# How to make classical music more popular?



## music muse (May 2, 2015)

I'm, as you all can guess, a huge fan of classical music and music in general, and I go quite often to classical concerts, operas and similar events. During these visits I have observed a couple of times that the majority of people who go to classical concerts, to operas or to classical events in general tend to be old people and that only a very small number of young people go to such events. This observation made me somehow think about how classical music could be promoted or made more popular among the younger generation.
So what do you think about it, how could classical music be made more popular among young people?


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Firstly, I don't think attendance at a concert is a good measure of who's listening. The vast majority of people listen to recordings. Still, classical music doesn't seem to have the popularity that is enjoyed by other genres. Secondly, unfortunately, there is little to nothing you can do to make other people like anything. Probably, the best thing you can do is to tell people about the music you listen to, when they talk about the music they listen to. When people visit, put on a wide selection of classical music, possibly mixed in with other music. Present it as a further listening option, be knowledgeable and never lecture about or force your taste on others. Lead by example and maybe some will follow.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Once upon a time in 2001 from a time machine experience, Albert7 decided to return back from his older self into the younger self metamorphosis. The place is at Cutler's Record Shop in New Haven where Albert7 was attending Yale during his graduate school days. He is the epitome of the typical jock hipster who just bought a TEAC turntable for his dorm room and after entering the music shop, he encounters a young lovely lady at the information desk.

Albert7: Hello, I'm Albert. How are you doing today?
Girl: Welcome to Cutler's. Do you need any help here?
Albert7: Yes, I'm a 24 year old guy and trying to get into vinyl collecting. I listen to some classical music so I'm just wondering what you have in stock here.
Girl: Well, we just got in the latest Hilary Hahn Mozart album. Here you go. (pulls out)










Albert7: Are you serious? That record cover just looks hideous seriously. It wouldn't look good on my shelf. Sorry. Do you have any classical music albums with actually good looking stuff on the cover? The music may be good but it isn't to help my dating chances if I stick that up to court any of the fine Yale ladies here.
Girl: (apologizing profusely) I'm so so sorry. I thought that you were one of those classical music nerds who actually wanted to hear just the music.
Albert7: I'm a record collector first. I only buy albums which have great looking covers.
Girl: But you know that Hilary Hahn does look adorable.
Albert7: There isn't creative about that cover honestly. All DG did was to pose Hahn with a violin and snapped a picture.
Girl: Well, but that's the way the classical music label does it. They are pretty conservative.
Albert7: (seeing a promotional poster over on the wall) Is that Boulez on the poster over there?










Girl: Yes, it is. But it isn't an album however. It's a poster autographed by the maestro himself.
Albert7: You see, I want that on my album cover. A genius surrounded by a bunch of fine fly ladies. Or something like Mozart with the likes of dancers and pirate booty.
Girl: Sorry but I don't think that the classical music record label would go for that type of photo on their album. Pli Selon Pli wouldn't sell any records.
Albert7: On second thought, I don't think that I want to buy any classical music then. I am a graduate student and barely clock in about $10/hour with my library campus job. I have limited funds.
Girl: Well, good luck, go find something else sexier then. I can't help you.
Albert7: (after skimming and filing through various LPs) Okay, I'm ready to check out. I found a bunch of creative looking albums just now.


















Girl: (checking me out) You sure about getting all of this? None of these are classical albums.
Albert7: I know but at least I can stick any of these albums and get more dates honestly. At least, the record label put in more effort to do abstract art or take photos of ladies in more creative poses than throwing a person with a violin. At least the women will think that I have tastes which are more hip to the game.
Girl: Oh okay, that will be $41.56.

(fast forward to 2015 to the current habitat of Albert7 in SLC)...

Albert7 in 2015: Based on seeing Albert7 in his younger years, his musical tastes were based on purchasing based on looks before the contents get played. So tips to the classical music label folks to push out records like Taylor Swift or Lindsey Stirling.

1) If you have an abstract piece like Boulez's Pli Selon Pli, use an album cover with abstract artwork of Gerhard Richter or that wall poster of Boulez with the bikini tiki ladies. If Eazy-E was able to court the ladies with refinement and make bank, then there is no reason that Boulez couldn't show that he could do the same.
2) If you have a warhorse that Hilary Hahn is playing, try to switch up the game. For example, stick Hahn in a snow globe with psychedelic colors like this:









3) Selling records is all about looks, if the album cover looks good on a shelf then it's more likely to push weight out onto the streets. Having Carlos Kleiber conducting with crazy arms in black and white is just not going to move more units in the industry than Dudamel rocking his punk rock dreads with a flailing baton brushing a rainbow against a pink background. Young kids buy generally records on impulse so to get hook line and sinker into the young folks with Beethoven String Quartets, the labels need to have the performers do something unexpected and crazy on the album cover.
4) The contents don't matter inside honestly. Even a bad performance sells a lot. Use colored vinyl if possible with a crazy color pattern on the label. Kids just don't really go for black vinyl anymore. Think how many colors the iPhone come in and reflect on why Mozart's Jupiter Symphony pressed on tie dye colored wax is going to be like... totally fresh.


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## papsrus (Oct 7, 2014)

My own experience is this: While I was exposed to classical music from a very early age, I didn't embrace it until much later in life. It was too difficult, required too much effort, wasn't popular with my friends and didn't have any meaning to me when I was young. It didn't speak to my own experiences the way, say, Dylan or the Beatles did. I wanted to listen to what was popular because when you're young, you want to be part of the popular, trendy things in life. And you relate to the music that describes in some way your own youthful experiences.

After popular music, I veered toward a decidedly unpopular music -- jazz, which is generally more introspective than popular music, but still hip and tethered to popular music in some fundamental ways.

It is only fairly recently that I have embraced classical (big tent), which is often a more solitary music. Many people don't seem to want to share the experience of listening to classical music at all. Crowds are sometimes too distracting or noisy for them to enjoy the experience. ... For many people it's simply not an experience to share. And this is decidedly going against what young people want, which is shared experiences.

