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Tom Fine wrote: >The only sort of music productions that can justify big budgets anymore are pop-culture > related (pop music, rap-pop music, country-pop music, rock-pop music). That's what the > droves with open wallets want to hear, it's simple market economics. I am not in favor of big government but Tom's comments about European Orchestras being government employees really is probably true and it has been something going on for decades. I have quite a few good records by radio orchestras made back in the late 50s and 60s. These fine (mostly) German orchestras have played the standard concert repertoire over and over again to the point the players could probably perform it in their sleep. Now the big shame in the United States is the lack of public knowledge of the Boston Symphony or even the Boston Pops. Regardless of what you think of Pops standards, I don't think anyone would deny that Arthur Fiedler probably made classical music more popular in this country than anyone other one person. I understand that the old Boston Pops (and Boston Symphony) programs are preserved but cannot be used on television because of cost of paying the musicians, and a lack of audience. Even the Fourth Of July concert each year was sold to a major network, but they refuse to air the concert because of a lack of audience. All we have on TV now days for a classical Fourth of July show is the government funded program in Washington paid for with your tax money on PBS. I think if the old Boston Pops/Symphony shows were on the air it would generate interest in concert recordings. Here in the sticks of Kentucky, if there is a PBS classical music show, like the excellent broadcasts of the Discovery Orchestra, our local TV usually airs them at 2 or 3 AM. Not a big audience then. As Tom says, "it's simple market economics" but as music appreciation and band programs are quickly being eliminated from school systems, I wish there was some sort of venues (either electronic or public) where young people today could learn who Bach, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven are. The problem, as I see it, nobody is baking new pie (expanding the market) that everyone wants a economic slice of. I'll get off my soapbox now. Paul Urbahns Radcliff, Ky