Rhythms of Change: Examining Live Music Culture Trends, Pre and Post the Covid-19 Era.

This paper examines the role of live music culture and the changes in trends following the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequential cancellation of events for 3 years from 2020-2022. During this time, artists and fans were forced to participate in live music culture through different means such as online live music streaming; a phenomenon initially believed to lack the benefits and appeal of in-person live music performances. As the third wave of the digital era was developing, however, and because of the circumstances of the pandemic’s social distancing, the live music industry’s adaptions and shift to digital means were different but effective as it worked to bridge the gap with tens of thousands of people tuning in to numerous impromptu at-home live streamed performances. This has ultimately resulted in various trends continuing even after people returned to the in-person live music scene. Using evidence from reviews, survey results and personal sentiments from an open comments section, this study demonstrates the idea of live music events, whether in person or online, as a means of social connection. It argues that the halt of activity during the pandemic and the shift to other means of live music, perpetuated the increase in ticket prices, live-stream live music viewing, filming during concerts and social media discourse. These trends have been met with a range of different reactions but overall appreciation for live music has only increased.