Measuring Virtual Audiences with The MusicLab App: Proof of Concept

Abstract

We present a proof of concept by using the mobile application MusicLab to measure motion during a livestreamed concert and examining its relation to musical features. With the MusicLab App, participants’ own smartphones’ inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors can be leveragedto record their motion and their subjective experiences collected through survey responses. The MusicLab Lockdown Rave was an Algorave (live-coded dance music) livestreamed concert featuring prolific performers Renick Bell and Khoparzi. They livestreamed for an international audience who wore their smartphones with the MusicLabApp while they listened/danced to the performances. From their acceleration, we computed quantity of motion and compared it to musical features that have previously been associated with music-related motion, namely pulse clarity and low and high spectral flux. By encountering challenges and implementing improvements, the MusicLabApp has become a useful tool for researching music related motion.