How Music-Led Social Change Has Moved From Town Squares to Timelines

Picture a 1920s village during the Indian Independence Movement. Locals have assembled at the Central Chowk, and patriotic songs like Vande Mataram are uniting them on purpose. Much like the temple bells or folk drums that marked communal rituals, certain songs signaled collective action. 

Today, the same social change is dependent on the speed of a scroll. A young activist may post a video of a socially conscious song on TikTok. Within hours, it would reach thousands, both in India and beyond its borders. That's a modern-day town square. 

In 2024, TikTok even reported over 1 billion monthly active users. Plus, music was a central feature in nearly 90% of the popular content. It can and does instantly raise the volume on causes that matter. This article will explore music as a fuel for social change. We will walk through history, from the village chowks of the past to the digital feeds of today. 

A Song Before the Speech 

Throughout history, music has acted as the emotional overture for change. It has set the tone and aligned hearts long before any formal address was made. 

In the town square, the village green, or the steps of a courthouse, songs have delivered messages more effectively than speeches alone. The lyrics have distilled complicated ideas into something everyone can sing along to. 

Take the example of Medieval troubadours who used ballads to spread political satire. Then, there were the 19th-century abolitionist songs of America. As for pre-digital India, there are plenty of iconic examples, including: 

• Vande Mataram: Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s, it became a clarion song of the Nationalist Movement. 
• Ekla Chalo Re: Written by Rabindranath Tagore during the Swadeshi Movement, this song urged people to act courageously, even in isolation. 
• Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara: This song was composed by Dwijendra Lal Roy in 1905 as a response to the Partition of Bengal. 
• Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram: Mahatma Gandhi and his followers sang this song during the famous Salt March of 1930. It became a rhythmic prelude to civil disobedience. 

Such songs and bhajans mattered in the big narrative. They helped open and prepare hearts before speeches could guide them. Music forged unity across divisions, transcending class, creed, and language. In short, it didn't just accompany a movement, but it became a part of its identity. 

Music As a Rallying Cry 

In the previous section, we observed how past rallies and protests were preceded by music, even before speeches. Songs written and sung during such occasions were not meant for entertainment. They became a unifying force for collective action. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers insight into the reason behind music being a rallying cry. It has transformative power, fostering neuroplasticity and reshaping neural pathways. Moreover, music can resonate emotionally, offering therapeutic benefits in the form of reduced stress and anxiety. 

In other words, where speeches rely on attention and comprehension, music taps into a more instinctive response. It holds the power to stir people toward action even before they have analyzed the message. 

There inevitably comes a point where people cannot hold back from collective action. Think about the times when Vande Mataram or Ma Rewa became the voice of displaced communities. In each case, the songs not only comforted the masses but also galvanized them into action. 

The most notable part is the fact that music can create ‘us’ out of diverse communities that may be foreign to each other. A shared chant is all that is needed to bring together everyone, be it in the Indian plazas or global protest zones. Does speech alone hold that power? 

Music As a Global Diplomat

Just like neighbors must peacefully coexist to ensure a high quality of life, the same goes for different countries. Managing relations through peaceful means like dialogue, negotiation, and cooperation is an art. Is it any surprise that music lives up to its claims even as a global diplomat? It can stir emotions, build empathy, and create mutual cultural experiences. 

Formal negotiations are bound by language and policy. Music is free in that regard, operating on the universal language of rhythm, harmony, and melody. It stands a better chance at diplomacy because the connection depends, not on agreements, but on shared humanity. 

Indian history, as is that of the rest of the world, is rich with music that acted as a powerful diplomatic tool. The state-sponsored tours of classical maestros like Ravi Shankar and M.S. Subbulakshmi in the 1960s are a prime example. 

Even to this day, musical collaborations between Indian and international artists serve as cultural icebreakers. Here are some examples that continue to soften the edges of political relationships: 

• India-Japan Cultural Exchange (2024): The Hyderabad Japan Festival of 2024 was a six-day event featuring kuchipudi dance, fusion music, and workshops celebrating Indo-Japanese ties. 
• Afghan Refugee Musicians in India (2025): Afghan refugee musicians gathered in Delhi to use music as a means to preserve cultural heritage. 
• US Global Music Diplomacy Initiative in India (2024): Jazz legends Herbie Hancock and Diane Reeves visited Delhi and Mumbai in January 2024. They sang songs in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to strengthen India-US ties.

Activism in the Age of Online Participation 

In striking contrast to the stage rallies in public squares of the past, today’s activism thrives on hashtags, online petitions, and livestreams. Social media has emerged as a powerful tool for mobilizing supporters across cultural and geographical boundaries. 

Protest songs can easily travel across the world through streaming platforms like YouTube. Online concerts, virtual choirs, and collaborative playlists allow artists to unite people with a shared cause. 

What's more is the fact that the digital era has widened its toolkit for social change. In other words, a campaign can be mixed with petitions, fundraising links, and livestream discussions to magnify the message. 

Online platforms can not only inspire supporters but also encourage them to take direct action. The same streaming platforms and social media feeds that host protest songs can carry information about unrelated but equally urgent causes. 

For instance, advocacy organizations involved in the US Depo Provera lawsuit leverage their online presence to educate the public. TruLaw shares how this birth control injection caused severe injuries, the predominant one being a brain tumor called meningioma. 

Advocacy matters because legal action is the only way affected individuals can push for accountability. Many legal networks use direct calls to action, like ‘Click here to sign up,’ for consultations and upgrades. They are promoted in the same online spaces where social causes are shared via music. 

Music remains the emotional entry point, drawing attention and keeping audiences engaged. In a hyperconnected world, digital participation channels ensure that awareness turns into concrete action. This stays constant, be it a human rights March or a public health lawsuit. 

Challenges in the New Landscape 

They say every rose has its thorn. This was true of the bygone public square rallies and is still true in the age of online activism. Even though the latter has amplified reach, it has also introduced new hurdles. 

For instance, the same platforms that allow protest anthems to go viral can also bury them beneath algorithms. This happens when entertainment is favored over advocacy. 

Moreover, attention spans have shortened further. As a result, even the most compelling lyrics are at risk of becoming a fleeting moment. Artists and campaigners find themselves competing against a constant stream of content. The saddest part? Most of the content is not even related to social change. 

Then comes the danger of slacktivism: people sharing a song or hashtag without deeply engaging with the cause it represents. Now, in the town square era, hearing a song before the speech meant that you were already a part of the movement to some degree. 

Today, digital participation is largely passive. Without any follow-ups, the emotional impact of the song may dissipate quickly. Plus, political sensitivities also matter. Many countries, like China, take down or censor certain songs in the name of policy violations. 

Besides the digital gatekeeping, it's too easy to repurpose and remix music these days. The risk here is that a song may be stripped of its original intent by the time of its release. The last thing advocacy groups want is to dilute a song’s message or divorce it from its cause. 

A recent report by Deloitte revealed that 82% of Gen-Z and 70% of millennials discover new artists or music through social media and user-generated content (UGC) sites. This only highlights the importance of digital platforms in music discovery and activism. 

To navigate the evolving landscape, artists and activists need some solid strategies, like: 

• Utilizing data-driven tools to understand audience behavior 
• Encouraging genuine interactions through Q&A sessions and behind-the-scenes content 
• Collaborating with influencers and organizers across diverse platforms 
• Maintaining a consistent and clear message across platforms 

When such strategies are embraced, music-led activism will continue to thrive. Music is still the timeless bridge between emotion and action, provided artists adapt to the digital era.