Why Media?

Robert Levine asks,

“What is the value to institutions and musicians of radio (local or national) vs CDs or downloadable files?”

I think they fulfill very different functions, all of them valuable. Generally speaking, CDs and downloadable files are about collecting music. Radio is about programming. Radio can educate and inform. Radio has a tremendous sense of immediacy. It can inform the listener about what his or her local orchestra is doing or playing this week. It also requires the least amount of effort on the part of the user.

The various media interact with each other. High-quality classical radio programming will inspire the listener to collect the music heard on the program, either in CD or download format. Today’s orchestras are well-advised to actively pursue a presence in all of these arenas for all of the reasons that have been so well-articulated this week.