Creative Crisis? Performing Artists in Vienna’s Live Music Scene in the Age of COVID-19
Keywords:
Live Music Research, COVID-19 Pandemic, Vienna, Performing Artists, IntersectionalityAbstract
Cultural workers are affected more than many other working populations by the pandemic COVID-19. Especially, live music as an antidote to crisis highlights the benefits of performing art in times of isolation; a practice that risks normalizing the idea that musicians are performing for free. This article discusses the intersection of live music with social and cultural issues, focusing on Vienna’s popular music scene. I begin my inquiry with an insight into the area of live music research, based on the works of Philip Auslander and Simon Frith. Throughout the text, I turn a critical eye to the broad impacts of the pandemic on music-making, the ways in which the potentials of emerging communities are leading to changed forms of appreciation, and emphasize the “sense of community” (Auslander) by way of three case studies. Ultimately, I aim to shed light on the strategies through which musicians deal with the crisis.References
Bibliography
Auslander, P. 1999. Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture. New York: Routledge.
Carson, C., & Westvall, M. 2016. Intercultural Approaches and “Diversified Normality” in Music Teacher Education: Reflections from Two Angles. Action, Criticism & Theory for Music Education 15 (3): 37-52.
Courtney, I. 2020. Bandsintown Becomes A Hub For Music Live-Streaming. Celebrity Access, 21 April. https://celebrityaccess.com/2020/04/21/
bandsintown-becomes-a-hub-for-music-live-streaming/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Diamond, E. 2020. Today, Support Artists Impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Bandcamp Daily, 17 March. https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/bandcamp-covid-19-fundraiser. Accessed: 15 December 2020.
Dulle, P. 2020. Mira Lu Kovacs covert “Only Time“ von Enya. Profil, 25 March. https://www.profil.at/kultur/songs-gegen-corona-mira-lu-kovacs-covert-only-time-von-enya/400890107. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Elstner, R. 2002. Retten Streamingprojekte die Musikbranche? Ö1, 16 May. https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/670612/Retten-Streamingprojekte-die-Musikbranche. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Feichter, B. 2020. Kultur online: Pay as you wish. Ö1, 10 May. https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/670307/Kultur-online-Pay-as-you-wish? fbclid=
IwAR0_y-ZDHeVzUjXSn3rEIImpc4-rwkt5TLVDgwA2oqOuomYZvpIqLMnHl8k. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Fluch, K. 2020. Momentaufnahmen von Nino aus Wien: “Ocker Mond”. Der Standard, 6 May. https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000117319555/momentaufnahmen-von-nino-aus-wien-ocker-mond. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Frith, S. 2013. The Value of Live Music. In D. Helms and T. Phleps Eds. Ware Inszenierungen. Performance, Vermarktung und Authentizität in der populären Musik. Bielefeld: Transcript: 9-22.
Hesmondhalgh, D. 2013. Why Music Matters? Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Holt, F. 2010. The Economy of Live Music in the Digital Age. European Journal of Cultural Studies 13 (2): 243-261
.
Kobler, F. 2020. Corona-Konzerte in der Peepshow. ORF, 31 May. https://wien.orf.at/stories/3051201/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Köck, S. 2020. Grandiose Corona-Edition des Popfests mit Vodoo Jürgens. Die Presse, 26 July. https://www.diepresse.com/5844737/grandiose-corona-edition-des-popfests-mit-vodoo-jurgens. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Kornhaber, S. 2020. Pop Music’s Version of Life Doesn’t Exist Anymore. The Atlantic, 19 March. https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/03/what-good-is-pop-music-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/607894/. Accessed: 15 December 2020.
Red 2020a. Fendrich zu Polizei-Aktion: “Bin sprachlos“. ORF, 21 March. https://wien.orf.at/stories/3040243. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Red 2020b. Online-Festival für heimische Künstler. ORF, 21 March. https://wien.orf.at/stories/3040162/
Redaktion 2006. Als einen Sommer lang Freiheit war. Der Standard, 22 August. https://www.derstandard.at/story/2492068/als-einen-sommer-lang-freiheit-war. Accessed: 09 December 2020.
Reality Check Team 2018. Music Festivals: What’s the World’s Biggest? BBC News, 4 July. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44697302. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Roy, D. et al. 2019. Teaching the Arts: Early childhood and primary education. (3rd Ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sahlender, J. 2020. Homestage: Ein Festival im Wohnzimmer. Ö1, 25 March. https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/669309/Homestage-Ein-Festival-im-Wohnzimmer. Accesssed: 14 Dezember 2020.
