InterMediation. Music – Effect –Analysis

The InterMediation focus area deals with the mediation and impact of music and related arts.

Music mediation creates points of contact with the previously unknown, but it can also be aimed at the distribution and marketing of music. In the form of music education, it takes place in schools and music schools, often in cooperation with concert venues, for example, where pupils come into contact with classical music. Music mediation via streaming platforms such as Spotify or Amazon Music is perhaps less visible but widespread in society; here, a selection of music is presented with the help of AI and tailored specifically to each individual.
Research on the effects of music considers in particular the physiological, psychological, and also medical effects of music on people.
Methods from mathematics, statistics, and data science are being employed in order the analyze and better understand the processes, structures, mediation, and effects of music.

All InterMediation projects are characterized by the following fields, which are expressed and linked in different ways:

The field of Music – Arts – Culture refers to art and culture or artistic and cultural forms of expression.
Originally, we focused primarily on music. In the meantime, a large number of projects have been added that combine different artistic and cultural forms of expression or that are aimed at different art forms. Most recently, in addition to music-related projects, there have also been projects in the fields of dance, visual arts, and literature.

The field of Interaction – Intermediation – Impact relates to anthropological aspects, i.e. possible social, individual, or historical attributions of meaning to art and culture or – in more general terms – the connection between people and culture.
Starting from the possibilities of communicating music, we focused on classic formats such as moderation, concert introductions, music dramaturgy, children’s concerts, or creative processes in which groups are guided to create music themselves and thus understand it better. Ultimately, it is always about knowledge and understanding of previously unknown music.
Viewed in a wider context, this field considers the interaction and the way people and groups deal with art and music. For example, one can look at the social context in which music is listened to or made, and draw conclusions from this. It is noticeable that some genres have a wider audience than others, but often this has less to do with active decision-making processes by listeners and more with (algorithmic) filters. These are used both in public broadcasting and on streaming platforms and have far-reaching social and economic effects.

The field of Data – Mathematics – Technology examines the available information in the context of scientific and artistic projects, as well as the question how this information can be interpreted.
The use of mathematical methods is essential in many forms of research, from the choice of research methodology and data collection to evaluation and analysis. In music and art, however, the use of technology and mathematical processes also plays a major role in the creative process itself, for example when composing with the aid of algorithmic processes, recording and mixing in the studio, or the use of various apps in a music education context. Also, the use of technology and mathematical processes is now dominant in the distribution of music and art (for example via streaming platforms).

ARCHIVE Focus area (Inter)Mediation. Music – Mediation – Context 2019-24