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October 09, 2009

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twitter.com/classicalbcast

I wish they would! But the short answer is no.

I have been doing LIVE video and audio webcasting for 6 years at soundque.com, and have been trying to get classical music organizations on board for just about that period of time.

I have spoken to many organizations at NPAC and through direct contact.

Every organization I approach cites "issues with the union" as their reason to not webcast.

Considering I am located in Michigan, I have a unique perspective on just how damaging unions are to the long-term survival of an organization, be it an auto manufacturer/supplier or an arts organization. Here in Michigan we suffer 15% unemployment due to the short-sightedness of unions, and their ability to look past the quarter profits.

The other main reason that performing arts ensembles cite as a reason for not doing a webcast: they assume it can be pirated. I think its funny that they will jump at the opportunity to do live radio, a medium that is easily "bootleggable", but turn down a Pay-Per-View webcast, when DRM can be applied to the live stream, preventing copying/ripping.

Research supports the continued growth of live webcast video as a viable business model, and I would gladly welcome any organization that wants to grow their audience throughout the world.

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