The Future of Music is an ongoing collaboration of CCA's Design Futures Lab with Global Innovation Design program in London + Lawrence Azerrad ofLAD Design in Los Angeles. Through international student workshops and connected to industry thought leaders in music, production, and design, the project proposes future trajectories of social experiences, live performance, and sensory expression, and how this imagination might expand our notions of musical expression technology.

The music industry, even before COVID, was undergoing massive change. From the formats of music production, to distribution networks, to financial models, to sharing and listening. When most of the world started sheltering-in-place, the experience of live music and shared music experiences changed even more. Music festivals are grappling with virtual experiences, and technology is playing a new role in developing both the social and experiential roles music plays in our lives. Many recording artists are now seeking new ways to connect with their audiences. We know that long before the world began sheltering in place, the role of music as a social, experiential, and shared experience has been transforming dramatically.

Designers, musicians, festivals, producers, technologists and media venues are all responding to the challenge of using distributed platforms to reimagine the relationship between design, music and our most fundamental human experiences.