So, if my musical journey is somewhat typical, classical music may always be skewed toward a more "mature" demographic. 

This isn't to say there aren't young people who get into it at a very early age; there certainly are. Or that musicians, orchestras and opera companies don't make thoughtful outreach efforts to attract young people; they do. Those coffee house / pub chamber music nights gained some popularity for a while. Don't know if they are still a "thing" but I thought that was a great idea!

But in the end, mass appeal to a younger audience may simply not be possible.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

brotagonist said:


> Firstly, I don't think attendance at a concert is a good measure of who's listening. The vast majority of people listen to recordings. Still, classical music doesn't seem to have the popularity that is enjoyed by other genres. Secondly, unfortunately, there is little to nothing you can do to make other people like anything. Probably, the best thing you can do is to tell people about the music you listen to, when they talk about the music they listen to. When people visit, put on a wide selection of classical music, possibly mixed in with other music. Present it as a further listening option, be knowledgeable and never lecture about or force your taste on others. Lead by example and maybe some will follow.


Here here to this, but I take it a tad further... I force feed people absolute music all the time.

I have around 80 gigs of nothing but the greats on my xbox and when my friends want to play cod they do it to music, usually Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Wagner. One of my friends got hooked on Mendelssohn's piano concerto in a, its all he ever requests... I keep telling him a 13 year old wrote it but he doesn't believe me.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

It will never rival popular music in popularity..because it isn't pop music. It will tend to remain a niche genre. There are many people who would embrace it if they were exposed to it in a menainful way. I have always found that music used to accompany movies or television tends to attract new listeners.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Don't see that probem. OK we only go to a few Operas, usually in Lowestoft, and there a range of ages. When we went to Snape for English Touring Opera, it was a fairly young crowd. When we go to see Norwich Baroque, it's a fairly mixed audience. Most of the players are young so the audience includes their friends and family. When we were in York, for the Early Music Festival, that was again a youngish audience.

Basically young people who are into Classical Music in a big way seem to me to be going in two different directions - older music and modern music - leaving the traditional 19th century repertoire for the oldies.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

The use of cm in movies goes a long way imo.


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## GhenghisKhan (Dec 25, 2014)




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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

GhenghisKhan said:


>


This is how I imagine the valkyries when I listen to the ring cycle.


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## Cesare Impalatore (Apr 16, 2015)

I don't think that there is a problem with the level of popularity of classical music. Even back in the days of operatic matadors like Mario del Monaco young people and the majority of common people listened more to popular music. Nowadays _pop music_ is more powerful in mainstream society but many great classical pieces are still frequently referenced within the realm of popular culture, too. Many people, young and old, then dig deeper into the world of classical and I think there's enough of them. I prefer an opera house with few passionate people in it rather than many superficial snobs who only go there for prestige reasons.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

I think we need new music that sounds great + more of it in the media like on television.Not to many channels show classical music.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I think newly composed contemporary music need to sound accessible and can relate to *any* listener. Then people will naturally want to explore more of it.


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

Make sure the pieces are all three and a half minutes long, and give them a good beat.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

The following thread is one of the many threads in this forum that have addressed this issue: http://www.talkclassical.com/36729-should-classical-music-more.html

I am in my sixties and I remember when I was younger most of the audience was old people. Now I am one of the old ones. I can only speak for myself but I am hesitant to spend a few hundred dollars to hear another performance of the Dvorak _New World Symphony_ even though it is one of my favorites.

I know some like to blame Schoenberg for the apparent like of popularity of classical music.

Check out the Delian Society: http://deliansociety.org/

Maybe you have some new ideas.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Unfortunately, the only way classical music could become more popular would be to insert more popular genres into the classical mold. There are a few folks on this board who try to do just that. I hope this move doesn't succeed.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

mtmailey said:


> I think we need new music that sounds great + more of it in the media like on television.Not to many channels show classical music.


I think the best way would be if there was a way for people to hear classical music without looking for it. The only way I can imagine that would be as soundtracks or guest performances in talkshows.


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## GhenghisKhan (Dec 25, 2014)

I do not ever want to see the classical equivalent to Lil Wayne.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

ArtMusic said:


> I think newly composed contemporary music need to sound accessible and can relate to *any* listener. Then people will naturally want to explore more of it.


Have you ever been involved with the management of a symphony orchestra? Are you aware of any studies that show if an orchestra only programs tonal music their attendance goes up? So how do you know if this change in programing would work?

If you recall I have been involved music organizations where the people who though that programing music that real people like to listen to would help attendance. See: http://www.talkclassical.com/31317-rant-horrible-music-composers-9.html#post639571


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

If people want to listen to music that sounds like Mozart, they can listen to Mozart. Most choose not to do so (to their discredit, IMO). I'm not sure a new Mozart-ish composer will change things.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I really think that classical music is becoming a lot more popular... already I heard more classical music in movie soundtracks for the past two films I just saw recently... While We're Young and Clouds of Sils Maria.

So classical music isn't that unpopular. To think such would be elitist. Classical music is best served to everyone equally.

And Lindsey Stirling is helping too. Kudos to her.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Please forgive my earlier sarcasm.

I really do not know what could be done to make it more popular.

Based on my experience suppressing atonal music is not the answer.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Just take popular music and call it classical I guess. Millions of classical listeners that way.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Albert7 said:


> Once upon a time in 2001 [...]
> 
> [....]Albert7: Are you serious? That record cover just looks hideous seriously. It wouldn't look good on my shelf. Sorry. Do you have any classical music albums with actually good looking stuff on the cover? The music may be good but it isn't to help my dating chances if I stick that up to court any of the fine Yale ladies here[....]
> 
> ...


Was the intention of this post humorous? Or did you actually have a conversation like this?

