Re: chicago ballo

Date: 28 Feb 2003 20:48:02 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.music.opera
Size: 1,152 bytes

>How does that situation differ from any other form of entertainment?
>Ken Meltzer
>
It doesn't or from any other business. A good case in point is the Detroit Auto
Industry. It wasn't all that long ago that they were on the point of extinction
partly because of irrational labor costs. Some of the unions wised up and
realized that they faced being eliminated and wage concessions were made and
the industry has survived. This is also currently going on in the airline
industry.
The point is that orchestras in the USA have priced themselves out of the
market both for recordings and for broadcasts and the unions, in many cases,
are refusing to budge. There are some orchestra musicians in this country who
have made concessions (Philadelphia comes to mind) and they are still on the
air. There are others (Chicago and the Lyric Orchestra) that have refused and
they are silent.
It's a shame because a great part of music-making history in this country is
being lost and I would argue that that is due mostly to the short-sightedness
of musicians who want the same fees they got years ago when that reality is no
longer the same.
Terry Ellsworth