Philip Auslander's Liveness: Performance In A Mediatized Culture

In Chapter 3 of Philip Auslander’s Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture, Auslander argues that society should rethink its opinion on the concept of “liveness,” especially in relation to media. In his argument, Auslander declares that mediatization and liveness are not contrary, but rather reciprocal concepts, that are interdependent on one. Auslander suggests that it is beneficial for us to critically appraise live performance as more authentic – and that the authenticism of performance lies in the recording itself, where there is less of an influence by the media and the outside world on the artist’s performance. I’m not entirely sure that the two can be compared. Live music is not necessarily more authentic than recorded music, or vice versa. Recorded music is fabricated with precision – studios, microphones, and a great deal of equipment are involved with high expenses and engineering. They are a near-permanent fixation. Live music, on the other hand, such as concerts, are transient – and perhaps this adds to their value, for it is a good that we as consumers are aware lasts for a brief period of time. This experience, though fleeting, is not able

There exists a distinct type of experience, of “ownership,” in a way, of the music with the latter means of listening than the former. Neither one, in my opinion, is more authentic than the other – rather, it is the feeling you encompass and the experience you derive from the act of listening itself that rings true in itself. One individual may feel more genuinely connected with one mode of listening than another; thus, I find the presupposition that music is better or more true in one form or another