John G. Deacon wrote in reply to me:

>>I wouldn't mind so much the big conglomerates loosing money, but I
>>would hate to see performers, even the big names, get ripped off. ...
>
>... if David's group finds that "magic thing", as did the Kronos 4tet,
>then he'll be delighted to have a record company knocking at his door.

You know, John, I thought of you as I tapped away at that
not-entirely-thought-out post.  You make a couple of very valid points,
and in my rush to defend the Mp3 phenomenon I think I missed the boat on
a couple of things.

The Philadelphia Orchestra comment was pretty silly.  I realize that the
costs to record the PO are astronomical, and including American orchestras
in my comments was not a good argument.  As a former member of the AFofM
local 802 I will be the last to accuse musicians of being greedy, but it
is a pity that one never hears American orchestras on American radio, and
that the only American orchestras that regularly record are the biggies
like Philly and Chicago.  Smaller-market bands like San Antonio or Seattle
simply can't afford to record and that is a pity and that is when the huge
recording costs become counter-productive to musicians.  Great that
musicians get paid well to record, but if they price themselves out of
the market, who gets hurt? The musicians, that's who.

But let's leave the American orchestra scene for a moment, and let me
speak of my own experience in Europe, specifically Spain, which led me
to my post.  I played as principal cellist for a number of years in the
Barcelona Symphony, and a couple of experiences embittered me a bit to the
modern recording world.  We recorded a couple of operas with a conductor
named Alexander Rahbari, who works with Koch records.  We got paid nothing
other than our regular salary, already low by American standards, for
some very intense efforts, so that Mr. Rahbari could sell his disc for a
slightly lower price and, yes, furnish his nice office.  He was unpleasant,
abusive, abrasive, and insulting to the orchestra and reminded us
constantly how many people were going to buy this recording and how
highly-regarded we were going to be.  Soon after that, the orchestra
committee fought tooth and nail in contract negotiations to achieve some
slight compensation for recordings, amounting to something like $1500/year
compensation for up to eight commercial recordings.  Comes out to about 200
bucks a disc, or an average of $30/session.  These negotiating sessions
were so rancourous that the administrative director (later fired for
orchestra abuse, seriously!) didn't even diegn to attend the bargaining
sessions.

Then this year with my group, there was some discussion about recording a
couple of works for an American label which will remain unnamed, for which
we would receive no compensation whatsoever for recording an interesting
work which would be sure to be rather popular.  The argument for doing this
was prestige, and yes, ok, it would be nice to have a record as a "calling
card" as you put it, and perhaps we could get some more exposure leading to
concerts, but it still rubs me the wrong way.

Hence, my post.  It is Hard Work making a record.  Scores of hours of
preparation, and the session itself is as challenging and difficult work
as a musician can do.  Is this the price we must pay for a "calling card?"
Doesn't it behoove us to produce it ourselves, invest our own money, and
take whatever profits come from this investment?

That said, yes, I would be delighted, *will* be delighted (he said
optimistically) when a record company comes knocking on the Serafino's
door, but I don't think it unreasonable to ask for some compensation.  As
for the Kronos4, as I understand their story they started out completely
on their own, doing all the recording, booking, promotion themselves, and
still have a very strong hand in their recording production.  I admire them
for bucking the conventional order, and I congratulate them on their huge
success, and I have taken their model of autodetermination as a guide for
our group.

So back to Mp3, I disagree that it is simply a toy for rock groups, and I
hope that by using this technology and the power of the internet that our
group can get some exposure that we might not otherwise get, and perhaps
make a couple of pesetas in the process.  And I think other CM groups will
follow our lead.  And if we have any success in this endeavor, then I will
indeed welcome with open arms a positive and professional relationship with
a recording company.  Perhaps I might even be able to treat some record
producer to a new leather sofa.

Dave Runnion
http://www.serafinotrio.com
Mallorca, Spain