There is nothing better than a live performance. Music just seems to sound better live than it does on a recording. Unfortunately, we are seeing a decline in attendance at live performances. Professional musicians struggle to fill their seats. College and high school groups do not even come close to filling the house. Even pop music performers will sometimes struggle to sell out their shows. Has modern technology started to kill the live performance? Should we even care?
It is true that we have far more ways to enjoy music today than ever before. This, in a way, is great for music as a whole. People can listen to their favorite artist over and over again. They can watch an entire musical or opera on YouTube whenever they want. A professional orchestra can live stream a concert to the entire world for free. This is going to allow fans to enjoy the music they love all the time as well as introduce new fans to the pieces being performed or the group performing them. However, despite the great advantages, these technological advances have a down side as well.
An unlimited access to music makes people both lazy and cheap. Why pay for a concert when you can hear all of the music for free? Why should you leave your house when you can enjoy a concert from the comfort of your couch? We are living in a world where music is more accessible than ever before, and this might be the downfall of the live performance.
Why should you care? It is true that it could be a lot nicer to enjoy music and performances for free at home rather than going out and having to pay. Sure, you are still supporting a musician by purchasing their albums or listening to their performances, but it is never the same. A performer lives for the live performances. They feed off of the energy from the audience. That is fine for the performer, but why should you care? What is so great about attending a live performance? Well, when music is performed live, something magical happens. The performer, along with the audience, creates something out of nothing. They perform with the energy from the crowd. When it is over, it is gone forever. Sure, they could perform the same piece again, but it is never exactly the same twice. Attending a live performance gives you an aesthetic experience that you will never get from a recording or even from a live stream.
Of course music is benefitting from modern technology. Musician and performers can reach much larger audiences than ever before. With this, however, we are witnessing the downfall of the live performance. This does not need to happen. Go to live performances. Attend high school and college concert (which are usually free or have a minimal charge). We can all work together to keep the live performance alive. Trust me, you will not regret it! You can have an aesthetic experience from a recording or live stream, however it is not the same as a live performance.
