Orchestral Music: From Concert Hall to Live TV Streaming

This paper examines how both the production and consumption of classical music has changed over the decades, and especially so in the last thirty years. The paper then examines trends in classical music consumption in Finland and Germany, both overall and by individual symphony orchestra, with some data relating also to Spain. What the data for Finland and Germany show is that in-hall orchestral music audiences are robust there, with no decrease in in-hall audiences evident, unlike in the US. The pattern in both countries is one of slowly increasing in-hall audiences, per head of population. There has also been a huge increase in the consumption of orchestral music, especially via radio programmes and to a lesser extent TV broadcasts. The ‘sea change’ though occurred with streaming of live broadcasts of orchestral concerts, directly into people’s home, the impact of which has yet to be ascertained.