Musical Creation, Reception, and Consumption in a Virtual Place

Abstract

Technologically mediated listening has changed the way in which music is heard as well as the way in which musical communities are constructed. Communities are no longer necessarily tied to place, and in the case of virtual communities, musicians can create a sense of community and a sense of place through their interactions. Some virtual communities of musicians - specifically those that specialize in electronic music - are ideally situated in cyberspace; what a producer of electronic music hears in his or her headphones when composing music is exactly what the audience hears after downloading or streaming it. The music remains in a digital format from its conception to its reception.In a Brazilian virtual community of electronic musicians called EnergyBR.net, fans, DJs, and producers exchange ideas about music, creating a feedback loop. In EnergyBR.net, this cyber-feedback loop shapes musical creation as well as a sense of place and community.