FEATURE:
Unfinished Symphony
ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Unsplash
The Struggle Classical Musicians Endure and the Declining Stock of Gibson
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A couple of startling revelations have come out in the past…
couple of weeks that have given me reason to bridle and reflect. The first, main story is one that will ring true with many musicians. Nearly half of the U.K.’s Classical musicians don’t earn enough to live on say the Musicians’ Union. Rank-and-file members of the BBC Philharmonic or City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra earn around £30,000 a year. Wages are on the drop and so many young musicians are finding it hard to make it into the world. Classical music has not really been in the popular mindset for centuries but is integral and ever-popular. The musicianship and dedication you find among Classical musicians is beyond anything I have ever seen. You do not need to listen to Classic FM or attend a ballet to hear some incredible Classical music. One of the reasons I am saddened to hear of a wage stagnation is because of my favourite area in London: Covent Garden and its piazza. It is an area I gravitate towards whenever I hit the capital. From Waterloo; I get my arse onto the Piccadilly Line and towards Covent Garden. Hanging over railings and seeing the Classical musicians play to the public is one of the isolated joys of being in London. It is wonderful hearing them play and do so with so much energy and humour.
IN THIS PHOTO: Covent Garden/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
There is a man who comes around with a donation basket – not sure what he is called – and ensures the players are subsidised. Most of the acts that perform there sell C.D.s but one wonders how many people pick them up and buy any. The only way those players are getting any money is the generosity – which can waver and wane depending on the weather and mood – and that barely covers travel. The costs involved with a small-scale set like that are still high. The performers need a license and travel to the site. They need insurance for their instruments and have to feed themselves. I am not sure of the exact cost of a gig at Covent Garden but I worry the performers do not even break-even when all the takings are measured against the debit. Forty-four percent of players have told the Musicians’ Union they struggle to make ends meet. I know a lot of musicians (obviously) and hear daily stories of the costs of getting to gigs and how little they can turn around. Many play for free and others are getting petrol money only. Aside from exposure and experience; the reason they are accepting such low wage is to get themselves out there and music heard. Only the biggest musicians out there are earning serious money and able to do what they do full-time.
I am amazed how many great musicians have to do one (or more) other jobs in order to put food on the table. Classical musicians are experiencing the same issues. Around two-thirds of experienced players say they have considered alternative careers. It is only because of the joy of playing and th passion that keeps them performing – they have enough to scrape through but not enough to really feel comfortable. I wonder what the reason behind this worry is? Unless you have years’ experience and a packed C.V., I suppose the only way you can make any money is doing smaller performances. It takes many years of practice to get to the big stages and Classical music, still, is limited to the boundaries. If it were more evident in the mainstream and popular as Pop, I feel we would not see this privation and struggle. I want to bring in a BBC article that spoke with a flautist, Jemma Freestone:
"It's becoming increasingly obvious that playing your instrument is a small part of what is needed to survive in this industry," she told the BBC.
"For me, that's a brilliant thing. I love teaching and I love doing workshops but for some other people that can be very difficult.
"All you learn in music college is how to play your instrument. You don't learn these auxiliary skills that, in reality, you need to survive."
Ms Freestone plays with the Southbank Sinfonia and the National Theatre, aside from her teaching and outreach work. But she notes that in other European countries, orchestral musicians "the salary is far higher".
"Perhaps it's not valued enough as a profession," she said”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
There are some interesting points raised in that snippet. Music, now, is about so much more than learning your craft: artists need to be business-minded and cope with the market; they need to be their own accountant, advocate and promoter. Classical musicians are not as valued as they once were and other nations pay more – we need to look at these issues and redress the concerns. The Musicians’ Union has polled orchestras and launched a campaign, Behind the Moment, that reminds people about the value of orchestra. We are all exposed to Classical music on a daily basis. From video games’ soundtracks and T.V. shows; to films and the odd instrumental fleck in popular songs – you can hear brilliant musicians adding their voice into the world. The fact remains: many orchestras risk closure. That would be a disaster and mean a huge crack would run through the spine of popular culture. One cannot the impact on the music business of orchestras ending and what effect that would have on other angles of the music industry. I have hope there will be more funding provided but do worry we overlook Classical music as being niche and lacking any commercial appeal. These people give their all to the music and are incredibly skilled. They provide a valuable role in music and that should not be denied!
Another article has brought into focus the struggle of Gibson: one of the biggest manufacturers in the guitar market; responsible for making instruments for some of the world’s biggest artists. The statistics and future look shaky:
“On Tuesday, Gibson Brands, Inc – with the biggest product line in the guitar business – filed for bankruptcy, succumbing to an estimated $500m debt load and a failed reinvention in 2014 as a “lifestyle brand”.
