Classical music sales down 26 percent in USA

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Civilian_Target

Who's counting? I think a lot more discs are being sold at concerts these days, rather than in shops. The usually don't chart because, in particular the small musicians, just pocket the cash rather than record the sale.

Personally, I rarely buy classical music any more. I have a subscription to Naxos Music Library, so why buy?

The Mad Hatter

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Who's counting? I think a lot more discs are being sold at concerts these days, rather than in shops. The usually don't chart because, in particular the small musicians, just pocket the cash rather than record the sale.

Personally, I rarely buy classical music any more. I have a subscription to Naxos Music Library, so why buy?

Here are three reasons: Rubinstein, Gould, Sokolov.

donegalfella - classical music has never been that popular anyway, so I wouldn't be too worried. There will always be room for it in universities, and there'll always be people interested in studying it.

funky penguin

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Here are three reasons: Rubinstein, Gould, Sokolov.

Thats one good enough reason for me

I don't think there's any reason to panic. Those figures are for physical sales. The article also says overall, digital sales are up.

banquo

I think the whole classical music scene needs a thorough makeover.

Thorough.

But Doshea and I will see to that

The Mad Hatter

banquo wrote: »

I think the whole classical music scene needs a thorough makeover.

Thorough.

But Doshea and I will see to that

Hey, count me in too!

Though I think their current system of promoting the things that sell (basically classical-pop artists, none of whose names I can remember atm, the boring classics that everyone's heard a million times and some contemporary music) and covering the grounds of the harder-to-fund stuff with the profits from that is working to a certain degree at the moment.

The Agogo

Well if you ask me, the industry brings it on itself by only showing appeal to the higher classes. If they weren't so snobby about it (everything requires perfection for some reason) then it would be more popular - not that it ever was except only to the aristocracy.

The Mad Hatter

The Agogo wrote: »

Well if you ask me, the industry brings it on itself by only showing appeal to the higher classes. If they weren't so snobby about it (everything requires perfection for some reason) then it would be more popular - not that it ever was except only to the aristocracy.

Couldn't disagree more with you here. Classical music is wonderful, but it is complex and not always easy. While it's possible to enjoy classical music without study, I think that knowledge of how it works really helps to enjoy it on a deeper level. Often the 'snobby' response comes from having heard other versions which the listener finds more appealing - why listen to Murray McLachlan's Prokofiev sonatas when you could have Richter instead? And the demand for perfection is there because perfection (or near enough) has been attained in the past.

Yes, it's possible to appeal to a wider market with musicians who often aren't as technically able, and often when the really great musicians come along their ability is more subtle, and the reasons why they are great aren't as easy to pin down. (It's certainly often much more than the basic 'it's so beautiful' which often gets thrown at classical music, and though beauty is important it is not everything.)

What we really need is a new Glenn Gould - someone eccentric enough to appeal to the mass market, but still with enough technical ability to sate snobs like me:D

Also, I'll point out that, unlike some people, I won't object to people listening to Il Divo (for example), even though I find their sound nauseating. That said, I really think that people who like that kind of classical music should try less poppy but better artists, and see what they think.