Are you actually advocating these suggestions?:


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

SimonNZ said:


> Was the intention of this post humorous? Or did you actually have a conversation like this?
> 
> Are you actually advocating these suggestions?:


Do you think that I have a sense of humor?  I am always pretty serious and usually autobiographical in my style and approach.

I am always serious. My humor at best is melancholy and irony at its core.


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## Baregrass (Feb 16, 2015)

Two articles with differing points of view. One says it is dead and the other says the crossover classical artists are making a positive impact. Who knows. The fact that the 20 and 30 somethings are getting back into vinyl might make a difference. There are reports that they are beginning to discover classical through vinyl.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/01/classical_music_sales_decline_is_classical_on_death_s_door.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/classical-music-blowing-article-1.1618623


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Albert7 said:


> Do you think that I have a sense of humor?  I am always pretty serious and usually autobiographical in my style and approach.
> 
> I am always serious. My humor at best is melancholy and irony at its core.


Then I feel very, very sorry for the shop assistant that had to suffer that exchange.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I personally don't want to make classical music more popular. To do so would lower the quality of the music, in my opinion.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

The easiest way to make classical more popular is to make it seem cool, and the only way to do that is to have most of the 40, 50, and 60 something year olds loudly denounce it and renounce it. And I'm afraid I couldn't do that.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Teach children music - _all_ children. Music should not be an "extracurricular luxury" and the first thing to go when the budget needs trimming.

Reading music, writing it, playing it, singing it, listening to it..._Actually listening_. This last may take a little practice at sitting still for more than three minutes unaccompanied by a screen.

Ideas about "marketing" classical music in "fresh, cool, edgy" ways to appeal to the young are simply degrading to music and insulting to young people, as well as to the rest of us.

Bring the consciousness of youngsters up to the level of great music - not great music down to the abysmal level of popular "culture."

Education, cultivation, edification.._."because it's good for you."_ Anybody else old enough to remember that concept?

Oh, that's right, sorry... We musn't demand anything of the little darlings. Don't want to damage their self-esteem and appear irrelevant. Old people should be seen and not heard from - and not even seen, if possible.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

senza sordino said:


> I personally don't want to make classical music more popular. To do so would lower the quality of the music, in my opinion.





SimonNZ said:


> Then I feel very, very sorry for the shop assistant that had to suffer that exchange.


Well, no worries. Albert7 of today wouldn't tolerate the Albert7 jerk of yesteryear.

And honestly just because something is popular doesn't make it reduce in quality at all. I don't know how one could "dumb down" classical music either. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony recordings will continue to exist in good quantity .


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> Teach children music - _all_ children. Music should not be an "extracurricular luxury" and the first thing to go when the budget needs trimming.
> 
> Reading music, writing it, playing it, singing it, listening to it..._Actually listening_. This last may take a little practice at sitting still for more than three minutes unaccompanied by a screen.
> 
> ...


I saw a heavy metal show in Los Angeles last night and one of the bands let a ten year old kid get on stage and sing along with them- 'edifying' is right. That kid's dad knows what life's about by taking his son to the show. That kid will never forget the experience.

I can just see the kid saying to his friends at school: _"I sang with the Swedish power metal band Sabaton at the Greek Theater last Friday night- what'd 'you' do? I'm going to front my own band when my dad buys me a PA for Christmas._"

Nothing's more important to me either than art and music.

Great art inspires you to unleash your own potentialities.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

music muse said:


> I'm, as you all can guess, a huge fan of classical music and music in general, and I go quite often to classical concerts, operas and similar events. During these visits I have observed a couple of times that the majority of people who go to classical concerts, to operas or to classical events in general tend to be old people and that only a very small number of young people go to such events. This observation made me somehow think about how classical music could be promoted or made more popular among the younger generation.
> So what do you think about it, how could classical music be made more popular among young people?


That's very interesting. My girlfriend who was born and lived in Chihuahua (in Mexico) for about 13 years is also a classical music fan and went to concerts as much as possible when living there. The age demographics were quite the opposite with many many more young people than old! Whenever I go to a concert where I live, depending on the repertoire, the amounts of grey hairs seen constantly varies. A local opera company who champions less often performed repertoire seems to have many more people in their 20s to 40s than 60+ in their audience. A symphony orchestra playing a few warhorses of classical repertoire seems to garner many more people in their 50s and over however.

If we were to popularise classical music for any generation, I would say that simply printing more copies and selling Bach Cantatas, Mozart Operas, Mahler Symphonies etc. in ordinary shops everyone goes to would get people interested.....


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> If we were to popularise classical music for any generation, I would say that simply printing more copies and selling Bach Cantatas, Mozart Operas, Mahler Symphonies etc. in ordinary shops everyone goes to would get people interested.....


You really think so? It's not like you can't find the music on Amazon, iTunes, and all the other places young people buy music.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

GreenMamba said:


> You really think so? It's not like you can't find the music on Amazon, iTunes, and all the other places young people buy music.


I do think so, because Amazon and ITunes categorise things and usually make people 'search' to find music they're looking for, or browse lists of popular music people are buying. By putting something physical in clear view and at a relatively low price near shop counter so people can consider it before buying whatever clothes, food, other CDs or forms of entertainment (which people still do in real shops btw!) then chances are that it'd be picked up. Another factor is the cover art......


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

I think it might help if stars like Justin Bieber and Rihanna were to appear in classical-music commercials.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Blancrocher said:


> I think it might help if stars like Justin Bieber and Rihanna were to appear in classical-music commercials.


That would only encourage Boulez to start liking opera houses again.


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Blancrocher said:


> I think it might help if stars like Justin Bieber and Rihanna were to appear in classical-music commercials.


If Justin Bieber were to advertise classical music, you would get a very small minority to adore it but the vast majority would no longer touch it with a 10-foot pole.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

ArtMusic said:


> I think newly composed contemporary music need to sound accessible and can relate to *any* listener. Then people will naturally want to explore more of it.


