Canned Music-The Way Of The Future?
The big news in the New York Theatre world today was the strike instituted by the musicians involved with the Radio City Christmas Show. The 35 piece Orchestra, members of the American Federation of Musicians, walked out Wednesday night and were joined in principal by their IOTC counterparts (the stage crew.) The orchestra members are demanding a salary increase and benefits, largely stemming from issues surrounding the amount of overtime they work. The immensely popular "Christmas Spectacular" performs up to 6 (SIX!) 90 minute shows a day, and the musicians are not paid accordingly, although they have a very profitable contract, one of the most desired contracts among union musicians, not to mention year round benefits. Still, one can not argue against one getting paid the going rate, and getting paid for all time worked, all shows performed. That’s business!
The question that’s raised in my mind is about the future of the "live orchestra." Coupled with the Broadway Musicians 4 day strike in 2003, other recent musician strikes such as the NYC Ballet which resulted in performances to taped recordings, and the current state of regional houses and national tours, there are clearly issues that have yet to be resolved. Today the Radio City Orch. tried to suck it up and return to work, only to be told to leave, until such time as a new contract is agreed upon. In the meantime, performances are going ahead as scheduled, using a recorded 55 piece orchestra. You know what that tells me? Striking is dangerous territory. Those musicians are placing their livelihood in the hands of theatre-goers, who will ultimately decide whether a show with recorded music is still worth equal price of admission. And if they still show up at those doors this week, and they still sell out the theater, that will only re-enforce the bottom line thinking of producers, who’d be happy to proceed with the show as it is, and save themselves a little extra money.
Q and A time: Is hiring live musicians expensive? Yes. Do they deserve the money they get paid? Yes, it is a highly specialized skill and an unstable line of work. Can you tell the difference between live and recorded music? Yes, believe me, you can. As technology develops, will live musicians be phased out in favor of a virtual orchestra? In many venues, yes, such as tours and some regional theater. But I believe most reputable theaters in New York and across the country will continue to employ real living breathing people, although perhaps smaller numbers of them. You may not see 35 people, but 12 real people are better than 1 computer in my book. I do think that VO’s are beneficial as a supplemental tool, to fill out the sound, but lets hope they continue to be used in conjunction with, not in place of, humans. Beware the Matrix!
