[PaulDavisThe1st]

PCM is an encoding of sound, not a composition.

A composition, to varying degrees depending on the composer, leaves various degrees of freedom for the performance. So the PCM encoding of a performance is entirely different to the composition ... conceptually.

However, a good musician may be able to listen to the PCM encoding (aka "digital audio") and from that frame their own understanding of the composition, thus leading to a new performance.

So .. it's complicated.

[BSEdlMMldESB]

so PCM would be like the piece of paper without the musical staves? (to draw a direct analogy)

I am interested in music in contrast with the broader "sound art"; then again I don't even know what the heck this 'difference' between these even means