Page 82 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

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is evident that musical radio stations, concerts and devices for playing music have come a long way. Streaming platforms like Spotify, which have converted music into a service, even allow listeners to save their tastes and programme songs in accordance with these preferences. In addition, other initiatives specialising in a single type of music, such as classical, are starting to appear. As Carreras26 (2017) explains the transfor- mation music is undergoing in the digital world in this annual report, we will not go into these developments in detail.
In the case of music as a complementary ele- ment, we should remember that any cultural sound experience can use it for this purpose. Since it is capable of changing moods, it is very useful for creating atmospheres, for example, in a museum prior to a particular activity or at any cultural event we wish to steep in a particular mood. Music is highly effective when used in combination with other elements of language. Imagine poetry being recited with background music so that the voice and music merge to create a unique, very powerful mood and sensory experience. Music likewise evokes memories and people find it easy to associate a melody with an idea, person or brand, as advertising knows well.
Music evokes memories and people find it easy to associate a melody with an idea, person or brand, as advertising knows well.
Lastly, cinema is one of the cultural media that make the best use of sound. The influence of sound in films becomes evident if we attempt
to watch a film without it. Without music, we cannot experience the emotion of a sad scene
or the suspense that comes from listening to intriguing music which tells us that something
is going to happen. Finally, we miss the sense because, without access to the message – the words – we might not understand anything. Indeed, this importance became clear when talking pictures were invented. Many actors and actress stopped working because their voices did not sound good. John Gilbert’s voice, which was
high-pitched, put an end to his acting career, as did that of the actress Gloria Swanson, who fell into oblivion following the advent of talkies. It should be remembered in this connection that film, together with radio, is the medium that
has most influenced the creation of stereotypes associated with characters (Chion, 1999). We could all deduce what sort of voice the villain
of the film has and what voice the hero should have (Águila and Rodero, 2005). If we use these sound stereotypes, listeners will gain a better understanding of cultural expressions. Cinema has a special sound that people easily recognise when they hear it. If we can achieve “film” sound in cultural sound productions, we will easily grab listeners’ attention.
Press and literature
The biggest breakthrough related to sound in the press is applications that read a printed
text out loud. They initially arose as a means
of improving the access of people with reading difficulties, such as blind or dyslexic people, but nowadays these applications are widely used. In fact, Silvia uses them to listen to the news while performing other tasks. She also sometimes listens to podcasts analysing current affairs or sound documentaries, which are her favourites.
As for literature, the most popular sound product today is audio books. Furniss (2004) explains that they arose in the 1930s, when the United States’ Library of Congress began to make recordings
so that blind people could access literature.
But their biggest breakthrough was portability (Jacobs,27 2014). Nowadays everything revolves around telephones and most people use them for listening, generally accessing titles by sub- scribing to the most important market platforms Storytel28 and Audible.29
To date many people have regarded audio books as a subgenre, but the research conducted indicates that listening to an audiobook has many advantages. One is that orality can be a
THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF THE VOICE AND SOUND IN COMMUNICATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE · EMMA RODERO
Digital Trends in Culture