Classical Music Recording: For Profit or Promotion?

[NorseHorse]

Interesting blogpost:

new classical recording business model? | daily observations

Thoughts?

[jnorman]

my clients are largely people who wish to make money selling digital downloads at a higher volume by gaining a more national stage. revenues from local performances are not big money around here. even when they pack a small venue, they tend to make perhaps $5-600 as a cut from the door. they typically make about the same amount in direct CD sales at such events. it is simply not adequate income for the amount of work required to stage a live performance.

they want much broader exposure to the music buying public, and even with CD sales steadily losing ground, and even with the large numbers of people who get free mp3s from bit torrent, limewire, etc, these guys still make fair money from itunes and similar places. what they truly want is a way to find that national and international market - better, more effective ways of large-scale promotion. not easy, but we work that angle constantly.

[joelpatterson]

I've been contracted to record a local classical "Woodstock"ish day-long music festival, and believe it or not-- okay, I'm sure you won't believe it, but it's true!-- some of the performers are reluctant to be included because, and this is a quote, "we don't want to hear ourselves coming over the air in a way we can't control."

Control and obscurity, two sides of the same coin.

[fallforward]

"we don't want to hear ourselves coming over the air in a way we can't control."

My friend that is a composer has caught flack from the performers over posting some of the recording of HIS works on youtube. Of course they are upset because they didn't practice enough and now those clams are right there in their face.

[jnorman]

joel - i have faced that same problem many times. performers are very wary of publishing any live material, since it almost invariably has glitches and imperfections that they do not wish to display. it is only very high level professionals in high end venues that can withstand that level of scrutiny in a recorded live performance.

i dont really blame my clients for this, as frankly, i have never made a live recording that was anywhere near the quality of what i can do with these people in a studio setting.

[rumleymusic]

I don't know if I agree that people are recording less now, it seem just the opposite. Many orchestras have even started their own recording labels. What has changed is the purpose and value of the recordings. I whole heart idly agree that recordings do not provide a dependable source of income but rather a means for marketing and brand exposure.

Some legendary orchestras have always had name recognition, like the Vienna Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, or the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Others have built a name and reputation through their recordings, like the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, or the Montreal Symphony. No performing organization can expect to have mass appeal without a proper archive of recordings to showcase. The classical recording industry is NOT dead, just less profitable in a very direct sense.

[BrianHanke]

I have two immediate issues with this:

1. "Recognize that there is no direct revenue to be made by recording." Then how am I making direct revenue from my recordings?

2. "Recorded music will have no commercial value other than promotion." If a person in Finland downloads one of my recordings, for free or otherwise, how does that help me when I give a recital in California? It's far better if I charge him $0.99 to listen to my MP3 than to base my entire business on hoping that he will show up to a concert I may or may not give someday.

Every once in a while one of these "the old economy is dead, embrace the new world order" ideas bubbles to the surface of the classical music world, but I'm never convinced. If these ideas inspire some people, that's fine, but the key to any business is generating income. It hasn't been proven that this simple goal can be achieved by following this new "model."

[RobAnderson]

I agree with some of the author's points.

A friend of mine said "You have to get your head around the concept that all recorded music is free"

You may not like it, but that is the current state of affairs. The $1M question is how to build your business model off of that.

I also agree with one of the rebuttals, where the composer states that he does not care about the commercial side of making a recording of his works - he wants to preserve it in the best possible way.

Kind of like photography really - the advent of affordable portable cameras did not put photographers out of business. I still hired a pro to take pictures at my wedding even though there were plenty of others with cameras there.

I do agree that AFM has to start looking at the reality of the situation, though frankly I am not sure what the best course of action would be. At the rate that things are going, all they seem to be doing is slowly staving off the inevitable. Seems like every negotiation shrinks the pit orchestras just a little bit more...

Somehow there has to be a way to get in front of this thing.

[joelpatterson]

Yes, these are valid concerns: live concert recordings are never pristine nor flawless. But we probaby all could agree that life never lets anyone choose between imagined, ideal scenarios vs. reality-- it's just between the available realities.

At the very dawn of my whole career doing this stuff, I used to think, "Well, is this better than nothing?" Literally, I was saying: which would make the better impression? This pro bono version of your concert that I recorded? Or would it be better to say there was a technical failure and unfortunately there was nothing to show?

Sure, I was nervous (paranoid!) about offering anything less-than-stellar and thereby painting myself as a hack of some kind... so, that was the choice I saw. Would this recording enhance my reputation or diminish it?

