The New York Times reports that digital orchestras are gaining a controversial foothold in musical theatre. Many musicians are angry.
Musicians say programs like Sinfonia and Notion are stealing their jobs. Producers say they are helping them create a richer sound with limited resources.
There is an eerie parallel here with blogging and digital journalism. The media world is a bit further along in the process, but both have some serious changes left to make.
I've been to plenty of concerts that were pretty much just a guy with a laptop. These things can be boring as main attractions; watching a guy on a laptop does not a fun night make. But as compliments to other live musicians, they sound great. The sooner musicians learn to adapt, the better.
Paul Smith (not verified) @ Mon, 03/26/2007 - 12:15pm
There is actually a whole different aspect to this that the NYT didn't notice. Hundreds of musicians are trained as conductors and have NO opportunity to practice their art, let alone perform.
And thousands of composers write orchestral music every year that never gets played.
For these two groups of musicians, digital orchestras are a godsend. Finally, technology is allowing them to not only create music (and hear it), but is also providing a way for them to make a living, too.
So, it's quite over-simplified to say "musicians are angry." I'm a musician, and for the first time in 20 years, I can make music the way I've envisioned it. And guess what? I took away no one's job to get to that point.
It's funny that you never hear musicians gripe about the fact that in classical music a huge share of annual music sales comprises recordings made by now-dead musicians. Those dead musicians are much more of a threat to their livelihood, since listeners pay the record company for one of those recordings, instead of buying one by a living performer.
- Paul