Challenges for the future of live music
Arno van der Hoeven, Erik Hitters · 2020
It has become a commonplace to observe that the economic and cultural significance of live music has increased, while the sales of recorded music have declined. With a sense of relief people observe that the physical experience of live music attendance remains vital under conditions of rapid digitalization. This observation runs the risk of neglecting the actual challenges faced by the live music sector. In fact, live music organizations are also competing for the attention of the consumer in the dynamic entertainment landscape of a digital society. Meanwhile, many small music venues and musicians operate under precarious conditions (Webster et al. 2018). It has been argued that the live music industry is a superstar market where a small number of big players take most of the revenues, echoing income inequalities that can be observed in society at large (Krueger 2019). This chapter provides an overview of contemporary challenges in the live music sector and discusses potential solutions. It helps the live music sector to anticipate on future developments, identify impending risks, and consider possible interventions to address those challenges. A review of the current state of live music’s production and consumption is relevant to develop adequate strategies and policies that support the interests of the various stakeholders in this field.