Karl Miller: >I will do some reading, but I would guess, that when New York had perhaps >a population of a million they had how many orchestras...and with how >many million now, how many orchestras do they have... I take exception to this line of reasoning. Two trends being concurrent does not indicate that they are related, and if there is a causal effect, there is no way to tell which causes the other without more information. I think that recording is GOOD for concerts. People who attend concerts anyway and would have in a previous century, generally mix their recorded and listening experiences. Other people who do not have the inclination attend or readiness to spend on attending a concert, can still learn to appreciate music through recordings, which opens them up to future concertgoing. Personally, I am more likely to attend a concert where piece I know (from recordings) will be played. I do not even have to spend money to learn more music from recordings; I frequently use libraries. (And I am more likely to purchase a recording if I have been to a concert where it was performed, so it is a symbiotic relationship). At any rate, neither the advent of recording technology nor the population growth of NYC and their concurrence with trends in numbers of orchestras there, necessarily leads to a causal link. Michael Cooper