First there was iTunes, which I do not use. Then, there was Amazon, which I use extensively. Both are slick and both are setting the benchmarks as to what things are worth and what people will pay. That is the way it is.

I personally got two recording companies to put material into mp3 at Amazon rather than seeing them wind up in torrent downloads. I was at first told no way. Then no way turned into getting it done in less than 48 hours.

The music industry cannot hide from its own truth.

I personally support living composers. That is my bag. Others can choose their own interest.

Artists need to make money. Very often, and in many places, concerts and attendance are problematic for various reasons, costs, time, whatever.

Even a major critic told me he rarely attends live concerts because of costs and time.

So, recordings are as important as ever.

One box I wanted to check off: something like, extending the orchestra’s reach, serving people around the world who will never have the chance to buy its concert tickets and hear it live, or serving people who just don’t go out to live concerts, but love classical music.

Cheers,

Maryann