comes the loaded phrase: “music on quite this level.” It’s humble-brag adjacent, but it’s doing strategic work. Scaggs is defending professionalism as a public good. The point isn’t just exposure to music; it’s exposure to excellence, to the full, lived power of a high-level performance that can reset someone’s sense of what art can be. In a culture where “access” often means streaming a playlist, he’s making a case for the irreplaceable human delivery of music - and for taking it to the margins rather than waiting for the margins to come to the stage.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Scaggs, Boz. (2026, January 15). This is a cause that musicians can take to heart because one of our main reasons for being is to share our music with other people, and this takes us to people who probably wouldn't otherwise get to hear music on quite this level. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-is-a-cause-that-musicians-can-take-to-heart-141537/
Chicago Style
Scaggs, Boz. "This is a cause that musicians can take to heart because one of our main reasons for being is to share our music with other people, and this takes us to people who probably wouldn't otherwise get to hear music on quite this level." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-is-a-cause-that-musicians-can-take-to-heart-141537/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"This is a cause that musicians can take to heart because one of our main reasons for being is to share our music with other people, and this takes us to people who probably wouldn't otherwise get to hear music on quite this level." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/this-is-a-cause-that-musicians-can-take-to-heart-141537/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

