Live-Blogging SXSW: Can Crowdsourcing Save Classical Music?

cellist joshua gindeleI’m doing quite a bit of work for WOSU (and some other freelance clients) looking at how classical music radio stations, ensembles and performers can more effectively use social media to connect with their audiences.

So I was excited to attend a panel at SXSW entitled Can Crowdsourcing Save Classical Music.

From the session description:

Classical musicians have always enjoyed a close relationship with their audience, one that is well understood in the traditional context of performance. However, with the growth of social media and an ever-increasing number of people listening to music online, that relationship is changing. How will this transformation affect classical music artists and their audience?

The panelists were:

Unfortunately there wasn’t much talk about crowdsourcing (one of the panelists from WQXR was unable to attend, and apparently the panel was originally her idea).

The conversation did still have some interesting bits, but it was clear that no one really has classical music on the web really figured out.

Here’s my live-blog from the panel:

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What do you think? Could more active audience involvement be the answer to classical music’s woes?