Aliena Haig is the Manager of Online Editorial & Communication at Deutsche Grammophon, with a focus on concert and artist presentation. Aliena previously was the Communications Lead for the global networking exchange Classical:NEXT and was instrumental at developing and leading online conferences for art music professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout her professional career, Aliena has walked the line between media, music, how they connect, and their respective place in society. Following the GLP’s 2022 Live Music Industry SubStream we spoke to Aliena about how live music venues have needed to adapt following the challenges of Covid-19 and to what extent this has impacted their future social responsibilities.
What has been the most challenging artistic impact of the pandemic for live music venues?
Without a doubt, simply being able to support the artist. The world was already a tough place for artists before the pandemic and the monetary focus was hugely prioritized on their live shows. With that coming to an abrupt halt, artists had little to no options, and many had to stop their art altogether to be able to make ends meet. That being said, from necessity comes great opportunity and as artists are already a creative group, the innovation and the outside-the-box thinking was hugely valuable. The difficulty was in creating and balancing financial reward with the output and the online success/support/appreciation. For orchestras, it was, of course, an entirely different scenario, especially where salaried musicians are concerned. Much like any company, they had to factor in various other elements and seek alternative sources of funding.
What has been the most challenging operational impact of the pandemic for live music venues?
Realizing how ill-equipped and rigidly structured they were to handle non-traditional concert formats.
How much responsibility do venues have within their community? Has this changed post-pandemic?
This is a great question and not one that venues ask themselves enough. Beyond “standing as a pillar in their local community” or “engaging in local outreach”, as is so often proudly stated in their marketing, the real actions remain largely unfelt and/or unseen. The pandemic was a great test for them to prove how committed to their community they are. Depending on the country and county, they will have different resources at hand, but here the line of thought can also tend to be very narrow-minded and/or old-fashioned.
One of the best reactions I saw in the pandemic was in South Africa, where music schools and venues became food banks for the struggling members of their communities, recognizing the emergency and stepping in to fill the glaring needs. Those who were fed there will remember that kindness and safety and will undoubtedly return when the music starts again. In Berlin, several of the city’s nightclubs also turned into vaccination or testing centers. Music venues do not have to only think in terms of music and musical outreach. They should be inclined to think of themselves as actual community centers or hubs of varied activity.
Has the role of the artist adapted due to the pandemic? Has it changed live performance forever?
You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone working in the music industry who hasn’t had to adapt during the pandemic. It threw a huge spanner in the works and held up a very uninviting mirror, asking everyone to take a cold, hard look. But that is no bad thing – we were long overdue a good shake up.
For the artists themselves, especially the ones who were just at the point of breaking into the industry or right at the uptick of their careers, it will have been devastating. Prior to COVID, there was huge discussion in the academic sector as to whether they were suitably and adequately setting artists up for entering the real world. A lot is asked of the modern-day artist and the pandemic has added to that list, while also entirely changing the game. The successful artist of today will also be business-minded, social-media savvy, creative with their content and an example to others. It’s a tough and demanding role to play. In terms of the part they play in society, that hasn’t changed. Instead, it’s been bolstered and/or become more obvious (though dispute as to whether they became more valued remains – see last question). We have always turned to artists for relief or for a way of understanding the world around us and they never ceased to provide that for us. If anything, the pandemic has changed the role of the consumer, making them the number one priority. And an artist now caters to the consumers wants and needs, offering either the next thing that will grab their attention, soothe them, offer an outlet, or spark their imagination.
Should live music venues aspire to return to pre-pandemic operations, or should the pandemic inform innovation within the operations of live music venues?
I don’t think there is any going back now. I can understand the desire and the appeal of going back to the way it was, but I think it would be a mistake for a venue to do so. There are numerous venues worldwide that had placed innovation at the center of their operations prior to the pandemic, but they are rare and certainly not the norm. It is disappointing to acknowledge that it took a pandemic to push the innovation button across the classical music sectors, but now that is has come knocking, it’s only right to welcome it in, especially with everyone emerging from the pandemic at the same time. The reopening offers a clean slate.
I like to think of it a little bit like the vinyl revival. Going back or bringing “old-school” methods can be great for variety, tap into nostalgia and heighten experiences, but the true “new school” needs to be fully experienced first, in order to properly miss the old.
Has the rise of online concerts made an impact on audiences returning to live music venues?
It’s difficult to know where to begin in answering this question. On the one hand, online concerts were a source of comfort, a distraction, a chance for artists to connect with their audiences, to experiment and to loosen up/change the system. On the other, there was such an abundance and so much choice that it was difficult to know what to choose to tune into and the novelty wore off very quickly, with screen fatigue and shortened attention spans.
I overheard a conversation about 6 months into the pandemic where one person asked what would have happened if the arts had just stopped? If online concerts had never begun? I think this is such an intriguing thought because cutting music and the wider arts off completely may just have underlined how vital they are, instead of inundating the digital spheres with content, leaving us overwhelmed with choice. I am still undecided on whether that is good, but it certainly gives you a lot to think about.