That's the goal of pop music, not art music. I don't want new music that is dumbed down, or highly derivative of older, accepted styles.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

starthrower said:


> That's the goal of pop music, not art music. I don't want new music that is dumbed down, or highly derivative of older, accepted styles.


It isn't the goal for art music, but for ArtMusic it is.


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## Potiphera (Mar 24, 2011)

Classical music students from the local University play in our local shopping mall form time to time which is really nice to stop and listen to. Also, our local classical music store have a promotion day with players performing either on piano or violin. They do attract a good crowd. 
We get street performers too. 

I remember when I was in a bedsit, my student neighbour opposite was learning the flute and she would practice a fair bit, she would ask if it disturbed me, I said no, I loved it, play on! We were good friends after that.


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## music muse (May 2, 2015)

I agree with you that people should not be forced to listen to a certain music genre. Each person prefers to listen something else. For example, I prefer to listen to classical music on some days, but there are also days where I just want to listen to pop, rock, jazz or or something else. It really depends on how I feel.
I also think that it depends on how a person was brought up, in which environment one grows up and probably with which music one was influenced. But I think that people should be somehow introduced to classical music or other genre. But it seems that there are classical music-programs for children and for adults; but there are only few for younger people. Maybe music organizers should also think how to organize programs which aim at young people and make them introduced to classical music and show its potential and various fields/possibilities.


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## music muse (May 2, 2015)

Albert7 said:


> I really think that classical music is becoming a lot more popular... already I heard more classical music in movie soundtracks for the past two films I just saw recently... While We're Young and Clouds of Sils Maria.
> 
> So classical music isn't that unpopular. To think such would be elitist. Classical music is best served to everyone equally.
> 
> And Lindsey Stirling is helping too. Kudos to her.


I also think that classical music isn't that unpopular and that many musicians embed into their music classical instruments like the violin. And as you said, many artists, like Lindsey Stirling, are helping to make it popular. Or just think about Pavarotti who combined classical music with rock or pop or who sang with musicians like Brian Adams, Bono of U2, Stevie Wonder and many more. Or just think of Freddie Mercury from Queen who sang with Monserrat Caballe. So classical music will definitely be kept popular. 

I have added some links where Mercury sings with Monserrat Caballe:






and Pavarotti singing with Stevie Wonder:






Pavarotti singing with Bryan Adams:


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

People were worried about all the grey-haired heads attending concerts in the 1960s. I'll bet they're not the same people attending concerts in 2015; they'd all be over 100 by now.
_In general_ 'Classical' is for musical grown-ups. Some of us grown up musically at 8, or 10. Some at 20. Some, not til they're 50. A decent proportion, not at all! Don't worry about it.

Some people aren't interested in anything beyond orange juice, coke and cheap beer. With Maccas burgers.
Why bother with a meal that takes you 2 hours to prepare and a wine which needs ten years in the cellar?

As it happens, I think nearly everyone would enjoy classical music if they actually listened to it.
But, you know, it takes 45 minutes to listen to a three-quarter hour symphony.
Several times, for familiarity and best effect. And not not vacuuming the house or rebuilding the cylinder-head at the same time.

Effort = reward.

Many would - seemingly - rather spend time listening to contrived TV talent shows and watching whatever's covering some Kardashian ****.
Sure, eduation is a key element. Playing instruments, and singing, would go a long way to improving the modern world in general. But there are lots of commercial powers who won't benefit from that sort of domestic and village approach to 21st century life.

cheers,
Graeme


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Classical music is relatively popular.

Think of all those wonderful video game soundtracks like Myst and Riven. Great stuff.

Final Fantasy.

Add in the Vitamin String Quartet.






if a string quartet did a cycle of all of Pink Floyd, that would be fabulous.  That would be one way to employ classical music techniques into a new hybrid.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> That's very interesting. My girlfriend who was born and lived in Chihuahua (in Mexico) for about 13 years is also a classical music fan and went to concerts as much as possible when living there. The age demographics were quite the opposite with many many more young people than old!


I'm not convinced an age survey at concerts is always a sign of popularity. I'm unfamiliar with the situation in Mexico, but in Estonia many would find our audiences with less white hair than in other places. This has nothing to do with popularity, though. The average pension in Estonia is about 350 EUR/month - with a cheaper concert ticket costing perhaps 15-20 EUR, the pensioners simply can't afford to attend. Sad, but true.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Albert7 said:


> Once upon a time in 2001 from a time machine experience, Albert7 decided to return back from his older self into the younger self metamorphosis. The place is at Cutler's Record Shop in New Haven where Albert7 was attending Yale during his graduate school days. He is the epitome of the typical jock hipster who just bought a TEAC turntable for his dorm room and after entering the music shop, he encounters a young lovely lady at the information desk.
> 
> Albert7: Hello, I'm Albert. How are you doing today?
> Girl: Welcome to Cutler's. Do you need any help here?
> ...


When I was in Junior High and even in High School, I bought classical albums SOLELY on what the cover looked like. I had no idea whether I would like it or not. I didn't even know anything about the composer! In hindsight it was a strange way of purchasing albums but that's what I did.

So...I have to agree with Albert7, here.


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## sharik (Jan 23, 2013)

music muse said:


> how could classical music be made more popular among young people?


yet even more popular ?


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Albert7 said:


> I really think that classical music is becoming a lot more popular... already I heard more classical music in movie soundtracks for the past two films I just saw recently... While We're Young and Clouds of Sils Maria.
> 
> So classical music isn't that unpopular. To think such would be elitist. Classical music is best served to everyone equally.
> 
> *And Lindsey Stirling is helping too. Kudos to her. *


I like Lindsey Stirling too Albert. I really dig fusion of different musical genres.....even if I don't always enjoy the end result I am eager to explore it. my sister was teasing me because I didn't recognize a pop song on the radio, that I didn't listen to "normal stuff" and I responded. "You got me! Show me an album that blends Tunisian folk music with heavy metal and that's an album I can't resist!"

