[Harp-L] Re: Music & The American Dream

["Joseph Pastore, Jr." <jpi@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have been making my living solely playing the harmonica since  
1986.  I find the audience in classical music still really loves the  
live performance situation.

The difference I find is in the music industry and in the control and  
distribution of intellectual material including music being in the  
hands of larger and larger corporations and fewer and fewer people.   
The record companies have dropped their classical, blues, jazz and  
folk divisions; Tower Records has gone under.  The periphery of the  
business has dried up including studio work, making recordings, etc.

As we do more and more work ourselves - producing recordings,  
distribution, promotion, etc and take on those costs, we end up with  
less impact in the market place.  Soon professional musicians will  
end up having to hold day jobs and do amateur performances, in  
classical music usually around universities and the quality of  
performance will suffer big time.

I don't know the outcome, but "the times they are a changing"!!

Harmonically yours,
Robert Bonfiglio
http;//www.robertbonfiglio.com