Do you remember when the “streaming concerts” made their way onto all of Norway’s mobile phones and home cinemas? Digital concert series such as Koronerolling and Brakkesyke were praised, with good reason. Creative zealots who, in collaboration with bands and artists across the country, brought culture to the people. Among other things, news could report that researchers believed that streaming concerts are here to stay. Some Norwegian artists were even able to show that streaming concerts could be more profitable than “regular” concerts. But the streaming concert’s massive popularity turned out to be short-lived. By the end of 2020, most of the large free sites for streaming concerts had been replaced with paid services, and today very few people are talking about watching streaming concerts at the weekend, or planning a digital festival during the public holiday. Why weren’t the streaming concerts sustainable? They lacked something essential. The queue outside the venue and the tension in the air. The good conversation with acquaintances before the concert starts. The smell of the room, and the dense air that only a great density of people can create. The massive sound that embraces the audience as the band begins to play. The applause, the shouting, the pushing, shoving, maybe even a little bad atmosphere in all the good. Everything that happens in the communication between the audience, musicians, bartenders, technicians and the venue itself everyone is in. The streaming concerts lacked the actual concert experience. Not only are concerts enjoyable. More and more research points to the health-promoting effects of musical meeting places. In June at the latest, a research project at Yale University was able to report that festival experiences can provide temporary transformative experiences. Over 61 percent of festival-goers felt more connected to people, and became more willing to help strangers after the festival. In other words, being at a festival makes you a better person. But you don’t have to wait until the festival summer, nor go to the gym three days a week, if you prefer dark rooms with good drinks and loud music. Don’t despair! More and more happiness studies point to the position that concert experiences can have in our lives. By measuring the heart rate of the participants, researchers at Goldsmiths University were able to show that concert experiences produced twice as much well-being as, for example, Yoga. The health benefits of regular concert visits could provide up to 9 years longer life. The heart does not lie. Why is it like that? Musical instruments have always been with people. Even the Neanderthals used flutes more than 60,000 years ago, and there is hardly a religion in world history where music does not play a central role. Making music is a natural part of being human, and concert experiences whether in the classroom, in the pub, or at the festival are one of the most accessible and easiest ways to achieve that. Odd Nordstoga records a corona roll concert in solitude at Sentralen in Oslo on 26 March 2020. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB Nevertheless, there are many threats to the live concert’s existence. Industry veteran Julie Forchammer was able to report in Klassekampen that the current electricity crisis will have major consequences for the year-round organizers. Concerts are a power drain like no other. If drastic measures are not taken, winter will be a literally dark time with closed concert venues. One more time. See: The online exhibition at Rockheim.no: Four photographers in four cities documented Norway’s empty concert halls during the pandemic. There will also be an exhibition at Rockheim from 17 November. The picture is from Chateau Neuf in Oslo. Photo: André Løyning At the same time, the prices of each individual cultural experience are also increasing. Concert tickets have gone up sharply in price, as have food, housing interest and other things that perhaps should be prioritized first after all. This summer, several festivals could even report that the spirit of service is failing in the sports and culture industry. Large events depend on voluntary efforts to be able to go around. The decline is perhaps not surprisingly greatest among the young, who have changed after 2 years of closures. The fragile ecosystem on which concert life depends is out of balance. Highlighting the importance of music and culture for society in a time that many experience as very uncertain and difficult can feel like a losing project. Because no matter how many fine words are written in minutes, expressed in cultural messages, in opening speeches and chronicles, the concert is in a vulnerable position. What can you do? The answer is as simple as it is obvious: live music makes you a better person. So bring a friend, enemy, lover, ex-boyfriend, parents, in-laws, grandparents, whoever. Go to a concert this week! SEE ALSO: The broadcasting orchestra in co-operation with corona during the pandemic.
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The live concert is more important than you think – Expression
