Cell phones and performances (Part 2)

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article discussing how a performer handled a cell phone interruption. I told you I was going to make a series out of that example and am just now getting back to it.

My tease from that article was that the response of the performer highlighted a big problem with the classical music industry. That is true but it also highlights a big problem that musicians have in general.

Here is our problem: we forget that professional music is a business. We get on a high horse and think that our music is on some level way above where the rest of the world is. We don’t think we have to play by the rules and we don’t think we have to get our hands dirty.

Of course, the situation we are discussing is a glaring example. What if the performer was a candy shop owner instead of a pianist? Would he embarrass a customer whose cell phone went off at the cash register? I think not. Any real business owner would know better. A concert pianist in front of a crowd of customers should know better too.

The reality is that professional music has always been about business. Some classical musicians were paid employees of churches. Others found wealthy patrons to support them. Yesterday’s musicians sold records. Today, we sell downloads. The revenue model has changed but the fact remains that professional music has always been about a transaction between a musician and a customer.

Yes, professional music is business and professional musicians are business people whether they want to be or not. Fortunately, the rules of business are not onerous; they are actually simple.

1) Make something that customers want to buy.
2) Find ways to attract customers to what you make.
3) Treat those customers well.

As a Christian, I know that we have to look at this through a slightly different lens. We don’t for example generate music that people will like at the expense of what God would like. That is a given and is obviously true for any profession outside of music too.

I know that music is special. But those of us in professional music aren’t special. We are in the business of making music and need to think that way. If we think we are above the rules, we will struggle. If we think we can tell the customer what kind of music they like, we won’t sell any. If we think we have the right to treat customers shabbily, we probably won’t have any customers for long (yes, I know there are a few exceptions such as Keith Jarrett).

It is not complicated. It is business.