[calaf]

Pearls Before Breakfast

 

[Bunnyears]

He should have tried the experiment in New York City on Broadway between Juilliard, Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music. I don't doubt that he would have made a lot more money.

If he needed a subway venue, then the Columbus Circle stop would have been perfect, just outside the new Time-Warner building.

 

[Jahn]

I was wondering what subforum this fell under too.

http://www4.head-fi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234656

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

He could have made a crapload of money in Time's Square from tourists with time to kill, but that was pretty much the point ..... people rushing to work.

 

[wennefer]

Well, I'm not sure what the deal is in DC but in Boston musicians actually play on the platforms, not at the entrance to the station. So you can listen to music for a few minutes while waiting for your train. Maybe he can try Boston next? Or maybe the Boston Globe should ask Yo-Yo Ma to try a similar experiment at the Harvard Square?

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wennefer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I'm not sure what the deal is in DC but in Boston musicians actually play on the platforms, not at the entrance to the station. So you can listen to music for a few minutes while waiting for your train. Maybe he can try Boston next? Or maybe the Boston Globe should ask Yo-Yo Ma to try a similar experiment at the Harvard Square?

In the Post chat about the article, they described what they had to do to set this up. They were told by the Metro Authority that if they set up on Metro property, Bell would have been arrested. They got instant approval from the underground shopping center attached to the stop. He set up just outside of Metro property.

If he set up on the Mall, or Georgetown, or even in a busy stop that wasn't just office workers, he would have attracted a crowd. L'Enfant Plaza is surrounded by federal office buildings. Very few people would have been using the stop who weren't on their way to work.

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif In the Post chat about the article, they described what they had to do to set this up. They were told by the Metro Authority that if they set up on Metro property, Bell would have been arrested. They got instant approval from the underground shopping center attached to the stop. He set up just outside of Metro property. If he set up on the Mall, or Georgetown, or even in a busy stop that wasn't just office workers, he would have attracted a crowd. L'Enfant Plaza is surrounded by federal office buildings. Very few people would have been using the stop who weren't on their way to work.

Well, what else can you expect in DC? The place is run by a bunch of political idiots (either party) who habitually shortchange culture.

 

[kerelybonto]

Besides the thread Jahn noted above, there's also this one about this article.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, what else can you expect in DC? The place is run by a bunch of political idiots (either party) who habitually shortchange culture.

Let's not make this about DC. The point of the article, if it had one, had something to do with ordinary people recognizing (or not) beauty in quotidian surroundings.

I doubt that I would have stopped.

Eric

 

[scompton]

In the online discussion they mentioned 2 similar instances

A violinist in Belgium, who had just won 2nd prize in Queen Elisabeth Competition, set up at a beach during the summer and earned enough for an ice cream.

20 years ago, Bruce Springsteen joined a street musician to perform "The River" in Copenhagen and was not noticed. I think he might have been recognized in the US though, especially in NJ or NY, but he must have been popular enough in Denmark to tour.

 

[terriblepaulz]

I basically agree with Kevin Drum (washingtonmonthly.com) that this article was "willfully clueless and hectoring". The results could pretty much be explained by the fact that you had an unrecognizable musician, playing music nobody cares about, in an acoustically lousy environment with many distractions, at a time when the potential audience is half-asleep and on their way to work.

P.S. Not to disparage Joshua Bell or classical violin, but let's face it - very few people listen to classical music, and even fewer could pick Joshua Bell out of a lineup.

 

[K2Grey]

I heard Yngwie did this once as well without success.

Edit: Let's not forget that the contents of this article can apply to us as well. I once watched a Nike commerical which had the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem playing in the background and I thought the music had been composed for the commercial.

 

[FalconP]

Bafflingly, the "experiment" took place in January and they only reported it in April. Reasons? The author listening to street musicians too often so he missed deadlines after deadlines?

 

[K2Grey]

A reason was given for this. Basically, the author as part of the deal arranged with Bell's manager (I think that's the person) that the article would be published on a certain date, which was shortly before Bell was to receive an award. The juxtaposition of the award and the article would lead to increased publicity. And yes, the author said this himself.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FalconP /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bafflingly, the "experiment" took place in January and they only reported it in April. Reasons? The author listening to street musicians too often so he missed deadlines after deadlines?

It was a condition of Bell's participation. He received an award yesterday and his manager made the Post hold up the story until just before the award for a double shot of publicity. The beginning of the online discussion lays out the timing and what the Post had to go through to make it happen. To me the most interesting part was that the Metro Authority said that if Bell set up on Metro property, he'd be arrested. No busking allowed by Metro.

 

[FalconP]

If that "sociological experiment" (a term that always brings to mind smashed iPods and game consoles) is really a publicity stunt, it was very well done: the discussion indicates that people are picking up Bell's CDs.

But then, this response by Weingarten is unsettling to say the least:

Quote:

Rockville, MD: I am an avid chamber musician, and I see this article getting lots of comment in the online classical music community. It is sometimes painful to see the huge disconnect between this beautiful art that we love and try to keep alive, and the largely oblivious mass of Americans. But I am not so sure you can conclude much from this experiment. Sure, it would be nice to be able to stop and listen, but people filing into/out of Metro have one goal on their minds: Get To The Destination. If I'd been there I probably would have thought "Wow, a really good violinist instead of the usually poor players I hear on Metro, and great job on the Chaconne!" but I would have continued on my way. And even though I've seen Joshua Bell perform, that baseball cap makes him hard to recognize. So, let's not get too carried away about the end of civilization. The man still sells out a concert hall. Gene Weingarten: Interesting! You really think you wound (sic) have passed? Wow. This is a significant vote of support for the oblivious passersby.

As for Yo-yo Ma, I remember reading about a black cellist who used to be a classmate of Ma ended up busking in the streets. Predictably, they made a sob story by having Ma embraced the cellist.