On March 12, the Norwegian government initiated several measures to stop the spreading of the COVID-19 virus in Norway. It was no longer possible to gather in large groups, and the country’s concert venues closed their doors.
All over the world, as lockdowns were enforced, new venues for concerts emerged. Musicians and concert organizers adapted quickly to the measures of social distancing by making the Internet their new concert hall.
Social and emotional effects
Dana Swarbrick, doctoral research fellow at RITMO Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, leads the project Quarantine Concerts which aims to explore the social and emotional effects of virtual concerts. By collecting answers from concert audiences through a survey, Swarbrick and her colleagues would like to answer the following questions:
- What is the importance of "liveness" in a virtual concert?
- Can audiences still feel connected to the performer and each other in this virtual environment?
- What aspects of the virtual concert influence audience members' engagement, interaction, and social experience?
- What aspects of the virtual concert make people feel connected and moved?
The project is a collaboration with the Kama Muta Lab. They are currently collaborating with artist and industry partners across the world including Brakkesyke 2020 (Norway), Tree of stars on Tour (Canada), and Alex Whorms (Canada).
Participate in research
Have you watched concerts online? Researchers would like to hear from you.
Participate in the survey here.
Are you a concert organizer or an artist? Contribute to science and become an industry partner here.