Beyond Access: Digital participation and the experiences of PWDs at live music events

As music events become increasingly shaped by digital technologies, the ways in which audiences engage with these experiences are evolving. For persons with disabilities (PWDs), in the context of music events, digital content plays a critical role – not only in enhancing access, but also in enabling participation, self-expression, and cultural inclusion. This paper explores how PWDs interact with digital content before, during, and after live music events, and argues for a more expansive, nuanced understanding of accessible provisions. Prior to events, digital platforms function as essential tools for planning and decision-making. PWDs frequently rely on websites, social media, and user-generated reviews to gather information about accessibility provisions, crowd conditions, transport options, and personal safety. During events, digital technologies may be used to navigate complex environments, communicate with others, or capture and share experiences. After the event, digital content, whether in the form of photos, videos, or personal reflections, fosters continued engagement, identity expression, and community-building. This paper positions digital content as more than a supplement to the live event; it is an integral part of how PWDs experience, interpret, and participate in music culture. At the same time, it acknowledges that not all digital interactions are empowering. Inaccessible design, unreliable connectivity, and unspoken social norms can limit meaningful engagement, while dominant forms of content-sharing may privilege may marginalise certain bodies and performances. Rather than treating digital inclusion as a purely technical matter, this paper argues that access is a relational, ongoing process shaped by individual needs, social context, and cultural structures. It proposes that digital content should be understood within an ecosystem of participation that spans beyond the temporal arc pre, during, and post the live music event – offering opportunities for belonging, resistance, and self-representation. By centring disabled perspectives, this paper seeks to provoke dialogue about the evolving relationship between access, media, and live music, and to contribute toward more inclusive and critically informed approaches to digital participation in contemporary cultural life.