Beyonce has explained that she mimed her rendition of the US national anthem at the inauguration of President Obama last month. But what does it mean to sing ‘live’?

That is the question asked by Musician and DJ Chris Berrow in his podcast Staying Live, put up on Pod Academy a few months ago – before all the fuss about Beyonce’s performance.

We all think we know what is ‘live music’, but Chris says the definition of ‘live’ is not nearly as clear cut as it might seem. For example – what about tracks that are ‘recorded live’? You are listening to a live performance through your headphones or speakers, but you can pause and resume the track whenever you want.

And what about live performances broadcast on the radio? There is at least a 10 second delay on most transmissions.  Do performances on the radio, musical or otherwise, count as ‘live’ if you hear the sounds 10 seconds after the event?

And as Beyonce herself said, pre-recording for ‘live’ performance is ‘very common in the music industry, .

Take a listen to Chris’s podcast for a new angle on this news story.