The painfully unanswered question on the minds of musicians as well as classical music patrons concerned about the future of the artform is how to connect with new audiences in a world of shrunken newspapers and an underfunded public broadcaster. Will Facebook be a saviour? No. But it is one of the many new ways in which people are making connections.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
Margaret Lam, who has been an occasional contributor to Musical Toronto as well as being the site’s graphic designer, has been working hard on creating an interactive online site called BeMused, to help connect more people with all of the performing arts.
I’ve asked her to explain herself and BeMused, as well as point out how we can help her reach the next step in its development.
Lam writes:
We are all familiar with the challenges surrounding audience development for classical music. The discussion is often framed in terms of audience education, or adapting emerging media platforms. Our complaints usually reference the constant battle to justify the value of the arts, and the ever-present threat of reduced resources. I prefer to frame the discussion in terms of improving the information flow between artists and audiences.
I love introducing people to the performing arts by taking them with me and discovering something new together. Bringing the right person to the right show can be extremely rewarding, especially when you realize that they continue to seek out opera, chamber music, choral performances because of that first introduction.
As a creative professional who loves the arts, I show my support by volunteering my skills and time, enabling artists to focus on the artistic work of performing for an audience.
What has struck me over the years was how similar the experiences of audiences and artists were across the board, not only within classical music, but also in all the performing arts.
There is a surprising lack of innovative solutions that are available to performing artists, or tools that addressed the particular challenges for artists who are just emerging on the scene.
Some will suggest that those solutions and tools do exist. There are, after all, plenty of free online services that allow artists to spread the word to a large audience, and social media has offered exciting new possibilities.
My response to that is, who is the audience on the receiving end? Are we reaching those that need just that little extra something to get past the mental barrier that has kept them from engaging as audiences? Or are we preaching to the converted?
It seems unfair to expect performing artists — who already manage multiple roles and responsibilities — to also be media gurus or digital strategists and simply know how to effectively reach their audience. Artists have always held the do-it-yourself attitude when it comes to establishing themselves as professionals, but how much more can we reasonably expect them to accept as part and parcel of that reality?
The solution I envision is something that bridges the gap between the curious audiences and the performing artists. Audiences are out there, but as many artists already know, coaxing them out in part means stepping into their shoes and understanding what kind of experiences they want.
BeMused is my effort towards such a solution.
What makes BeMused unique is that we are drawing on the latest innovations in information discovery and applying them to the challenge of audience development. Innovation is quick to impact our lives through the marketplace, but the not-for-profit sectors are often left behind.
Since starting up last fall, we have completed the creative and user experience design over the past winter, and we are currently engaged in on-going technical development and fundraising efforts.
One funding opportunity we are currently pursuing is ideaBOOST — a business accelerator run by the Canadian Film Centre in partnership with Google and Corus Entertainment. It involves a round of public voting, and I am soliciting your support.
The top 10 projects with the most votes get shortlisted for $15,000 towards hiring technical services and gaining access to industry networks. You can help by casting your vote by April 25, 2013, or by retweeting on Twitter and sharing on Facebook to spread the word about this project.
We’ve come a surprisingly long way on a shoestring, so imagine what we can accomplish with more funds to help us launch our beta service.
If you are reading this, you are already a part of the amazing performing arts community in Toronto, and perhaps you see the need for an innovative social enterprise like BeMused. Your vote is not only an expression of demand for a solution—it will have a real impact on how soon BeMused becomes a reality.
Here’s a promotional video for BeMused:
BeMused Network: A Discovery Platform for the Performing Arts from BeMused Network on Vimeo.
“If we wish a different world, it is necessary to design humane and liberating technologies that create the world as we wish it to be.” — Bonnie Nardi
Margaret Lam is the founder of BeMused and an occasional contributor to Musical Toronto. You can read more about her at margism.com.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
