Klarinet Archive - Posting 000103.txt from 2008/05

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fbjacobo@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] How do composers make money?
Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 12:46:51 -0400

Why, didn't you know? Musicians don't make money. They do it for the
LOVE of it. Ask any rich society matron and she'll confirm this! ;-)

Fred Jacobowitz

Kol Haruach Klezmer Band
Ebony and Ivory Duo

You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.
~Doug Floyd

On May 16, 2008, at 8:17 AM, Curtis Bennett wrote:

> This is pretty much off-topic to this list, but the ongoing thread
> about John Adams made me wonder this. Recently, I was in my FLMS
> (Friendly local music store) and happened upon a string quartet by
> John Adams in the music section (John's Book of Alleged Dances). This
> is a fairly recent piece of his, and was recorded by Kronos Quartet a
> few years ago. It was $40. It struck me as a bit odd since I live in
> Tulsa, and I have a hard time believing that there is any demand for
> such a difficult piece of music in this town. I can only guess that
> the number of active string quartets in my community probably could be
> counted on one hand, and the number of those which could play such a
> complex piece such as that would probably be 1, maybe 2.
>
> So, it struck me, how do composers make money? Surely writing such a
> piece would net Adams very little actual income. And even if it did,
> it would die off very fast once the market had been glutted. That is,
> once all the people who could play it got it there'd be basically no
> one else to buy it - at least not enough to sustain him.
>
> But as far as I know, John Adams doesn't have a day job. He's not a
> conductor, he's not a professor - he's a composer, and does it full
> time.
>
> Anyone have any insight into this?
>
>
> --
> Curtis Bennett
>
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