Jokes aside, I guess I don't think much about stuff like this, the popularity of classical or whatnot. I mean, if there is music that really means something to me and I want to share it, I will in fact share it with people I hope will be receptive to it. For example, close to a dozen people I know (family, friends, doctors) have been recipients of Philip Wesley, contemporary pianist from my husband or myself. He has gained a few new fans thanks to us! He's not considered classical, but I suspect Chopin would have loved his stuff.

My kids hear music all the time: on our piano, me singing to them at bedtime, playing music on my player. I don't try to "steer" them towards any one genre though......they'll like what they like.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Another thing that is often lost in the Classical music vs. other music discussion:

A lot of classical music WAS "pop" type music with simple structure and recognizable melody. Some composers used elements of folk music in their works. Divertimenti, dance music...this wasn't "complex" music. And today: you can find complexity in many genres outside of classical music. so it's interesting when we talk about not wanting classical music "dumbed down" or simplified when there is and has been simple classical.

perhaps another idea then: find what music interests a person already and seek a commonality with a type of classical music. Do they enjoy acoustic guitar? Introduce them to classical guitar works. Progressive or symphonic metal? Many of the ladies in these bands sing with an operatic style voice...my enjoyment of these bands is what brought me to opera. Five years later and I have 100 complete operas in my library. Does someone enjoy a smooth singing style and lovely but single instrument accompaniment? or perhaps they love poetry? Go for the song cyles a la Schubert, Wolf, Schumann. etc with a good translation of the texts.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I was looking at the stuff released this year on RSD 2015 and came across this fine lovely release.


























Then it hit upon me. If classical music label did creative packaging for limited edition releases like the example above, then they would make something much more desirable and collectible. In fact, RSD 2015 didn't have but one classical release which was a Steve Reich LP.

I think that the classical music labels need to think outside the box to thrive.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Seriously, classical music will never become more popular.

Heck we are struggling just to maintain the status quo!!


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

hpowders said:


> Seriously, classical music will never become more popular.
> 
> Heck we are struggling just to maintain the status quo!!


Good thing, too--with the recent increase in the cost of shipping, the last thing I need is higher demand for oop cds.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I think the best bet we have is to have kids of our own and introduce them to classical music. Quite a few TC members seem to have come to appreciate it through the influence of their families.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

Blancrocher said:


> Good thing, too--with the recent increase in the cost of shipping, the last thing I need is higher demand for oop cds.


Not to mention oop's cd's.


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## echmain (Jan 18, 2013)

> How to make classical music more popular?

Turn it into some kind of TV competition show, like "Classical Idol", or a hidden camera reality show where each week another member gets voted out of the orchestra.

Or one of those crazy obstacle course shows where the competitor has to play the Bach Chaconne correctly or gets dumped into the mud. And totally nude.


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## Faustian (Feb 8, 2015)

papsrus said:


> My own experience is this: While I was exposed to classical music from a very early age, I didn't embrace it until much later in life. It was too difficult, required too much effort, wasn't popular with my friends and didn't have any meaning to me when I was young. It didn't speak to my own experiences the way, say, Dylan or the Beatles did. I wanted to listen to what was popular because when you're young, you want to be part of the popular, trendy things in life. And you relate to the music that describes in some way your own youthful experiences.
> 
> After popular music, I veered toward a decidedly unpopular music -- jazz, which is generally more introspective than popular music, but still hip and tethered to popular music in some fundamental ways.
> 
> ...


I think you raise some excellent points and largely agree with what you say. I'm not sure that classical music being more "solitary" entirely explains why it is more popular with an older audience; I know many people, myself included, who enjoy public concerts and enjoy sharing our experiences of classical music with others. In fact I'm part of an opera/classical meet up group who does just that; gets together for concerts and even home listening and viewing parties to share in our love for the art forms and partake in the camaraderie that comes from that. Although I tend to agree that like many of the greatest and most profound art forms and works of art, in general it does strike a deeper chord with a more mature audience. An audience that has lived and gained life experiences and has a deeper appreciation for the subtleties, nuances and insights the music offers.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

SiegendesLicht said:


> I think the best bet we have is to have kids of our own and introduce them to classical music. Quite a few TC members seem to have come to appreciate it through the influence of their families.


Although the impact may be delayed. They may have to go through those teen years where they worry about what their peers like, and then get back into it when they grow up. A lot of things are like that.


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## BlackKeys (May 12, 2015)

GreenMamba said:


> They may have to go through those teen years where they worry about what their peers like, and then get back into it when they grow up.


That's the unfortunate reality, classical music just isn't "cool enough" to the average teenager. I was and am picked on for my taste in music but I honestly couldn't care less anymore. It's all about what the media wants us to like, I always see news stories about pop concerts but very rarely symphonies.



echmain said:


> > How to make classical music more popular?
> 
> Turn it into some kind of TV competition show, like "Classical Idol", or a hidden camera reality show where each week another member gets voted out of the orchestra.
> 
> Or one of those crazy obstacle course shows where the competitor has to play the Bach Chaconne correctly or gets dumped into the mud. And totally nude.


I would love to see that, haha!


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## Baregrass (Feb 16, 2015)

Albert7 said:


> I think that the classical music labels need to think outside the box to thrive.


I agree. There was a long discussion about this very thing (more towards the survival of symphony orchestras) some time back on violinist dot com and many of the same conclusions were reached but no consensus.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Polyphemus said:


> Not to mention oop's cd's.


That problem is solved due to iTunes having OOP cd's on their website. No issues there


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## Wunderhorn (Feb 15, 2013)

While I have not read the entire thread I don't know if that has been brought up already, but I think there is something to consider: People don't listen anymore. They _hear_ music, but they don't _listen_ to music.

