Evolution of Music Reception: Transformation in the Post-Pandemic Era

Abstract

Music presents a diverse set of functions in society, which are in continuous states of transformation with regard to technological, social, cultural, and economic factors. Music’s universal and communicative nature renders it a powerful communication channel which can transmit aesthetic and cultural values, reflect collective memories, and form social communities. Live performances provide an essential medium for this communicative interaction, forming 50 % of the global music industry in 2019, before the restrictions applied due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The focal point of this chapter is to explore the initial impact which COVID-19 pandemic has implied on music’s cultural function and reception. The translation of music education to online platforms and methods is examined, taking technical limitations into consideration. Music has been identified as a continuous process with no limits rather than a fixed object and this aspect of music is embodied by live performances. Representations of live performances as digital streaming media continue to explore ways to reanimate this multi-dimensional sensation. Digital technology has been offering new possibilities regarding musical performance for a significant amount of time, yet the pandemic has accelerated the need to analyze and extend the limits of the online/virtual performance spaces. In spite of the current technical issues such as fidelity and latency, alternative performance spaces and online education will continue to be an integral part of musical reception in the future. © 2022 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.