Live Music

In recent years we have seen a proliferation of musical tables. Believing that this is not just the result of a tabletop trend, in this paper we first discuss several of the reasons for which live music performance and HCI in general, and musical instruments and tabletop interfaces in particular, can lead to a fertile two-way cross-pollination that can equally benefit both fields. After that, we present the reac Table, a musical instrument based on a tabletop interface that exemplifies several of these potential achievements.

BACKGROUND Music stimulation has been shown to provide significant benefits to preterm infants. We hypothesized that live music therapy was more beneficial than recorded music and might improve physiological and behavioral parameters of stable preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. METHODS Thirty-one stable infants randomly received live music, recorded music, and no music therapy over 3 consecutive days. A control of the environment noise level was imposed. Each therapy was delivered for 30 minutes. Inclusion criteria were postconceptional age > or = 32 weeks, weight > or = 1,500 g, hearing confirmed by distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), and no active illness or documentation of hyperresponsiveness to the music. Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and a behavioral assessment were recorded, every 5 minutes, before, during, and after therapy, allowing 30 minutes for each interval. The infant's state was given a numerical score as follows: 1, deep sleep; 2, light sleep; 3, drowsy; 4, quiet awake or alert; 5, actively awake and aroused; 6, highly aroused, upset, or crying; and 7, prolonged respiratory pause > 8 seconds. The volume range of both music therapies was from 55 to 70 dB. Parents and medical personnel completed a brief questionnaire indicating the effect of the three therapies. RESULTS Live music therapy had no significant effect on physiological and behavioral parameters during the 30-minute therapy; however, at the 30-minute interval after the therapy ended, it significantly reduced heart rate (150 +/- 3.3 beats/min before therapy vs 127 +/- 6.5 beats/min after therapy) and improved the behavioral score (3.1 +/- 0.8 before therapy vs 1.3 +/- 0.6 after therapy, p < 0.001). Recorded music and no music therapies had no significant effect on any of the tested parameters during all intervals. Both medical personnel and parents preferred live music therapy to recorded music and no music therapies; however, parents considered live music therapy significantly more effective than the other therapies. CONCLUSIONS Compared with recorded music or no music therapy, live music therapy is associated with a reduced heart rate and a deeper sleep at 30 minutes after therapy in stable preterm infants. Both recorded and no music therapies had no significant effect on the tested physiological and behavioral parameters.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of familiar live music on the anxiety levels of patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Randomly selected patients were assigned to experimental (n = 25) and control (n = 25) conditions. Pre and posttests consisted of questionnaires and the recording of the patient's heart rate and blood pressures. Subjects in the experimental group received 20 minutes of familiar live music during their chemotherapy treatment. Subjects in the control group received standard chemotherapy. It was assumed that those patients receiving music intervention would: (a) lower their anxiety levels; (b) experience a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure; (c) improve their levels of negative reactions including fatigue, worry, and fear; and (d) improve their levels of positive reactions including comfort and relaxation. Results of the study showed statistically significant improvement for the experimental group on the measures of anxiety, fear, fatigue, relaxation, and diastolic blood pressure. No significant differences between groups were found for heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Descriptive values indicated that, on average, the experimental group was influenced positively by the music intervention, and participants improved their quality of life while undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

This study compared the effects on hospitalized cancer patients of live music singing and guitar playing to the effects of tape-recorded music of the same material. Subjects were 50 cancer patients ranging in age from 17 to 69. They were randomly selected and placed into the live or taped music categories. Each subject listened to 25 minutes of music. Pre- and post-music mood states were recorded on the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire. Additional post-music responses were recorded on the author’s Summary Questionnaire. The live and taped pre- and post-music scores were compared. The live music subjects reported significantly less (p < .05) TensionAnxiety and more Vigor than did the taped music subjects. In addition live music subjects reported significantly more changes in physical discomfort (p < .05), changes in mood (p < .01), and changes in mood for the better (p < .001); and recommended music sessions for others (p < .01). Results indicate the particular effectiveness of using live music to assist in relieving tension and promoting vigor. The human element inherent in live music is believed to be important.

Popular music culture has changed significantly with the diffusion of networked digital media in the late 1990s. The present article theorizes the concept of live music in light of those changes and develops the idea of a new economy of live music. The perception of concerts as live music is central, so this is explored conceptually and historically before outlining the main elements of the new economy. Two immediate elements are the new economic centrality of live music and the categorical change in concert ticket prices. Two other elements are the rise of new and renewed event genres and the broader dynamics of the digital information society. The article integrates perspectives of cultural and performance studies.