Today we have so many distractions and our responsibilities are torn in all directions. It takes effort and willpower and at least a clear decision to sit down and actually listen. If you can't do this you need something in the background and of course a lot of classical music would drive you nuts when you do not free up the capacity of attention that it demands.

I often ask people: "When was the last time you listened to an entire album (no matter what music style) without doing anything else during this time?" Most people can't even remember!

It is a bit like meditation. Yes, meditation is great, a lot of people would say, but then only few make time to actually practice it. Same with listening to music. People have simply forgotten that through pure listening it is possible to have a spiritual or at least a soulfully enriching experience that is actually worth spending the time for.


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## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

20centrfuge said:


> When I was in Junior High and even in High School, I bought classical albums SOLELY on what the cover looked like. I had no idea whether I would like it or not. I didn't even know anything about the composer! In hindsight it was a strange way of purchasing albums but that's what I did.
> 
> So...I have to agree with Albert7, here.


How very shallow-minded of an approach to geniuses. Even idiotic.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Lord Lance said:


> How very shallow-minded of an approach to geniuses. Even idiotic.


I always bought my Scheherazade albums based on the pulchritude of the chick on the LP cover. Not idiotic, merely Darwinian. And Darwin always wins, in the end.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

OP: Easy. Have more high school trips to all-Schoenberg concerts.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Maybe subliminal messages on television would help.


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## tuffy (Apr 19, 2015)

I read about how small children at a concert actually preferred the modern 'noisy' stuff.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Lord Lance said:


> How very shallow-minded of an approach to geniuses. Even idiotic.


Not at all. Presentation is always a significant factor in the sales world. Also, it isn't an approach to geniuses; it's an approach to a recording.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

tuffy said:


> I read about how small children at a concert actually preferred the modern 'noisy' stuff.


Small children also throw food on the floor, poop in their pants, and pick their noses in public.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> Small children also throw food on the floor, poop in their pants and pick their noses in public.


Yes, because adults are so much better.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Woodduck said:


> Small children also throw food on the floor, poop in their pants, and pick their noses in public.


And Hitler was a vegetarian. Any more red herring with your white wine?


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

GreenMamba said:


> Although the impact may be delayed. They may have to go through those teen years where they worry about what their peers like, and then get back into it when they grow up. A lot of things are like that.


Teach them to think for themselves then. That may be useful in a lot of other situations too (drug-related for example).


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## tuffy (Apr 19, 2015)

What type of classical music should become more popular?


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> And Hitler was a vegetarian. Any more red herring with your white wine?


I'm whined out, myself.

Twelve-tone may not be champagne, but it's still whine- with or without children.

:angel:


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> And Hitler was a vegetarian. Any more red herring with your white wine?


The point - for those who are egregiously evading it - is that the noise preferences of small children are indicative of nothing and irrelevant to the topic at hand.

The fishiness is all yours.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Woodduck said:


> The point - for those who are egregiously evading it - is that the noise preferences of small children are indicative of nothing and irrelevant to the topic at hand.
> 
> The fishiness is all yours.


Well, it's relevant to the wider argument of naturalness, is it not? Smaller children haven't yet been prejudiced against contemporary classical music. If we introduce it to them at a younger age and it becomes part of their vocabulary, it may help to enliven the audience for classical music as a whole.

Your remarks were irrelevant because the tendencies of small children outside of music are not related to their response to music.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

After thinking about all these posts, I am puzzled why many people thinking that classical music becoming more popular is such a bad thing.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Albert7 said:


> After thinking about all these posts, I am puzzled why many people thinking that classical music becoming more popular is such a bad thing.


Because the only way to greater popularity is to expand how classical music is defined.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Albert7 said:


> After thinking about all these posts, I am puzzled why many people thinking that classical music becoming more popular is such a bad thing.


No one's telling anyone what to like- except of course for the post-modernists, who believe that one should like everything and judge nothing.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> Well, it's relevant to the wider argument of naturalness, is it not? Smaller children haven't yet been prejudiced against contemporary classical music. If we introduce it to them at a younger age and it becomes part of their vocabulary, it may help to enliven the audience for classical music as a whole.
> 
> Your remarks were irrelevant because the tendencies of small children outside of music are not related to their response to music.


My remark was precisely relevant to the fact that no actual point was made. Pointing out that small children prefer "modern noise music," whatever that is, does not make a point, either about music or about children. A pointless remark deserves a pointed one.

Exposing children to a wide range of music is desirable, without question. At present they are exposed primarily to garbage. What kinds of music might best inspire an interest in classical music? Well, whatever we think classical music consists of. Different children will like different things, but the idea, ultimately, is to give them an appreciation for what they are not able to appreciate at first. We may begin by appealing to their "natural" tendencies and tastes, whatever we think those are, but it's never too soon for nurture to reach beyond nature. The tendencies of small children, in music or outside of it, are to do whatever is fun to do. For most, noise is fun. They don't need our help in discovering it or making it. It's probably more "natural" for an average three-year-old to appreciate a drum set than a clarinet. It may be even more "natural" to appreciate a baseball bat and a garbage can. The more noise the better. But what's to be concluded from that? Responses to music, like every other facet of intellectual growth, are acquired and cultivated, not "natural." Or at least that's what those who claim "naturalness" for certain elements of music - such as tonality - are constantly being told around here.

