Interesting question.

I think although music is an entity in its own right, we adapt it to ourselves, and our version of it becomes an extension of us.

It is not in my nature to be competitive. In competition somebody has to lose so somebody else can win, and I prefer win-win interactions. My idea of music reflects that... I win because I'm having fun playing, and the audience wins because they get entertained.

But there is no doubt that competition pushes competitors to a higher performance, and so most cultures (western culture especially) encourage competition from a very early age.

So it makes sense that many people who ARE competitive (by nature or by nurture) would apply the same approach to their music as they do to their sports, business, and every other part of their lives

So I see this as a personal choice, much like the choice between ketchup and mustard. To me it has less to do with the music than it does with the individual's preferences

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0