Lilia van Beukering

Across the world, a growing ecosystem of listening bars, hi-fi cafés, collective listening sessions, or ambient gatherings, is changing how audiences engage with music.
As streaming platforms have made music more ubiquitous than ever, listening itself has become increasingly rare. In response, artists, curators, venues and communities are creating dedicated environments that place attention, presence and collective listening at the centre of the experience.
What explains the rise of these spaces? What kinds of audiences are they attracting? How do they differ from clubs, concerts, galleries, or traditional music venues? And what does this shift tell us about changing desires for intimacy, community and cultural participation?
Bringing together practitioners shaping this emerging landscape, this session explores the rise of listening as a cultural format and examines how listening spaces are transforming contemporary music culture.