Conference and concerts.
 
// Date: 06–08/02/2009
// Opening times: FRI 18–01:00, SAT 14–01:00, SUN 12–01:00
// Address: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, John-Foster-Dulles-Alles 10, 10557 Berlin
// Admission: Day Ticket 13/10,- €, Festival Pass 30/26,- €
 
Curated by Ekkehardt Ehlers and Björn Gottstein. With Kodwo Eshun, DJ/Rupture, Diedrich Dierichsen, Josephine Foster, Hair Police, Modified Toy Orchestra and many more.
 
A paradigm shift is changing music life at its base. These changes concern the significance of music in public life, the consumer's listening behaviour, the easy availability and ubiquity of music, and its value creation. "Hungry musicians and pleasures gone haywire." (Jace Clayton aka DJ Rupture)
 
Music is experiencing a blatant value crisis:
 
– Although music is as widely available and heard as never before, the leveling and interchangeability of the individual work is increasing. This is the result of an arbitrary use of repertoire, which apparently is satisfying all listener needs.
 
– An economically and artistically autonomous culture, having been one of the most important social correctives since the late seventies, is seriously threatened in its existence. Contrary to the hope of refinement of the stylistic palette the mainstream is broadening. Niches are disappearing. "Value resides in the middle." (Chris Anderson "The Long Tail")
 
– Previously relevant reference systems suffer a significant loss of importance: music critique, journalism, and the humanities will lose their sovereignty in favor of the flat hierarchy of net culture.
 
– The category of musical education is undermined by the new noncommittal nature of speaking about music. The musical discourse, having been shaped by a professional critique since 1800, is now being lead by music lovers and laymen. Record companies use blogs and internet portals qua viral marketing, e. g. fake reviews, as a marketing tool.
 
– The opening of the archives has allowed for an over-historical access to the musical repertoire, without demanding historical knowledge of eras, styles or categories from the listener.
 
Post economic music is facing a number of questions. How are new production circumstances changing music? What does music beyond the creation of value sound like? How does social relevance emerge? Audio Poverty is looking for answers. Or to put it differently: Audio Poverty is questioning the future of music.
 
Audio Poverty is devoted to the fields of economics, reception and production, that are discussed by means of lectures, panel discussions, artist interviews, concerts, and DJ sets. Problems of the present are analyzed, bearing in mind historical phenomena like the music of the Arte povera and the American mavericks, bearing in mind aesthetic practice and aesthetic theory, pop culture and serious music.
 
Audio Poverty wants to address helplessness, overcome alienation, and outline political solutions.
 
> www.audiopoverty.de