 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarinetist
Date: 2004-04-27 11:43
Yeah, I found it intresting as well. I didn´t know that the big names can get so much money for just one concert...Maybe I should practise more so that one day I can be a big star...I think orchestral players should get more money for their service. But in the end, the decision is yours, whether to be a musician or not.
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Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-04-27 12:05
yes - it does seem very unfair that some big soloists and conductors don't think of their fellow artists. I suppose their rationale is that "if it weren't for us the public wouldn't come in", but then, if they didn't have orchestras to play with or conduct...
I thought it very funny that the orchestra often bails out a 'lost' conductor. Stories, anyone?
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-04-27 12:53
Aaah, yet another whinge-fest.
If you want fair, pick another sport.
It's driven by the marketplace. Most attendees to larger concerts attend as frequently as C&Es - twice a year.
The balance sheet tells the tale - big name players come in and play accessible pieces - that puts butts in the seats.
Left to their own devices, the ensemble will play music of interest to THEM.
For myself - any Hindemith piece is too long.
Why shouldn't someone at the pinnacle of their profession command more?
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Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-04-27 13:15
For the record - I can't 'whinge' in this regard - I'm not a professional musician.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-04-27 15:32
From one of the opera "war story" books I've read over the years: "Caruso costs us nothing." He got as much as everyone else combined, but he pulled in hundreds of people who wouldn't come otherwise, and the house could raise ticket prices more than enough to make a profit.
Take away the talent, and Britney does the same thing.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-04-27 19:53
Perzakly, KS.
In South Florida, where a talented band went under, and the local classical station closed the doors, Pavarotti managed to sell thousands of tickets to a Beach gig - and he was Like Buttah boobala - it was ta die fo!
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-04-27 20:47
"Take away the talent, and Britney does the same thing"
That's not entirely true... I'm sure she dances better than Caruso did!
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2004-04-27 21:29
Aye, in most orchestras the conductor makes several times more than the members. And the concertmaster and principal chairs also make much more money than section players.
The one major orchestra I can think of where every single player gets the same amount of money is the Wiener Philharmoniker. Giving every player the same pay (and thus, respect) may be one of the reasons that they are arguably the finest orchestra in the world.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-04-29 16:42
Given where they rank in their profession, I think that most if not all orchestral players are underpaid. As for the resentment towards conductors or solists more highly paid, I think that the attitude is short-sighted.
Good examples have been given by Synonymous Botch and Ken Shaw about names and drawing power. But even within groups, pay can be different.
In jazz or pop settings, rhythm players are more valuable than horn players. You can have a band with only the former but not with only the latter. A good lead trumpet may cost you more, not because of his profound talent, but because of the massive damage that an inferior player could do. Singers may be hired because of talent, charisma, sex appeal--or because they're the girlfriend of an agent or producer who is pressuring you. Whatever the reason, that person is hired and their pay determined because of one or more benefits that they provide to the group as a whole. It's not a brush-off to the other players.
Ditto for corporate CEO's. Corporations want a track record and they will pay through the nose for it. Look at Lee Iacocca with Ford & Chrysler.
Think of inflated paychecks as the attempt to entice a desired performer, conductor, CEO etc. away from competing opportunities. As non-egalitarian as it may seem, your treatment by most large companies is directly proportional to your ability to leave them and go somewhere else.
Allen Cole
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Author: johnsonfromwisconsin
Date: 2004-04-30 16:23
This:
Quote:
...says Stephen Maddock, chief executive of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. "About 80 per cent go for the programme, about 10 per cent for the artists, and 10 per cent for other reasons. So there is never any justification on pure economic grounds to pay £12,000 for a soloist rather than £4,000, because we would never see it back at the box office."
and this:
Quote:
...according to David Whelton, managing director of the Philharmonia. "London has an audience that is spoilt for choice in terms of music, theatre and every type of entertainment," he says. "It's an audience that's very international in its outlook, and people expect to see the big names."
seem contradictory
-JfW
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