I disagree with the basic premise of John von Rhein’s article. He states that “greed–stubborn, unrealistic greed,” has killed the Chicago-based radio broadcasts. In fact, making the musicians out to be the bad guys is symptomatic of the way classical music is viewed in general.
What happened has nothing to do with greed. It has to do with giving music–and not only the making of live music but also any byproducts of live music, including recordings–its proper value.
We would never expect employees of a corporation to work for free. We appreciate the fact that businesspeople make money from a variety of avenues, including tapes and other byproducts of their expertise.
We understand how business works and we accept the rules. Yet somehow we fail to translate this over to the world of classical music.
Management knows–and boards of trustees and boards of directors also know implicitly–that the sound produced by an orchestra of the caliber of the Lyric Opera or the CSO is a first-class product that brings in revenue in the form of audiences, out-of-town engagements, merchandising and other revenue-generating items.
So why should we look at music as a product only when it serves the interests of management? Should the highly accomplished musicians of these orchestras simply give away their intellectual property, their expertise, just because corporate sponsorships are drying up?
If private sponsors can no longer foot the bill for these broadcasts, why are we demanding that those who pay the price be the ones who put out the product?
The CSO and Lyric Opera are two of the finest musical organizations in the world. Their employees are individuals who have worked hard to be at the top of their profession. As von Rhein readily admits, “they deserve to be paid commensurate with their worth.”
The musicians are not asking for the moon. They, too, feel the pain of the economic downturn.
They just want what’s fair.