Troubles in the land of the six-string are not restricted to Gibson. Ten years post-recession, the guitar industry in the US continues to bob, with the 2,633,000 units sold in the United States in 2017 about 5% short of where things stood in 2008, according to Music Trades magazine. The heavyweight retailer on the American scene, Guitar Center, carries $1.6bn in debt.
Take into account adverse cultural and economic trends – changing musical tastes, online commerce, the lure of the smartphone and the eclipse of the guitar hero – and whispers begin to circulate about the guitar being on the way out. Unless it is already dead?
“The demand for guitars has softened – that’s a story in its own right,” Chris Martin IV, CEO of the legendary acoustic guitar maker CF Martin & Co, told the Guardian. “And Gibson was over-leveraged. But please don’t draw the wrong conclusions. Do not conclude that the guitar is dead”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Gibson Custom LPR8 Aged 1958 Les Paul Standard/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
The final words – that the guitar is not dead – provide hope but there is clearly something rotten at the core. A few problems are obvious: the non-existence of the ‘guitar hero’; competition from the Internet; the lack of music classes being taught – tie that to the price of a typical Gibson. Many have noted how expensive a basic electric guitar can be. Like Classical musicians and the cost of buying and insuring their instruments; up-and-coming guitar players are stumbling at the very first hurdle: finding enough money to buy an instrument. It is galling to think it would take hundreds of quid to buy a guitar – that is before one pays for lessons and even gets started. It seems the cost of a Gibson-brand guitar – you can check out their website to do your research – does not reflect craftsmanship and inflation. The cost, high as it can be, is consistent with a sense of greed and opportunism. It would be wrong to gouge high-profile musicians and take some buck from them: imposing such extortionate and unreasonable costs on young and limited-funds musicians is rather unethical, to say the least. The Internet means anyone can find a reasonably-priced guitar at a lower price. We have limitless online stores that have variable prices but, at the end of the day, the average consumer can find a less expensive option to a Gibson...
Schools are not teaching musical compulsively – some are but most are not – and that means many have to find money for lessons IN ADDITION to buying a guitar. It can be daunting for those starting out: many are being put off by the start-up cost and finding other alternatives. Maybe, in past years, people have gravitated towards a brand like Gibson because of the status and ‘coolness’ of owning one of their guitars. We do not really see the guitar icons of the past in today’s market. The Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page-like wielders are gone – in their place are less imposing and memorable artists like Ed Sheeran. Returning to the Guardian article I quoted and something interesting came out:
“…That population of younger customers who represent the next generation of guitar musicians and fans is surprisingly robust, said Phil Schaffart, a tour and production manager who opened Ground Floor Guitar, a boutique instrument retailer, two years ago in Omaha, Nebraska.
“There’s still lots of kids,” he said. “I believe – it’s a little corny for me to talk about it, or maybe it doesn’t make sense or somebody doesn’t feel the same way – but rock and roll is such a real thing in music, it’s like a religion.
“And I think that that is very real, and I see that all the time with young kids coming into our store and getting interested in guitar, both girls and boys.
“The real main thing is putting it in their hands, making them touch it, making them feel it, and making them believe that ‘I can do this’. People get really excited about that”.
IN THIS PHOTO: A Gibson Les Paul Standard with a 'desertburst' finish from 2006/PHOTO CREDIT: Freebird/Flickr via Creative Commons
Pop bands and artists have replaced the Rock titans of the past: the nature of purchasing has shifted from electric to acoustic. There are some great Rock bands around but the Pop artist is taking more of the focus. Because of that, there are ‘cheaper’ options available – the guitar Ed Sheeran plays is less daunting than some of the high-end versions. The ‘rosy’ news you saw there is, in fact, not that rosy at all: the rise in acoustic guitar buying is not enough to save a company like Gibson and not an impressive sign. I always think of Gibson and the electric guitars owned and smashed by some of music’s snarliest and most iconic stars. The fact a softer and more Pop-based brand is spurring demand makes me worry – I guess any interest in the guitar is a good thing?! There are two different stories – Gibson in trouble and Classical musicians struggling to survive – that make me feel certain areas of music are under-funded. The competition and changing nature of music means there is going to be suffering and loss along the way. We cannot stand idly by and allow institutions and vital corners to wither away and face peril. I hope there are solutions to these unsettling findings and a way to preserve the fortunes of Gibson and Classical music. In any case; it is evident that some modern changes in the music industry are causing…
MORE harm than good.