word count: 755

How has the audience’s perception of musical performances changed as a reaction to

the change in the audio/visual economy of musical performances?

In the article "Sound and Vision: The Audio/Visual Economy of Musical Performance"
Auslander discusses the ways in which the rise of the relationship between visual and
audible dimensions of musical performances has fundamentally transformed the nature of
performances. He argues that while sound has traditionally been considered the primary
element of a musical performance, the increasing relevance of visual elements such as
stage design, lighting, and video projections has created a new audio/visual economy that
impacts perception (in a negative manner, from the traditionlist’s perspective). For example,
when a song has been recorded in advance and not all the sounds are produced and
performed live, the musical integrity of the performance gets challenged. The same goes for
performances where lights and other spectacles get used to add to the performance.

This research question seeks to build upon Auslander's work by examining how this
economy affects audience perception, and how this impacts performers.

To answer this question, we will conduct a review of the existing literature on the audio/visual
economy of musical performances. We will also conduct surveys and interviews with
audiences to gain insights into their experiences with the audio/visual economy of musical
performances. Lastly, we will interview performers to gain insights from the other point of
view.

Auslander's work on the audio/visual economy of musical performance is an important

starting point for this research question. He argues that the increasing importance of visual
elements in musical performances has created a new economy in which sound and vision
interact to create a complex system. Auslander suggests that performers must be aware of
this new economy. He brings up two views; the traditionalist view and non-traditionalist view.
The traditionalist should be aware of this economy so that they can take into account the
aspects that might challenge the authenticity of their performance. On the other hand, the
non-traditionalist should be aware of this economy so that they can use it to their advantage
in order to create compelling and engaging performances.

Other scholars have explored a different angle of the impact of visual elements on musical
performances. For example, Yuwei Lin (2014)1 has studied and compared audience
experiences and behaviors during a live opera performance and during a streamed opera
screening. She investigated, among other things, whether streaming live opera means the
same thing to an audience as the unmediated performance. No solid conclusion was made
about the difference in audience perception. However, she did conclude that placing operas
in unusual locations and incorporating new technologies to still be able to perceive the
performance seemed to develop a broader audience.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265389988_Projecting_the_voice_Observations_of_au
dience_behaviours_in_ICT-mediated_contemporary_opera
We also reviewed work by Timothy J. Summers and Frank A. Russo (2017)2. This paper
provides a comprehensive review of audiovisual media on music perception, examining the
role of visual elements in enhancing the emotional impact of music. Since this paper
approaches technology as an addition instead of a distraction, we found it to be an
interesting piece of literature compared to Auslander’s paper.

Since musical performances differ a lot between genres, we want the audiences that we
interview to be as diverse as possible. To achieve this, we will be going to concerts from a
broad range of genres; from classical music to hardcore EDM. This should give us a
comprehensive insight into the interplay between sound and vision in musical performances.
We want the bias to be as low as possible.

A potential interviewee with a performer is Michael Tilson Thomas, a renowned conductor. In

a 2019 interview with NPR3, Thomas discussed how he studied classical performance
techniques and how much of that he uses now, and how much of his technique is based on
what he has learned and improvised over the years. Since most of Thomas’ experience is in
the classical field, we also want to conduct an interview with Skin on Skin, a dance/electro
artist and DJ. This should give us information from performers that cover both ends of the
spectrum (traditionalist and non-traditionalist).

In conclusion, we will be researching how the audience’s perception of musical

performances has changed as a reaction to the change in the audio/visual economy of
musical performances. To answer this question, we will conduct a review of the existing
literature on the audio/visual economy of musical performance. We will also conduct surveys
and interviews with audiences at concerts to gain insights into their experiences with the
audio/visual economy of musical performances. Lastly, we will interview performers to gain
insights from the other point of view of performances.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249978393_Audiovisual_Interactions_the_Impact_of_Visual
_Information_on_Music_Perception_and_Memory
3

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/06/785479448/michael-tilson-thomas-on-the-thrills-and-challenge
s-of-conducting-an-orchestra