Interview: What is the future of classical music and classical music journalism?

Classical music journalism and classical music share a common destiny. In an increasingly technologized modern age, this relationship is constantly changing and reinventing itself. We spoke to Zsoldos David, CEO of the Hungarian classical music magazine Papageno and one of the speakers at the Akordaj – Spotlight on Music conference, about the future of classical music and classical music journalists, and the challenges of technology. Held in Timisoara, the conference aimed to train the next generation of classical music journalists.

A: How did you find the conference? The participants are future classical music journalists. What was your impression? (0-2.03)

David Zsoldos: It is always a pleasure to meet young professionals. They get to see the challenges and face them in a different way and I would say that we learn from each other. Of course, I’m the speaker and they listen more, but it’s a process by which we can go through the main issues and challenges of the industry in general and classical music journalism in particular.

I can’t say that time is on our side. Classical music journalism has changed a lot since I started. 20-25 years ago there were 5 daily newspapers in Hungary and 4 of them had music criticism columns. Now none of them do, and such newspapers hardly exist anymore.

But music journalism is not just about critics. Now we have the freedom of the internet, now we have content in different languages, now we have the ability to post videos and audio-visual content which is then distributed all over the world. We have lost some things, but at the same time we now have other possibilities and opportunities to work with.

A: You talked at this conference about the melding of classical music/classical music journalism and social media. Are social media platforms an adapted tool for promoting classical music or do you have to improvise to use these current technologies? (2.03 – 3.43)

David Zsoldos: Social media platforms are tools you have to use, whatever your opinion about social media. They are of course a threat, social media has many disadvantages, but we don’t have the luxury not to use these tools. Society, for the most part, uses these tools on a daily basis, so if you don’t create content for social media platforms, all other content will replace your classic music content.

Of course, they have to be used intelligently, knowing what to use each platform for and how to use it. And these platforms are constantly changing, and that’s one of the big challenges. Because these platforms are not here to improve society and classical music, they exist to make as much profit as possible. And, of course, this is a new challenge.

A: In Hungary, does the state support classical music journalism, or do you have to fend for yourselves? (3.43 – 5.35)

David Zsoldos: Unfortunately, at the moment, there are no open calls or grants for the creation of cultural content – classical music, theater or others. And this is a new change, because 3-4 years ago there weren’t many opportunities, but still there were opportunities to apply for state-funded programs. However, I think, like cultural content, cultural journalism has to find a way to sustain itself. And if the state doesn’t support you then maybe you should turn to the readers. Or maybe find a sponsor or another way. I don’t think these subsidized systems work. The more of a gap an industry has, the more unstable it is. I don’t think the state should pay for everything. I also don’t think relying solely on ads is a good way to produce content. I want classical music journalism and the classical music industry to find more and more sources of revenue to be sustainable.

A: I think you’ve done a profile of your reader. Is there a connection between classical music magazine readership and intelligence? Are they more intelligent than readers of other magazines and newspapers? (5.35 – 8.33)

David Zsoldos: I wouldn’t say that our readers are more intelligent, but they are more educated, because that’s something we have been able to measure. Our readers are more likely to have a degree or more qualifications. They are more likely to speak foreign languages, they are more open-minded. They are probably also older than other newspaper readers. But this is not surprising. Because classical music has always appealed to more sophisticated consumers of culture. And that’s not going to change.

What’s more, I remember when I was at university, 20-25 years ago, there was a discussion that classical music was going to disappear because everyone who listened to classical music would die. Those who listen are getting old and no young people are going to go to a classical concert. And that was 20-25 years ago. Time has shown that it’s the same now as it was then. It’s natural that teenagers and young people in their 20s don’t want to go to concert halls every weekend and listen to music that they don’t find so interesting at that age. But these people get older, they get smarter, they get more educated, they maybe even earn more money to afford the tickets… That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play for young people, you have to educate them, you have to attract them and almost every country – Romania, Hungary – have strong classical music education programs. And every orchestra focuses on attracting young audiences. But classical music has survived for 300-400 years, I have no fear that it will disappear soon.

A: You say your audience is constantly renewing, but what are you doing to reach new readers? I think you have the same challenges with your magazine that philharmonics have. (8.33 – end)

David Zsoldos: I think the same thing happens with classical music as with every other type of content. Books, in the traditional way that we think of books, are on a bit of a downward trend. And classical music, recordings, we don’t listen to them on CDs or records anymore, maybe we open Spotify or other apps. And in terms of live concerts, we should be looking for new formats, more suitable for the digital age, more suitable for the digital experiences that new generations are used to. But the music itself remains the same. The genius of Mozart, Wagner, Beethoven and Chopin lends itself to adaptation. We should not be afraid to find new ways to distribute and disseminate their music.

Note: Akordaj – Spotlight on Music is a conference organized by Classical ME, JM Hungary and Scena Muzicală, which brought together classical music journalism professionals from Hungary and Romania in Timisoara with the aim of training the next generation of classical music journalists. The conference was co-financed by the Erasmus+ program.