Marketing and classical music
05/01/2007 | 0 comment(s) | E-mail this article | Comment this articleThe wolves of Helene Grimaud, the hat of Pavel Šporcl, etc, the classical music's image change little by little. Will of democratization or simple marketing tool?
The artist free of his choices disappeared behing the tremendous law of marketing. To reach a public not accustomed and indeed find a new opportunity for selling is well established in the ideas of our leaders. In our world of image, the important thing is not any more the contents but the container. In their race, the labels do not bank any more on one quality of interpretation or the quality of an artist but on his physique, and its actor's craft.
Anna Netrebko in a very snuffed television game is called a success according to Deutsche Grammophon, because the chief of international marketing and promotion points out that in the two months following the broadcasting, 70.000 discs were sold. But is this really a place for Anna Netrebko?
They now sell us the little face of Helene Grimaud, the lips of Renee Fleming, the plunging neckline of Angela Gheorghiu, the lock of Yundi Li. Aričle Butaux, producing in France Musiques, declared: “With an equal talent, a pretty girl with the blue eyes will take precedence over one ugly girl with the fatty hair. “ and, this is straightforwardly enormous: “And what is certain, it is that in XXIe century, Clara Haskil would not have made a career!”. This proves that with higher talent, a chubby does not have any chance of career.
In our perfect world, the musical reflexion left room to the boxoffice. It is of primary importance to sell discs rather than to build a thought. The time when the house of disc bet on an artist and let it develop fifteen or twenty years is indeed completed. People needs stars. A young singer enters on the market, Good, but he must sing all and straightaway. Producers make him believe that he's able to do it, and finally he looses his voice.
There is no time to wait today. Everything is going faster and faster, but towards where? What made the price of things, waiting, is not now any more in use. To build and develop a repertoire, we need time, if we want to do it well, but nobody wants to wait any more. “It becomes difficult to reflect within the meaning of a music when reign the race on contracts and planes. But perhaps we cannot mix any more the current life style with the interior rhythm of the serious music.” said Rostropovitch. But who still want to know if the music makes sense? Who wants to understand the music? Surely not a large majority of professionals, who only see in it one simple product able to bring them glory and wealth.
The great concern of much of my fellow-members is to find the program which will fill the halls, even if consistency misses it, to pay attention to a communication whiwh emphasizes them well, and of course that the fee is enough high to play. A new spirit has been developed, art is becoming a huge company, which must be adapted to the customer. I dare to hope that all is not lost and that art is not a company, because should it be otherwise, art is dead.
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