Accessibility in Music: Falling on deaf ears? Or a brand new crutch?
Accessibility in Music: Falling on deaf ears? Or a brand new crutch?
As a trained designer with an interest in the world of accessibility and a chronic illness to boot, it always intrigues me to see the next innovation in how to make the world more of an equal playing field for all, particularly in the arts.
From a design perspective, access is based on how many people are able to use the interface without issues. These can be small changes such as increasing contrast for those who are colourblind; avoiding justified or centered text; or larger steps such as adding adaptive controllers for a game or interactive exhibition. These can make the difference between someone feeling welcomed and at ease or not even going near you or your concepts now or in the future. In short, making a design more accessible makes it more human. (1)
Given my interest in my own field, you can imagine my excitement when I saw my favourite band Coldplay (judge me all you want) launch their accessible “Inclusivity on Tour” (2).
Widely available forms of accessibility in live music venues are often found through nearby parking, specific seating, content warning for strobe lights and event assistants, where required. But not all of this covers the full spectrum of disabilities that prevent people from attending concerts. According to leading music accessibility charity Drake Music Scotland, there are 7 big differences (3) accessing music can make in a disabled person’s life:
• Increased confidence and aspirations
• Reduced isolation and loneliness
• Developed communication and social skills
• Increased independence
• Willingness to go to further events
• Empowerment through trusting others
All of these should be an artist’s, venue’s or festival’s main aim when providing such services. But according to some of those discriminated against (4), venues even ask for payment to make such adjustments which can add an even greater sense of being unwanted.
Even before leaving for the venue itself, the website or information made available before attending must be just as widely accessible. This can include what I’ve mentioned prior with UI design alterations but also things as simple as making accessibility information prominent. Other options becoming more popular are video or audio alternatives to text on websites like the TRNSMT website (5), or even following in the footsteps of The Garage in Glasgow by making Access Bookings digital (6) and less confrontational.
Although none are their own innovations and they’re certainly not the first, Coldplay does seem to be trying to branch out to a larger variety of such attendees with the help of up-and-coming organisations. This includes the use of Subpacs, sensory bags and touch tours which to many are a whole new realm of how many people can now interact with live music.
Subpacs (7) are a brand of haptic vests that use deep bass frequencies to give the wearer a full-body immersive experience. Originally designed to enable music producers to “optimise the bass frequency spectrum in their music”, the design can now be found in the realms of gaming, cinema and virtual reality. Rooted around the belief that deep immersive music positively impacts humanity, it isn’t a stretch to see how it could bring people together in the world of live music and break down barriers such as those abled-bodied and those who need a little more to have the full experience.
As small as they may be, sensory bags are mighty to those who need them. Aimed at 1 in 6 people with a sensory need or invisible disability, Kulture City (7) provides a service to prevent sensory overload at live events. The bags themselves include noise-canceling headphones, marble fidgets, noodle fidgets, tangle fidgets and ID cards, all designed to lessen overload but also engage the user by providing an extra sense of touch to the auditory and visual interaction. But if anyone just needed to get away from it all, they also provide safe quiet spaces through S.A.V.E. vehicles which are open without issue to all attendees.
Although not through the same company, The Garage also offers this service as part of their venues after discovering a large portion of their access booking were for Autistic people. Lovingly stated on their website, The Garage is taking steps to become an autism-friendly venue “For many people, nightclubs and live music venues can be overwhelming, loud, crowded, bright and unpredictable. To minimise challenges, we welcome daytime visits to help guests familiarise their surroundings.” (5) Despite not being autistic myself, I can only imagine this to be a welcoming and refreshing situation, especially as accessibility as a concept alone is often seen as a side idea or even a burden as they must change or alter their aesthetic. Which, let’s be honest, changing a building's aesthetics for the needs of its customers would reflect a lot better than having a pretty building with people left outside.
This is a great step forward in levelling the playing field and destigmatising the need for such areas in events.
And finally, there are touch tours. Before reading the guide from the band, I had not actually heard of touch tours before. As presumably expected, these are mainly aimed towards those with sight loss but could be a fantastic asset to those who are sensory seeking. As explained by the Vision Foundation (9), touch tours can create a more enriching experience of an event by getting up close to the stage, props and costumes to provide context, greater understanding and a grounding. In a pre-emptive, digital approach to this, TRNSMT has a first-hand account of their festival experience through the view of a visually impaired customer on their website.(5), (10) Providing a form of touch tour to prepare those in need even before they buy tickets. Making this digital asset available for use any time and months in advance can do wonders for easing insecurities and as not hidden by the articles, does admit the pitfalls and things you should know before attending with accessibility needs. All of which I can imagine would be an excellent precursor to all performances.
So, what does this all mean in the end? Well, we could be entering a whole new world of live music. One with reduced barriers for those in need.
It’s clear that everything these organisations are doing is nothing short of amazing but without it being widespread, it’s sad to see it not have the impact it should have. As stated best by The Garage venue in their 2022 talk about accessibility, “…the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. The feeling of receiving a great bit of feedback from a customer who mentions they were made to feel welcomed in a venue or to an event where they would not normally attend is second to none.” (6).
With an international band like Coldplay now also taking up the mantle and giving these experiences at each venue they attend; it can be hoped that this feeling of acceptance in live venues and fulfillment for organisers can become more widespread more quickly. Of course, this cannot happen overnight, and this world is certainly always in development. It’s even amazing to see, from the perspective of a designer, companies and festivals admit there are mistakes and things to fix. Just allowing someone to listen to information rather than read it or simply providing a list of what might happen or how the venue is laid out can completely change how someone feels about a location and if someone even interacts with it. And most importantly, relating back to Drake Music Scotland, how someone can ultimately feel about themselves.
Outside of the parking spaces and attendants, it’s clear that the world of accessibility is now a thing to nurture and to be produced and reproduced inside the world of live music. And I, for one, can’t wait to see the final track.
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1 Lucia Liu. Accessibility in Design. , URL https://uxdesign.cc/accessibility-in-design-15619f10400b 2 Coldplay. Inclusivity on Tour. , URL https://www.coldplay.com/inclusivity-on-the-tour/
3 Drake Music Scotland. 7 Ways we make a difference. , URL https://drakemusicscotland.org/what we-do/7-ways-we-make-a-difference/
4 People with Disabilities. How to make concerts inclusive and accessible. , URL https://www.peoplewithdisabilities.com/how_to_make_concerts_inclusive_and_accessible.html
5 TRNSMT. Accessibility. , URL https://trnsmtfest.com/info-item/accessibility
6 Widedays. WD22: Attitude is Everything: Accessibility in Music - Accessibility at The Garage Case Study. , URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTfZOJbuH0E&ab_channel=widedays
7 Subpac. Flow. , URL https://subpac.com/flow/
8 Kulture City. Learn. , URL https://www.kulturecity.org/learn/
9 The Vision Foundation. Touch Tours – Getting hands on with theatre. , URL https://www.visionfoundation.org.uk/news-category/touch-tours-getting-hands-on-with-theatre/
10 Natasha Johnston. TRNSMT: What is it like when you have sight loss?. , URL https://visibilityscotland.org.uk/blog/trnsmt-what-is-it-like-when-you-have-sight-loss/