Innovation, immersion and collaboration: evaluating an immersive technology festival

Professor Karen Burland, School of Music, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures

Responsive Mode

“Alternative Stages” is a livestreaming event that is part of the DCMS-funded 5G Festival, a world first 5G powered, digital immersive hybrid festival experience. The project will examine the ways in which a livestreaming event is planned, explore what the organisers seek to achieve, and evaluate how the participants interact to create a rich and meaningful experience. The project thereby investigates the potential of 5G and other related technologies for enriching mediated experience of music and for enhancing opportunities for musicians to generate new audiences, find new revenue streams and make sustainable livings from live music. It will provide an in-depth and rigorous, research-based evaluation of audience experiences of the “Alternative Stages” event, which will be valuable for future development of the live music industry. The project will examine how high-quality musical experiences can be made available to audiences remote from the place where performances take place, thus extending opportunities for participation and event revenue.