As I started thinking about all the times when I have been a part of an audience, one particular recent memory came to mind. Over the summer I worked at an ice cream shop and one evening as I was serving customers, I heard the strum of a guitar and then the voice of a young man starts to sing. At first, I was passively listening to the music whilst working, but once my shift finished, I walked outside and joined a group of people all standing around this busker actively listening to and enjoying his songs. After his performance, I immediately downloaded his EP and thanks to modern technology, I can now listen to his songs anytime and anywhere.
It’s interesting how I was originally listening to the music as it was simply background noise whilst I was serving customers. However, the main reason I continued to listen to his music was that I noticed others also seemed to enjoy the songs and had gathered around to listen. I decided to join the group, and in turn, I experienced the feeling of euphoria one feels from watching a live performance.
Sunrise Chasing Album Cover (Kaftan 2022)
Image via google images
This experience was enjoyable as I got to watch the performance live which is much more entertaining than listening to a recording as it provides a whole new experience in a different environment. Being a part of an audience with other people creates a sense of community as it shows that other people enjoy the same things you do. Watching music live can change the tone of what you are listening to, for example, when I was in the crowd watching the busker perform, there was a feeling of good vibes and upbeat energy as everyone was actively paying attention. However, now when I listen to this music, I am typically mindlessly doing chores or driving to the shops which has a different feeling as they do not require as much focus or energy.
In my experience I would not say that there were any negatives, although, others may disagree as many may not enjoy listening to live music as often it can be overwhelming due to the large crowds and loud noise. Therefore, it is understandable why many people would prefer to listen to music as their own audience, for example, in the comfort of their own homes with headphones on. This shift in media consumption allows people to use media for their own individual preferences and ultimately changes the way we think about audiences (Turnbull, 2010).
Photograph of girl listening to music (RouteNote 2018)
Photograph via RouteNote blog
One important thing I took away from this experience was the value of viewing media live with an audience consisting of other people. Sometimes I get too comfortable with the fact that almost everything can be viewed individually from our own homes. This shows that although there is an increase in the use of digital media, the consumption of other media forms remains popular due to the culture that it holds (Webster 2014).
My experience connects to the ideas introduced in this week’s lecture as it allowed me to compare audiences by experiencing media through a more traditional audience as well as through new media technologies (Ross & Nightingale 2003). It also highlighted the difference between actively watching media compared to passively consuming it.
Photograph of a live performance (The Cat Empire 2009)
Photograph via The Cat Empire
References:
Kaftan, A 2022, Sunrise Chasing EP Cover, image, google search, Viewed 11 March 2023, <https://www.google.com/search?q=angus+kaftan&sxsrf=AJOqlzUTjNu4hDqmdewXAMJmsDtZ_AQwHQ:1678497419623&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwisyM-T2tL9AhWfR2wGHb9ACNUQ_AUoAXoECAMQAw&biw=1440&bih=821&dpr=1#imgrc=6vHzkG9-0hClDM>
Ross, K, & Nightingale, V 2003, Media and Audiences, McGraw-Hill Education, Berkshire, Viewed 11 March 2023, <https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/reader.action?docID=295455>
RouteNote, J 2018, How do people listen to your music in 2018, Photographed by Jacca RouteNote, RouteNote Blog, Viewed 11 March 2023, <https://routenote.com/blog/how-do-people-discover-new-music-in-2018/>
The Cat Empire 2009, Busking at Bondi Beach – 2009, photographed by The Cat Empire, The Cat Empire, Viewed 11 March 2023, <https://thecatempire.com/photos/busking-bondi-beach-2009/>
Turnbull, S 2010, Imagining the audience, in S Cunningham & G Turner, (eds.), The Media & Communications in Australia, 3rd edn, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW, pp65-78 <https://uow.leganto.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/readinglist/citation/3654963710006666/file/viewer?auth=SAML>
Webster, JG 2014, The Marketplace of Attention: How Audiences Take Shape in a Digital Age, MIT Press, Cambridge, Viewed 11 March 2023, <https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/reader.action?docID=3339857>
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