How Can You Build an Audience for Contemporary Music?
The British music promotion organisation Sound and Music has been asking people on Twitter how they would generate more interest in contemporary music.
How do you think we can get more people interested in contemporary music? #SAMconsultation
— Sound and Music (@soundandmusic) January 22, 2013
The informal survey is part of a consultation process that started in October and will lead up until February — this week the organisation is revealing its top five priorities as a result of the consultation process. On Monday, the top priority was announced as ‘supporting the development of emerging composers’. Sound and Music’s second priority was announced on Tuesday as ‘building audiences for contemporary music’.
The Chief Executive of Sound and Music, Susanna Eastburn, will be hosting an online chat about the consultation process and its results on Wednesday, 23 January, from 5pm to 6pm.
At the time of writing there were already some early responses to this morning’s question on Twitter, including suggestions that the music itself should adapt to attract an audience, that the venues for contemporary music should be different, and that the presentation of this music is currently alienating.
@soundandmusic Get composers to focus on accessible aesthetics rather than academic complexities.
— Jack Chapple (@JackChapple) January 22, 2013
@soundandmusic A bit of a “gulf” between composer and performer, performer and audience, composer and audience. I think this is alienating.
— Vincent Giles (@VincentGiles) January 22, 2013
@soundandmusic there needs to be a greater push to present new music in mainstream spaces rather than it being pushed to the fringes! :)
— Chris Davis (@cdavismusic) January 22, 2013
@soundandmusic discoveredthrough libraries and radio. Access to music needs to start earlier, be more listening focussed than performing.
— Corey Mwamba (@coreymwamba) January 22, 2013
@soundandmusic Not always possible of course but I’ve always assumed involving local community in productions must help.@birminghamopera
— Sam Underwood (@misterunderwood) January 22, 2013
@soundandmusic So just making it avail. live is a good start. Then comes the time-consuming job of making it a regular part of some1’s life
— Olly Hamilton (@OllyPiano) January 22, 2013