Knowledge of what small children find appealing, musical or nonmusical, indicates only what humans can appreciate at a certain stage of life. It indicates nothing about their potential for development and maturity. Maturity is, after all, the goal.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Woodduck said:


> My remark was precisely relevant to the fact that no actual point was made. Pointing out that small children prefer "modern noise music," whatever that is, does not make a point, either about music or about children. A pointless remark deserves a pointed one.
> 
> Exposing children to a wide range of music is desirable, without question. At present they are exposed primarily to garbage. What kinds of music might best inspire an interest in classical music? Well, whatever we think classical music consists of. Different children will like different things, but the idea, ultimately, is to give them an appreciation for what they are not able to appreciate at first. We may begin by appealing to their "natural" tendencies and tastes, whatever we think those are, but it's never too soon for nurture to reach beyond nature. The tendencies of small children, in music or outside of it, are to do whatever is fun to do. For most, noise is fun. They don't need our help in discovering it or making it. It's probably more "natural" for an average three-year-old to appreciate a drum set than a clarinet. It may be even more "natural" to appreciate a baseball bat and a garbage can. The more noise the better. But what's to be concluded from that? Responses to music, like every other facet of intellectual growth, are acquired and cultivated, not "natural." Or at least that's what those who claim "naturalness" for certain elements of music - such as tonality - are constantly being told around here.
> 
> Knowledge of what small children find appealing, musical or nonmusical, indicates only what humans can appreciate at a certain stage of life. It indicates nothing about their potential for development and maturity. Maturity is, after all, the goal.


You are changing the topic.

This began with Hpowders jokingly suggesting that High School Students should be taken to an all-Schoenberg concert. Another user pointed out, in response, that he read that "small children at a concert actually preferred the modern 'noisy' stuff."

You pointed out some of the habits of small children, but...how small are we talking about? Are we talking about very young, or just elementary school age? I don't know what articles or studies were being referred to, so I couldn't answer that.

_Even if_ we were talking about children young enough to have the habits to which you refer, which is unlikely, it still wouldn't be relevant to whether or not exposing them to contemporary concert music would be a good thing for the popularity of classical music as a whole. You avoided the topic and ridiculed the idea.

Now you have taken the idea of "noisy" modern music (the noisy part was put in scare quotes to begin with) and transformed it into children's tendency to make noise. My impression was that children find the music that others find noisy pleasurable instead, not that they enjoy it as they would banging on pots and pans (again, what age children are we talking about?).


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> You are changing the topic.
> 
> This began with Hpowders jokingly suggesting that High School Students should be taken to an all-Schoenberg concert. Another user pointed out, in response, that he read that "small children at a concert actually preferred the modern 'noisy' stuff."
> 
> ...


I couldn't have changed or avoided a topic, since there wasn't one.

The post I responded to said that small children prefer "modern noise music." That could not have been a response to a post about high-school trips since, last I checked, high school students are teenagers, not small children. Small children are - well, small.

Again, no coherent point was made about _anything_. My jibe was to point out that pointlessness by exaggerating it. It's called humor.

As for whether exposing "them" (whoever we're talking about; there seems to be some disagreement) to contemporary concert music would be a good thing for the popularity of classical music as a whole, if someone would actually like to ask that question it might then be a topic for discussion.


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## papsrus (Oct 7, 2014)

I now understand why young people don't like classical music.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

papsrus said:


> I now understand why young people don't like classical music.


I love that posting - short and exactly on point.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Tell me again, please...why should we care how popular classical music is? Seems to me it's like somebody with enough food to last the rest of their life worrying about whether others share their tastes in cuisine.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Albert7 said:


> After thinking about all these posts, I am puzzled why many people thinking that classical music becoming more popular is such a bad thing.


Because, for some reason, people don't see any middle ground between where it is now, and turning into Justin Bieber. So they think the only way is for it to sell out. Which is silly.

Why should we want it to become more popular? So fewer orchestras will shut down. So there will be more variety of concerts in my hometown. So Classical musicians can more easily find a career. So we'll run into more people in our lives who share our hobby.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

If we care about CM (for the right reasons), we should care whether others like it, because Kant. And also, because it's a part of our cultural heritage.

I think primary education remains the best answer.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

GreenMamba said:


> Because, for some reason, people don't see any middle ground between where it is now, and turning into Justin Bieber. So they think the only way is for it to sell out. Which is silly.
> 
> Why should we want it to become more popular? So fewer orchestras will shut down. So there will be more variety of concerts in my hometown. So Classical musicians can more easily find a career. So we'll run into more people in our lives who share our hobby.


Sell out? hmmm... well the lack of popularity is what is contributing to the demise of orchestras slowly... Honestly I would love for classical music to be more popular and considering the paucity of good hip hop /rap today, I definitely could use a heck of a lotta more classical now.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

It's not the unpopularity of CM that's hurting many orchestras. It's (1) there are far cheaper and more convenient music delivery systems now, and (2) there is a paucity of "new" music that generates much buzz or excitement (not withstanding the admirable enthusiasm of some around here).


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Albert7 said:


> Sell out? hmmm... well the lack of popularity is what is contributing to the demise of orchestras slowly... Honestly I would love for classical music to be more popular and considering the paucity of good hip hop /rap today, I definitely could use a heck of a lotta more classical now.


My point is that some people take the thread to mean, how can Classical become as popular as pop? The only way is for it to become like pop, which we don't want, ergo, we don't want it to become more popular. But I disagree with this.



KenOC said:


> It's not the unpopularity of CM that's hurting many orchestras. It's (1) there are far cheaper and more convenient music delivery systems now, and (2) there is a paucity of "new" music that generates much buzz or excitement (not withstanding the admirable enthusiasm of some around here).


Then aren't those just two ways you think Classical could become more popular?


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

KenOC said:


> It's not the unpopularity of CM that's hurting many orchestras. It's (1) there are far cheaper and more convenient music delivery systems now, and (2) there is a paucity of "new" music that generates much buzz or excitement (not withstanding the admirable enthusiasm of some around here).


Indeed... also getting dressed up for classical music concerts is such as hassle. But again I'm the wrong person to ask as I tend to wear hoodies, T-shirts, and shorts to the Utah Symphony.

 And it's a lot breezier to blast Beethoven on my iPod touch.


