"With all of those pressures, and more, it's no wonder that classical music is in a psychological state of defensiveness and a perennial struggle for relevance, and ends up trying to do things on terms that are set by the streaming companies and social media, not by the art form or the artists themselves. Classical's blessing and curse is that it demands our unmediated attention and our time, making it unfit for purpose in the second quarter of the 21st century."
"What to do with hour-long symphonies and evening-length operas in a cultural feedback loop of ever-shorter attention spans and a media landscape in thrall to the playlist, the reel, the image, the moment? Who has time for time? You've got to give music something that no playlist, critic, influencer or social media platform can: your time and your attention So the question: how to square classical music's demands for attention in today's world of algorithmic excess?"
Classical music creates deep connection and empathy and belongs to everyone. Decades of underfunding of music education and institutional neglect have weakened the sector. Technology companies threaten to replace human-created music with rights-free AI. The sector often reacts defensively and tries to fit terms set by streaming companies and social media rather than by artists or the art form. The form demands unmediated attention and time, making long works poorly suited to shortening attention spans. Attempts to adapt through visuals, apps, and short excerpts risk patronizing mimicry of pop culture. The central challenge is reconciling classical music’s demands for time with an algorithm-driven media landscape.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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