So I understand the reasoning... I just say that in this day and age, choosing to opt out of publicity of any kind, especially the kind where the general public may give little or no weight to your 'clams' and instead be impressed by your overall artistry... madness, plain and simple.

[David Rick]

I've found that classical artistis are often willing to clear local broadcast (or at least a single local broadcast) even when they would be completely unwilling to ok a national broadcast. Perhaps they figure that anyone in the immediate area of the concert who actually cared how they played was probably there anyway. If you explain it in terms of building an audience for the stage or series they appeared on, they are often sympathetic and willing to help. What they don't want is to have an unvarnished performance heard by someone important in New York City.

David L. Rick
Seventh String Recording

[MBishopSFX]

Keep in mind that the author of the original article is the CEO of InstantEncore.com, so he has a particular axe to grind.

Quality recording of excellent performances is not going away. In the long run, fine classical musicians will not tolerate un-edited or minimally edited raw performances to be the only representation of their craft. The recorded performance is an art form unto itself. A simple "documentary" recording isn't usually a direct replacement for a well-crafted recording & performance. As one of the bloggers responded to the original article, the musicians enjoy the freedom that a recording session offers: the opportunity to "take chances" and go for a performance that may have never happened in-concert. I've seen exactly that happen more times than I can remember and we were lucky enough to be there to capture the moment in-session.

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[BrianHanke]

Excellent point.

Originally Posted by MBishopSFX

Keep in mind that the author of the original article is the CEO of InstantEncore.com, so he has a particular axe to grind.

[tenor39]

Hmmm... this seems to be moving towards a re-airing of an argument had on this forum in the past. I've presented my point of view before, but having been a musician for almost my entire life I still say that "fake" is still fake. I find it particularly distasteful in the Classical world. It doesn't do much to draw people to concert halls when they're expecting the "perfect" performance heard on a recording. What do you say to an agent or music director when you can't play or sing the same way you did on a micro-edited recording that supposedly represents your skill?

I'm sure I represent the minority position here, but in my own experience as both a singer and recordist I can tell you that the magic of live music has something that session recordings do not. It's like practicing for a football game, but never actually playing the game. I understand the theory of "risk taking" for the musician; I'm sure I could sing 20 high "C's" if I only had to do a couple each day, but is that really music? I guess I'm just old-school with this. Too much Hollywood blurring the lines of reality. What's next, full orchestras doing the Millie-Vanillie routine?

[3rd&4thT]

Last time I checked, Tunecore wasn't accepting classical performances. If they ever do, it really will be mandatory for any classical soloist or ensemble performer who wants a stream of income outside live concerts.

More and more live recitals are finished by the performing artist at a card table in the lobby selling studio recordings of the night's program. Sure, sell it twice, once live and once as a souvenir.

Only once have I seen a the first violinist of a string quartet set up a stand with mics and start the recorder, then summon the rest of the quartet onstage to play. Orders were taken in the lobby at intermission, and finished CDs of that evening's concert sold and delivered shortly after the last applause died down. Now that's multiplying your money. Their website offers downloads of almost all their performances for the last few years. Who needs a recording contract? Or an engineer? (No, I don't remember the name of the quartet. Wish I did.)

Studio recording under a union contract can provide a (small) additional income stream, but if you record for arguably and lamentably the strongest classical label in the world, Naxos, you get a session fee and that's it. To me, the resulting CD seems more of a promotional item than a source of revenue. The AFM and AFTRA have no answers for this. Recordings have always gone where the costs are lowest.

What to do: be an entrepreneur and sell what you can where you can. It's not an either/or situation. Advance in all directions at once, so when one door closes, find another that's open. CDs are old, but so are the audiences for classical music, so there's time to think before Armageddon hits.

Cheers,
3rd&4thT

[Plush]

I utterly reject that the underlying blog post by Stensrud-- cited by Nobleviola--has much to offer.

Abandon recording to only fulfilling a role as a promotional item?
Don't pay great performers for their work and instead have them compensated only by endorsements?

It's a nightmare that I cannot participate in and it is offered as a visionary new model?

I rail against it. Furthermore I don't think it is well thought out. IT is trendy to bash recording and trendy to bash those who are willing to pay for recordings.

[BrianHanke]

Yes, TuneCore stopped accepting classical music a while ago. Thankfully there are several other good companies that offer the same service for a similar price. This is one of the most exciting things about the internet for the independent artist: for a very reasonable fee it's possible to instantly tap into a world-wide market and to actually make money from it!

Originally Posted by 3rd&4thT

Last time I checked, Tunecore wasn't accepting classical performances.

[Uncle Russ]

Plush writes, "Abandon recording to only fulfilling a role as a promotional item? It's a nightmare that I cannot participate in and it is offered as a visionary new model? I rail against it. Furthermore I don't think it is well thought out."

Uncle Russ responds: I couldn't agree more with your emotions and sentiments. I have great respect for your taste and opinions. I see how, from the point of view of your own business, Stensrud’s "business model" appears to make little sense. But I regretfully suspect his analysis will prove correct as we look back on it a few years from now.

Particularly in the U.S.A. and to a somewhat lesser degree in Europe, the values and culture my generation and yours have embraced rapidly seem to be disintegrating. That disintegration is occurring across the board and negatively affects everything that requires longterm commitment, skill, effort, study, and hands-on application. Hobbies and crafts and the arts are in steep decline -- such diverse but related disciplines as cabinet making, needlepoint, and guitar playing. People with little or no formal music training create sound tracks for TV shows and even some movies. Synths, samples, and digitally edited perfection have reduced some of the demand for virtuosity.

In such a climate, to a degree unprecedented in at least a century, entertainment has become more important than music. Technology and convenience have stifled and decimated what used to be the business of creating music. A "perfect" recorded performance has become requisite and the resulting CD has become little more than a calling card to hand out to create demand for a live (and entertaining) performance.

I hate it. It's "wrong". It goes against everything I believe in. But it exists and, worse, represents most of what goes on today.

I remain in business in a field where all but three or four colleagues have gone bankrupt. How? By recognizing the way things are and trying to adapt. I am neither amoral nor do I condone the the things you rail against; I just try to move in directions where I can survive.

Please don't refuse to accept an analysis because you resent it. Music needs talented people like you -- people with the right values. Analyze what is happening and try either to make it work in your favor or to avoid inevitable road blocks. Always keep your eyes wide open, even if what you see around you is painful.

Russ Reinberg

[bishopthomas]

Well said, Russ. I couldn't agree more.

[3rd&4thT]

Originally Posted by Uncle Russ

I just try to move in directions where I can survive.

Amen.

Where is it written you can spend your whole life doing what you want and get paid for it? A couple of good decades is more than most people ever get.

Survival comes first, and if the future seems scary, a good memory can ease the pain. A bit.

Cheers,
3rd&4thT

[Remoteness]

Right on; right on; right on!

[Daniel Stark]

As an artist I take direct offense to someone trying to convince me to give them my hand-crafted product for free. How this is in the interest of any serious artist I fail to understand, it devalues your product and your returns are purely conjectural. I refuse to play into a system that tells me I am worthless when I know better.

I am reminded of a trumpet player, who when looking for gigs for his band demanded $100 a man (this was before he was as well known...) Some places said they only paid $50 each. He refused, saying "What I have is gold, and my band deserves more" or something like that, and letting them think it over.

The moral of the story is, as a professional you cheapen the marketplace and damage your own integrity by kowtowing to what other people think you are worth. In the long run it pays to stand your ground and refuse to get ripped off.

[BrianHanke]

Agree 110%!

Originally Posted by Daniel Stark

As an artist I take direct offense to someone trying to convince me to give them my hand-crafted product for free. How this is in the interest of any serious artist I fail to understand, it devalues your product and your returns are purely conjectural. I refuse to play into a system that tells me I am worthless when I know better.

I am reminded of a trumpet player, who when looking for gigs for his band demanded $100 a man (this was before he was as well known...) Some places said they only paid $50 each. He refused, saying "What I have is gold, and my band deserves more" or something like that, and letting them think it over.

The moral of the story is, as a professional you cheapen the marketplace and damage your own integrity by kowtowing to what other people think you are worth. In the long run it pays to stand your ground and refuse to get ripped off.

[3rd&4thT]

Originally Posted by Daniel Stark

The moral of the story is, as a professional you cheapen the marketplace and damage your own integrity by kowtowing to what other people think you are worth. In the long run it pays to stand your ground and refuse to get ripped off.

Spencer Tracy used to say that he was happy to act for nothing, but that he charged people the big bucks to make up for all the BS that surrounded acting.

According to this, your fee then depends on

1) how much you enjoy your work

2) what you feel about everything that surrounds your work

3) how much money your work will generate

4) what the market will bear.

OK, anything else?

Cheers,
3r&4thT