Where do musicians go who are no longer wanted by their record companies? Years ago, they just rode off into obscurity, never to be heard from again. Where do new artists go to get heard? It used to be, they would play the club circuit for however long it took, if ever, to finally get discovered by some record executive. What about established superstars whose contracts have expired, and want more control over their own music, and a bigger share of the profits? The answer to all of the above, is that they now take their music directly to the public over the Internet. Artists are establishing their own labels and selling their songs on places like iTunes where almost any artist is welcome. Going independent and cutting out the record companies, is far more lucrative for the artists, who not only keep the rights to their master recordings, but increase their profit margin on sales from $1 to $2 a record to $5 to $6. Quite a hefty increase going to the artist rather than the record company. I would say that in itself is quite an incentive to go independent. You can sell less but still make more. Having total creative control over your music and not having to answer to a record executive is yet another big selling point for many artists. >>>

As the classical music business continues to work toward reversing the overall decline in attendance one of the issues many overlook is the impact concert length may have on audience development and retention. Nevertheless, it may be just the right time to re-examine whether or not the "tried-and-true" concert length of two hours plus intermission is something that should remain a business standard. >>>

Among all of the contemporary forms of art, I've always felt classical music has the most potential for growth. Unfortunately, it has a nasty habit of getting in its own way by perpetuating decades old exclusive barriers.

At the same time, many classical music institutions are trying harder than ever before to consciously tear some of these barriers down. However, I find that some of these issues are so entrenched in the behavior and actions of long time classical music enthusiasts; they may not even realize they are unconsciously contributing to the problem. >>>

           ...with a New Business Model, Digital Media & Cross-Overs

According to recent reports, classical recording shipments to UK stores reached an all time low and shelf space reservations for classical recordings are diminishing. While this may sound like the genre’s swan song, there is evidence that classical music may be undergoing a revitalization involving new means of marketing, the digitized media and live music.

The audience is turning to the Internet for its classical music fix. In the last year alone, downloads of classical albums have grown by nearly 100 percent in the United States . Stakeholders are taking notice and finding ways to make the genre more accessible. For example, Naxos , the first classical label to digitize its entire catalogue, has made available an online radio service by subscription, offering more than 60 channels of classical music. The Philharmonic Orchestra recently broadcast the first orchestral podcast and The London Symphony Orchestra has its own ringtones service. >>>

Why or how a composer reaches a plateau of professional esteem translating to awards, commissions and prestigious residencies during his lifetime remains, in the end, a mystery more elusive than the verdict of history. In truth, history has told us of composers who enjoyed great prestige during their lives only to be neglected by future generations; or of others who toiled in relative obscurity, earning canonization after their deaths. Why do some artists navigate skillfully through fame and fortune while others miss the mark in their own time? Is it that some commit to an expressive path against the thrust of a prevailing style? Or some others are based on locations without resources of marketing, connections, or funding? Is it perhaps that some know how to explain themselves to the public even before the music begins? In the end, even those composers unknown to the powers-that-be have at least a close circle of admirers who will champion their music for years to come. The reception of a work, intimate or global, coexists with it and has a meaning of its own. >>>

STALIN, Khrushchev and Brezhnev all dreamed of a Soviet Union populated by dedicated citizens, working all day to build the Socialist dream and studying the high arts in the evenings. They encouraged piano production in order to boost culture among the people and upright versions of the instrument became the norm in the country's myriad blocks of flats. But now they are being sold in their thousands, many just being given away, as Russians decide they need room in the post-Soviet era for more than music practice. >>>

Recently I read an interesting article on the topic of the modern symphony. However, it left me wondering. The author spoke of titans of symphony in the twentieth century, yet Prokofiev, Honegger, and Shostakovich completely escaped his attention. Was this an accident? It seems like the mighty stream of modern symphonic music of these composers has not been appreciated enough in the critical literature of European music. More appreciation of the atonal avant-garde and dodecaphony (Schoenberg’s music and the Second Viennese School, and late works of Stravinsky), but less of the tonal and traditionally melodic approach. >>>

When music students show an extraordinary gift for performance and the willingness and dedication to invest the hours of hard work to develop their talent, their teachers naturally encourage them to follow their passion wherever it may lead. For many students, the joy of music making leads to the dream of a career as a professional musician. For too many musicians, the dream of a career ends in frustration when they encounter the realities of limited opportunities for making a living in music.
A New York Times article published in late 2004, chronicles the experiences of a highly select group of musicians striving to establish and maintain careers as performers. The article surveys the experiences of 36 graduates of The Juilliard School during the first 10 years after graduation from one of America's most prestigious conservatories. >>>

In reflecting on the world of the Music Business in 2004, there were some very profound and dramatic changes that changed the nature of the Music Business itself. 2004 will always be remembered as the year the 'Big Five' became the 'Big Four' and don't be surprised if you're reading at this time next year and we're telling you about the Big Three'! Beside the Sony/BMG merger, 2004 will also be remembered as the year labels utilized aggressively utilized video games as a marketing vehicle for the launching of many of their artists.
It will also be remembered as the year when the public finally said "No Thanks" to the Concert Business in a very loud and clear way. The summer touring season especially, was taught some very painful and costly lessons regarding who and exactly how much the public is willing to pay to see an act and what they are no longer willing to pay for! As a result Clear Channel has removed Service fees from its ticket prices and drastically reduced parking at many of its venues. The Industry also learned some very valuable (and long overdue) lessons on the volume of acts the marketplace is able to absorb as well as the actual live-viability of some of those acts. >>>