Impact of lockdown measures on joint music making: playing online and physically together

A wide range of countries decided to go into lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, a setting separating people and restricting their movements. We investigated how musicians dealt with this sudden restriction in mobility. Responses of 234 people was collected. The majority of respondents (95%) resided in Belgium or The Netherlands. Results indicated a decrease of 79% of live music making in social settings during lockdown compared to before lockdown. In contrast, an increase of 264% was demonstrated for online joint music making. However, results showed that most respondents were largely or even completely unaccustomed with specialized platforms for online joint music making (e.g., JamKazam, Jamulus). Respondents reported to mostly use well known video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Skype when playing together virtually. However, when such general video conferencing platforms were used, they were often not employed for synchronized playing and were generally reported to insufficiently deal with latency issues. Furthermore, respondents depending on music making as their main source of income explored online methods significantly more than those relying on other income sources. Results also demonstrated an increase of 93% in the use of alternative remote joint music making methods (e.g., recording parts separately and subsequently circulating these digital recordings). All in all, results of this study provide a more in-depth view on joint music making during the first weeks of lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, and demonstrate users’ perception of performance and usability of online platforms as well as alternative methods for musical interaction.