Recording classical music : LSO live and the transforming record industry

Abstract

My doctoral research explores the values of classical music through its recording practices. I define recording practices broadly, including-but not limiting them to- engineers' recording techniques, current marketing strategies and the management of rights. The recent transformations of the record industry, with the shift from physical discs to digital downloads, the reduction in production and distribution costs, and the subsequent change in consumption patterns and accompanying legislation, provide an exceptionally rich arena for this discussion. The ongoing success of the London Symphony Orchestra's young label, LSO Live, is a case in point as it highlights the many features that intervene in music-making and reception, shaping the practices and perception of music in unpredictable ways. Based on fieldwork with the LSO, I trace the spaces where the values of classical music are negotiated on a daily basis. The time is the 2007/2008 season, when the orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev, performed and recorded all Mahler symphonies. The creation of LSO Live is explored through observation of and interviews with members of staff, musicians and recordists, who explained their experiences of setting up the label and its impact on their respective professional practices. The accounts bring into the picture their idea of classical music with considerations ranging from performance and listening practices, recording technologies, marketing strategies and current developments in copyright law. Further, I join debates on the artwork concept reflecting upon its role in mediating, sanctioning and perpetuating the values of classical music in its recorded form. Finally, I address musicology's traditional conceptualisation of music and, in particular, its slow engagement with the record industry's developments affecting the production of classical music. In so doing, I discuss the potential of this type of trans-disciplinary study to impact on the reconfiguration of the broader field of music studies and the record industry more widely.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo