At 8:37 AM -0500 1/15/07, dhbailey wrote:
Johannes Gebauer wrote:
On 15.01.2007 dhbailey wrote:
Taxes we have no choice on paying (well we actually do have a
choice but most of us don't want to spend time in prison), and we
don't all get equal access to the benefits, whereas directly
subsidizing something through direct payment for it is a personal
choice and is a payment which is not forced on the entire
population.
I have never heard of a "Berlin Philharmonic Charge" or something
similar, so I don't understand how the sentence "direct subsidies
like in Europe" could make any sense. The big orchestras in Germany
may get a lot of subsidies compared to the US, but it is still tax,
and nothing else.
Johannes
Perhaps John was talking about direct subsidies as in corporate
grants -- major American orchestras and opera companies survive on
corporate grants as well as private donations as well as government
grants (both state and national). But there is still a hefty
admission price charged at the door so nobody looks on a major
American orchestra concert in the concert hall as being free.
I also misunderstood the wording being used. (Sorry; I just seem to
be on a kick lately of wanting to clean up the semantics of our
discussions. Silly me!!)
1. The arts cost money, unless you are talking about community
music, community theater etc. where everyone volunteers their time
and talents and they do it for enjoyment. I'm involved in three such
organizations in which no one gets paid, a Community Band and
Community String Orchestra that do not charge admission but ask for
donations, and a Community Summer Musical production, which does
charge admission because the expenses are substantial.
2. There are three current sources of support for the arts: (a)
Patron subsidy (admission charges or season ticket subscriptions),
which works just fine for popular entertainment; (b) government
subsidy, which is indeed tax moneys but may be administered through
enabling organizations (i.e. state or local arts councils) or may be
directly subsidized as cultural entitlements (museums, art museums,
and traditionally in Europe--but NOT in the U.S.--symphonies and
opera companies), but I'm sure those also have their own gatekeepers;
and (c) corporate grants, which is indeed advertising but is also
included in the cost of doing business as well as being a good
community partner, whether it is sponsorship of athletic events (the
largest target, obviously) or of cultural events or institutions
(which get a pretty small piece of the pie).
3. We tend to forget that quite a lot of community cultural and
artistic activities are generated not by professional companies but
by educational institutions. In fact that is one of the stated goals
of our Music Department Mission Statement, since we are located far
from the large cities which offer continuous professional arts
events. The same is true, of course, of athletics. Pinning down the
funding streams and comparing public and private schools, those
charging tuition and those not, is probably more complex than one
might want to tackle without a background in advanced statistics and
accounting!!
4. It's been a long time since I did green-sheet gigs, but isn't
there a requirement to qualify for those union-subsidized Trust Fund
gigs that performances be free to the approved audience? I know
there was a requirement for matching funds by the sponsor, and I know
that performances didn't necessarily have to be open to the public.
(We did most of ours in schools.)
5. Don't forget that no generalization is ever true ... including this one!
And then there is another way of viewing things: the military bands
don't get specific subsidies to exist, they're part of the overall
military budget and the members receive the same military pay as
everybody else at the same pay grade, regardless of their job
(musician, motor pool, telecommunications, whatever).
An excellent point, David, and of course a very tiny, tiny part of
the overall military budget. Of course the elite bands may be
authorized to offer other incentives. When my group enlisted in 1957
we enlisted as Airmen Basic (pay grade E1, otherwise known as "slave
wages"), but were promoted regularly after the minimum required
waits, and 4 years later we "graduated" as Technical Sergeants (E5).
At other times I understand that those destined for the elite bands
may have been promised promotion as soon as they reported for duty,
or even exempted from basic training. On the other hand we were on
call 24/7, and in the USAF band they meant exactly that!! Sometimes
we got back from one tour just long enough to grab clean underwear
and head back to Base Operations for the next!
John
--
John & Susie Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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