The Column: The Crisis of the United States of America's Classical Recording Scene

What on earth is happening--has already happened, actually--to the North America classical music recordings scene? The self-extraction of yet a famous New York store, J&R, from classical music underlines yet again how dire things have got in the entire region. But just the disappearance of high-street shops doesn't explain it all away.

Two record executives in positions to know very recently told me quite how bad it is. One compared the size of the U.S.A. recordings market for classical to that of another country at about the same level--Belgium. Yes, I know, double-take. America has nearly 314 million citizens. Belgium has a comparatively lowly 11 million.

So, what gives? Well, here's one interesting observation. The recordings industry in the United States feels almost totally separate from the live music world. Not that efforts aren't made--just last week I was at a concert at Carnegie Hall with a CD tie-in--but it feels rather like a guy plaintively asking a girl again and again to go out with him. At this month's classical music conferences in New York, where concert presenters from around the country gather and talk to artist managers and other contacts, there are plenty of CDs on show, but they rarely form much more than an incidental background to a conversation.

Just because an artist has a recording, even on an important label (the majors and very large indies perhaps excluded), it has almost zilch effect in the presenter's mind on whether he or she can sell tickets for the concert. And it's going to stay that way until real efforts are made. Because, look, it's not as though there aren't potential opportunities to sell discs and indeed downloads. There are some very fine online shops. There are a multitude of orchestras, chamber presenters and other organizations with point-of-sale options (though a small number, believe it or not, don't allow CDs to be sold on their premises, which I find pretty staggering).

But efforts need to be made from both sides. Live music presenters need to be shown how recordings can be used as marketing vehicles, ways to help reach out to their existing and new audiences. And the more they are convinced, and try to help, the more influential recordings will become again and hence the more effective as a marketing tool. Moreover, the more the media will take notice. It's what you call a virtuous circle.

And you have to wake up to this, America. Because the alternative is, well, who likes Belgian waffles?