Classic concert channels gain popularity on YouTube

YouTube has taken classic concert fans as well by storm. Recently, 1080p full HD videos are the most sought after 720p HD videos. When it comes to sound quality, 192 kbps has become the norm. It is of course not as good as lossless audio but normal people would not feel the difference.

Until a few years ago, listening to music on YouTube was considered only for mobile users. But now everyone can easily turn their living room into a concert hall by hooking up media devices such as Chromecast and connecting an audio device or a soundbar to their TV. Nowadays, some TVs allow users to log on to YouTube directly from the TV. This change of platform, where people enjoy music, is more dramatic considering that a full HD Blu-ray movie costs between 30,000 won and 40,000 won.

German symphony orchestras are particularly active in introducing their performance through YouTube. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, and the Deutsche Radio Philharmonic have their own YouTube channel introducing their performances. “Avrotros Klassiek” channel run by the Netherlands’ public broadcaster Avrotros introduces great performances by the country’s representative orchestras, such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra.

The KBS Symphony Orchestra is one of the most active orchestras in Korea that introduces their performances on YouTube. They usually put up concert videos and interviews of performers on their channel. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra recently has started to upload videos on YouTube where music critics explain the music the orchestra is about to play at concerts.

The Seoul Arts Center has been praised for having rich YouTube content as part of its 2013 “SAC on Screen” project, where they record and upload performances. Its YouTube channel has about 700 videos, including videos of its annual Orchestra Festival, and has over 15,000 subscribers. The “Seoul International Music Competition with LG Group” channel is another popular YouTube channel, which has about 3,100 subscribers.


gustav@donga.com