Re: [Harp-L] Is live blues dying out??

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Blues has been losing its audience for some time now--the numbers track roughly opposite to the trend in bluegrass, which is steadily up over the same period.  Nothing is popular forever.  The audience moves on, whether or not the artists do.

Classical music has been losing its audience for decades too, and for similar reasons (to which we can add that modern classical music is not casual listening, and most people don't have a lot of time for the total immersion that understanding it requires).  But classical music is heavily funded by foundations, donations, etc., and players in that genre can maintain a respectable lifestyle even as the audience disappears.  For blues artists it's tougher.  One very well-known player told me at SPAH 2008 that if it wasn't for festivals, he couldn't make a living anymore, because the clubs have dried up and blown away.

Regards, Richard Hunter

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