This study examined the optimal psychological state of flow in a live music performance context at an Australian tertiary music institution in order to advance understanding of this under-researched experience in music performance and education. The Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2) was administered to 236 students from five instrument families immediately after their performance examinations. A further aim was to examine the psychometric properties of the FSS-2 in order to determine its suitability for use as a measure of flow in music performance domains. The findings provided the first empirical confirmation of the validity and reliability of the flow model in live music performance. The flow experience was found to be consistent with findings from sport performance and did not vary substantially according to instrument type, year level, or gender. Most students in the sample did not believe they were sufficiently skilled to meet the challenge of the performance and most did not experience it as absorbing or enjoyable. The implications of the findings for the enhancement of teaching and learning methods were examined. Future research directions were discussed, particularly in regards to psychological skills training to help improve the music performance experience.

In recent years, the expansion and use of mobile Internet and social media have changed live music engagement and fandom quite considerably. It has not only allowed fans to find and connect with each other at shows, but also to tweet and text concert set-lists and other information as they happen, thereby allowing non-attendees around the world to feel part of the event. This study examines the responses of fans engaged in this activity, identifying the key themes and patterns apparent within this behaviour, arguing that fans are using social media and mobile technology in an effort to contest and reshape the boundaries of live music concerts. It demonstrates how these online tools are involving fans that are not physically present at the show, seemingly incorporating them into the real-time “live” experience. This article explores how fans of prolific touring artists U2 and Tori Amos undertake this, with assigned concert attendees tweeting the set-list to online fans, where they gather to enjoy the show together, from the comfort of their computers.

In terms of technological change and participatory media, the phenomenon of taking and sharing videos of live music events offers an insightful case study for discussing the individual production of online content and interpersonal interactions on social media sites. We use interviews with YouTube users who post videos of live music events to investigate motivations for the capture of personal video recordings, the protocols for sharing of videos, and the roles videos play in online fan activities. Analysis of interviews identifies key motivations for capture and sharing, and exposes tensions between short- and long-term goals of these activities. Further, the results expose differences in attitudes, motivations and practices between mainstream and ‘indie’ concert goers. These findings have implications for understanding participation on social media sites, as well as broader issues of online communities, fan cultures and individual production of media.

Ticket distribution channels for live music events have been revolutionised through the increased take-up of internet technologies, and the music supply-chain has evolved into a multi-channel value network. The assumption that this creates increased consumer autonomy and improved service quality is explored here through a case-study of the ticket pre-sale for the US leg of the Depeche Mode 2005–06 World Tour, which utilises an innovative virtual channel strategy, promoted as a service to loyal fans. A multi-method analysis, adopting Kozinets' (2002) netnography methodology, is employed to map responses of the band's serious fan base on an internet message board (IMB) throughout the tour pre-sale. The analysis focuses on concerns of pricing, ethics, scope of the offer, use of technology, service quality and perceived brand performance fit of channel partners. Findings indicate that fans behaviour is unpredictable in response to channel partners' performance, and that such offers need careful management to avoid alienation of loyal consumers.

This article examines the use and promotion of popular music in inner‐city spaces in Sydney. Inner Sydney is currently undergoing rapid gentrification. Residential developers have played upon the reputation of key suburbs as sites of creativity, lifestyle and “alternative subcultures” focused around main street consumption spaces. Yet, resultant property market rises have threatened the ability of artists, musicians and others employed in the cultural industries to secure affordable housing and spaces for performance. At the same time, Sydney has experienced a decline in live music venues, in part fueled by competing revenue streams for publicans (such as slot machines, trivia nights and karaoke), but also exacerbated by the imposition of more restrictive licensing and regulatory laws. These trends have been the subject of much public debate. In the eyes of many within the “creative” industries, newer gentrifiers have merely exacerbated this trend through excessive noise complaints and changing consumer preferences that have resulted in a slump in demand for live amplified music. One policy mechanism intended to arrest the decline of live venues is discussed in this article. Marrickville City Council, in Sydney’s inner‐west, has recently funded a series of free live music concerts in the open spaces it manages in response to a Live Music Task Force established to examine musical performance opportunities in the area. The concerts are deliberately intended as a response to criticisms over the lack of live spaces, but are also part of a wider commitment to celebrate and promote cultural vitality and diversity within the municipality. These policy moves are discussed in this article with regard to the politics of regulating live music spaces, and the role of local government in mediating the cultural impacts of gentrification and urban redevelopment.