Schmidt, L. 1947. Der Liebe Augustin. Sein Lied und seine Legende. In Wiener Geschichtsblätter. Wien: Verein für Geschichte der Stadt Wien 2: 73-78.
Schrenk, J. and Rachbauer, S. 2020. Balkonkonzerte mit Fensterbank-Plätzen. Kurier, 26 April. https://kurier.at/chronik/wien/balkonkonzerte-mit-fensterbank-plaetzen/400824503. Accesssed: 14 Dezember 2020.
sofe. 2020. Staatsoper startet Livestream-Vorstellungen. ORF, 15 March. https://orf.at/stories/3157979/. Accesssed: 9 Dezember 2020.
Trenkler, T. 2002. “Nino, der Corona-Blues-Killer”, spielte live von zu Hause aus. Kurier, 21 March. https://kurier.at/kultur/nino-der-corona-blues-killer-spielte-live-von-zu-hause-aus/400788587. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Weibel, P. 2020. Virus, Viralität, Virtualität: Wie gerade die erste Ferngesellschaft der Menschheitsgeschichte entsteht. NZZ, 20 March. https://www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/virus-viralitaet-virtualitaet-peter-weibel-ueber-die-erste-ferngesellschaft-in-der-menschheitsgeschichte-ld.1547579?reduced=true. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Whitby, W.—
a. PLAYING IN. How Did Musicians Feel About Releasing Music and Self Promotion in the Months of Lockdown? Bido Lito - The Voice of Independent Creative Culture on Merseyside, November. https://www.bidolito.co.uk/feature-playing-in-releasing-promotion-2020. Accessed: 15 December 2020.
b. PLAYING IN. The First Phase of Research from Bido Lito! and University of Liverpool into Covid’s Affects on the Local Music Industry. Bido Lito - The Voice of Independent Creative Culture on Merseyside, September. https://www.bidolito.co.uk/feature-playing-in-2020. Accessed: 15 December 2020.
Wurmitzer, Michael. 2020. Applaus für … Ernst Molden. Der Standard, 14 April. https://www.derstandard.at/jetzt/livebericht/2000116238563/redcontent/1000187263/sargnagel-lou-asril-und-coder-standard-corona-stage-startet?ref=
live_red_content&responsive=false. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Videography
Ernst Molden (2020) Ernst Molden ft. Karl Molden (Bass): Balkonkonzert am 20. Mai 2020 / Pt. 2 [Online video]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwY45pf-O3k. Accessed 14 December 2020.
Web Sources
APA 2017. “Der Song deines Lebens“ auf Ö3: “I am from Austria“ auf Platz 1. OTS, 9 June. https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20170609_OTS0143/der-song-deines-lebens-auf-oe3-i-am-from-austria-auf-platz-1. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Donauinselfest. 2020. https://donauinselfest.at/dif20-sommertour-gehts/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Ernst Molden Facebook Artist Page. https://www.facebook.com/ernstmolden.fanzone. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Homestage Festivals Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/homestagefestivals. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Voodoo Jürgens Facebook Artist Page. https://www.facebook.com/Krachmandlorchester/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
mica – music Austria. 2020a. Statements on the Corona Crisis – How is the Domestic Music Scene? (Part 1). 23 April. Translated from the German original by Julian Schoenfeld. https://www.musicexport.at/statements-on-the-corona-crisis-how-is-the-domestic-music-scene-doing-part-1/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
mica – music Austria. 2020b. Statements on the Corona Crisis – How is the Domestic Music Scene? (Part 2). 5 May. Translated from the German original by Julian Schoenfeld. https://www.musicexport.at/statements-on-the-corona-crisis-how-is-the-domestic-music-scene-part-two/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
mica – music Austria. 2020c. Statements on the Corona Crisis – How is the Domestic Music Scene? (Part 3). 19 May. Translated from the German original by Julian Schoenfeld. https://www.musicexport.at/statements-on-the-corona-crisis-how-is-the-domestic-music-scene-doing-part-3/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Porgy & Bess Website. https://www.porgy.at/en/page/der-club/. Accessed: 09 December 2020.
Website Raumpioniere https://www.raumpioniere.at/homestagefestivals. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Wiener Beschwerdechor Website. https://www.wienerbeschwerdechor.at/category/news/. Accessed: 14 December 2020.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors retain copyright, while licensing their work under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.