John Deacon writes:

>There is a soprano the demands of whom I know to have resulted in virtually
>bringing about the end of her recording career (and there are very few
>concert appearances).  When a royalty **advance** is set at a level that
>obliterates **for all time** the possibility of making the recording then
>the recording simply never gets made.  You notice that I'm not even talking
>about recording costs!!

If she really wants to record, then she'll lower her fees or find some
other fee structure, as Klaus Heynman has done with his performers.  I
don't disagree with John's assessment, but I don't see this as an
unmitigated evil, either.

>I don't call that "a market place."  A market place is where trading takes
>place on terms acceptable to both parties.  Lebrecht is right that this all
>too common problem exists and should, in theory, be corrected in the course
>of time by "the market" but there's no evidence yet of it even beginning to
>turn.

You've just given an example of something that shows the market has begun
to turn: the soprano's price has closed down her recording career.  She's
not getting what she asks for.  Either she will stop recording altogether
or she will ask for something else.

>Finally the abusive language of Steve Schwartz does nothing for him or
>Mr.Lebrecht although I think he should contain himself as you never know
>who is reading the List.

Fortunately, my career - computer stuff - lies beyond Lebrecht's gaze.

>I have one observation to make about Lebrecht's
>publications and that is that when I read something he says that I know
>(from the inside) to be correct I find myself wondering why I am believing
>the rest!  When he came to writing about the head of a certain artist
>management company in NY, then I believed every word!

Boswell once said of an 18th-century literary forger that at least he was
right half the time.  Dr.  Johnson replied something to the effect that
unfortunately, you never knew which half to believe.

Steve Schwartz