RADIO ARTISTS AND PUBLIC CONCERTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 35, 10 August 1936, Page 8

RADIO ARTISTS AND PUBLIC CONCERTS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—The letter signed "Broadcast" ir: Saturday's "Post" upholds the contention that public playing by artists under contract to the radio authorities is an infringement of the rights of concert agents and musical entrepreneurs. May I point out some weaknesses in this argument?

1. As far as New Zealand is concerned it can be submitted that the contention does not apply, for the simple reason that we have no impresarios here; none, at least, with the necessary capital to finance world celebrities.

2. The musical public definitely will not rest content with hearing a worldfamous artist over the air only when the possibility exists of seeing him or her in person. Radio can never satisfactorily displace a living performance, and the growing disposition to regard broadcasting as the normal channel for music is an'attitude which cannot too strongly or too often be deprecated.

3. From a purely business standpoint it is desirable that great artists should broadcast publicly—i.e., in order that the enorcnous fees they receive should be met partly by receipts from concerts.

4. In justice to the artists themselves they should be heard publicly—for the reason that platform performances frequently give the finest results; an artist accustomed to the frenzied plaudits of vast audiences finds the atmosphere of the broadcasting studio dull and uninspiring.

5. It is surely unthinkable that the musical public would be content to listen to artists such as Miss Eileen Joyce and Dr. Malcolm Sargent solely from the studio; and we are now informed that Vladimir Horowitz—one of the four greatest male pianists in the world—is likely to visit New Zealand next year under the auspices of our radio service. Docs anyone imagine for one moment that public opinion would tolerate a ban on his public performances?

Tlie country is under a big. debt of gratitude to the authorities concerned In bringing famous musicians to this

remote quarter of the globe, and a large number of listeners are, without doubt, prepared to discharge a part of this debt by paying to hear these artists in person. Radio and gramophone are good substitutes when no real music is available, but I. contend emphatically that no scientific medium yet devised can equal the flesh-and-blood performance.—l am, etc.,

L. D. AUSTIN.