The Internet: The Untended Garden

Mountain, Rosemary

2005

Contemporary Music Review 24(6): 541-549.

Language: English

In this article, the author accepts that the Internet has some exciting potential for musical experiences, but cautions against whole-hearted acceptance of the current state of affairs. Colleagues are encouraged to acknowledge some of the advantages of live performance, including the ‘electric' energy between performers and their audiences, the concentration of the participants, and the subliminal recognition of accurate reproduction of the sonic experience, in order to identify those qualities that need to be considered in the construction of virtual counterparts. The diversity of venues in live performance is also suggested as a model that will not only help in encouraging a diversity of approaches to Internet music contexts, but also help in users quickly identifying the specific sites they wish to browse.