Posted by Jay Bertolet on June 16, 2000 at 16:45:56:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Who is he? posted by Joe Baker on June 16, 2000 at 15:40:52:
You make some good points. But I don't realistically think that I can compete with a professional grower of produce, either on a variety or quality basis (by the way, I have several tropical fruit plants in my yard and I know from experience how hard it is to grow your own produce). And you can't really compete with the mechanic either unless you're willing to lay out the thousands of dollars in equipment that is required for cars these days. To me, that alone makes it impractical to even try. And I've tried making my own computers. Some have worked okay and some haven't. But the technology changes so rapidly that keeping up is practically a full time job. I guess I'm suggesting that if you want to compete with these folks, you have to be willing to settle for second best. Most folks aren't so they let the specialist do the job. At least that's how it works if you know the difference.
I don't think we disagree about who exactly the market is for our product (classical music). It is roughly 5 to 10 percent of the population of a given area. That kind of an audience hasn't got the resources to sustain the orchestra's existence by itself, even if you engage 100% participation in that segment. But every locale recognizes the need for the performing arts in their community. The problem is, nobody wants to pay for it. But when it disappears, just listen to the complaints! The arts are becoming similar to the medical field in the respect that everybody wants access to the finest product available but nobody wants to pay for it because they feel it is their right to have it. Again, I just don't think the competition logic applies to the music industry like it does to others.
I definitely agree that developing a larger audience is something that needs to be addressed. I just don't think the answer is to raise ticket prices. Maybe one of the reasons competition doesn't work in this business is the smallness of the target audience. Fragmentation of that consumer base means trouble for all institutions. I guess I don't know enough about business to really have that answer. But the abuse comes when the maker of the Walmart jeans (or the producer of a concert involving amateur musicians) calls itself a profesional level product. Not that amateurs can't sound great. But I think everybody can see the difference between a group that rehearses daily for many years and a group that has one rehearsal and then plays a concert.
Interesting discussion!