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## mellame (May 14, 2015)

I think that it would definitely help if there were orchestras that got more creative with their performances.. More visuals. People my age today were the kids that grew up with the intentionally visually stimulating toys/books. They're easily bored. If there was just more.. pizzazz to classical music performances (ex. Lindsey Stirling) I think it would attract more young people.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

*How to make classical music more popular? *

Perhaps if Justin Bieber would take up the oboe, things might change.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

mellame said:


> I think that it would definitely help if there were orchestras that got more creative with their performances.. More visuals. People my age today were the kids that grew up with the intentionally visually stimulating toys/books. They're easily bored. If there was just more.. pizzazz to classical music performances (ex. Lindsey Stirling) I think it would attract more young people.


If people have enjoyed classical concerts for at least a couple centuries without any extra "visual stimulation", and the iPhone generation of today finds them boring, then the problem is with the iPhone generation, not with classical concerts.


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## Faustian (Feb 8, 2015)

Albert7 said:


> After thinking about all these posts, I am puzzled why many people thinking that classical music becoming more popular is such a bad thing.


Personally I don't think it would be a bad thing. As you and others have pointed out, there would be some great advantages and opportunities for the musicians and for its listeners if classical music was suddenly madly popular. I just don't believe its an art form that ever has or ever will hold an appeal for a large demographic. Even the best suggestions in this thread, like putting a greater emphasis on musical education and introducing the classics to children at a young age, would not change that fact. That's not to say I think its a bad idea; on the contrary its something I encourage and believe would certainly help the music reach those who would otherwise not have access to it, and perhaps even engender a larger appreciation for it. But it will never rival or supplant popular music.



SONNET CLV said:


> *How to make classical music more popular? *
> 
> Perhaps if Justin Bieber would take up the oboe, things might change.


Heh. Though I realize these kinds of comments are totally tongue in cheek, obviously something like this wouldn't have any real impact in making classical music more popular. At best it would make it a passing fad, in reality it would more than likely mean that Justin Bieber's next solo oboe album might have some sales and make the Billboard top 100, but it wouldn't create more of an audience for Beethoven.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

One can't make classical music any more popular than it is — not in our society.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Merciless shaming and religious arguments (rock is devil's music etc.) are probably the most efficient methods.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

OP: Bring back the rack. Oh yes! We will convert them! We will convert them but good!!!


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## papsrus (Oct 7, 2014)

Albert7 said:


> ... well the lack of popularity is what is contributing to the demise of orchestras slowly...


I keep stumbling across this notion of the "demise of orchestras." I'm skeptical.

Other than a handful that went belly up during the rather severe recession (and then often re-emerged in some form afterward), or those that had to shut down _temporarily_ due to labor issues, or file for bankruptcy -- notably Minnesota, Philadelphia, Atlanta -- can anyone provide some actual data on this "demise" of orchestras?

Minnesota, Philadelphia and Atlanta are all going strong, as far as I can tell. In some smaller markets, new orchestras emerged where established ones failed or had to file for bankruptcy (Louisville, Syracuse, Albuquerque, Honolulu). I believe all four of those cities have orchestras again. In some cases the established ones were revived. In others, a new organization was required.

But in my view, the financial hardships faced by orchestras simply a mirror the financial hardships faced by many businesses during and after the recession. They suffered staff reductions; cuts to, or the elimination of, pension obligations; and generally doing more with less. Welcome to the new normal -- lets call it operational efficiency.

Many/most of the concerts I go to are well attended. Patrons seem enthusiastic. Music festivals dot the countryside in the summer.

Now, I'm sure there is obviously some connection to be made between a fall in revenues / funding and attendance figures. But some of this drop in revenue (where it exists) can reasonably be attributed to softness in consumer spending overall (fewer concert tickets being purchased) during the recession. Some of it may also be due to the loss of donations from monied patrons, who have found more urgent needs for their money during the recession. Whatever the case, declining revenues are hardly unique to orchestras, and I doubt they are entirely due to a drop in attendance, if indeed there has been a meaningful drop in attendance.

So, if anyone can provide a list of orchestras that have shuttered for good, it would lend some credibility to the oft-repeated claims about this "demise of orchestras."


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## tuffy (Apr 19, 2015)

The point was that, in this highly anecdotal article I read, the kids were not prejudiced against modern music that many classical lovers do frown upon. I'm not sure how young they were, but young enough to not have any preconcieved ideas. I was also thinking about how there are a bunch of CD's marketed towards kids that all have a conservative repertoire.
Also if we want a lively classical musical climate in the future, one way is to expose the kids to lots of different music.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Morimur said:


> One can't make classical music any more popular than it is - not in our society.


It's popular here  All three guys in my condo listen to classical.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Albert7 said:


> Indeed... also getting dressed up for classical music concerts is such as hassle. But again I'm the wrong person to ask as I tend to wear hoodies, T-shirts, and shorts to the Utah Symphony.


So "getting dressed up" for you means slacks and a long sleeve shirt? Would you consider combing your hair as well?


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

For me, 'getting dressed up' is part of the fun - I have a vast wardrobe of long & often colourful dance skirts bought for a song (not literally!) at charity shops, & I wear a black top and smart jacket over them.

Dressing up for concerts, I'm sure, could also be fun for young people too, if one got away from the older style of evening dress / suits etc towards something lighter, cheaper and  cooler. 

We need a high profile young celebrity to get the classical bug & be photographed in such cool-dude clothes, and it would be a sure-fire way to increase the popularity of classical music concerts.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Albert7 said:


> Indeed... also getting dressed up for classical music concerts is such as hassle. But again I'm the wrong person to ask as I tend to wear hoodies, T-shirts, and shorts to the Utah Symphony.


Changing your wardrobe might improve your chances with the ladies. I suspect that not too many women are eager to go on a date with someone who's dressed like he plans to rob a bank on the way home.


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## jen17 (May 15, 2015)

Someone popular amongst the younger generation who becomes an advocate for classical music could be a start. At college classical fm would be on everyday in the library and ever since I have taken a liking to it myself, so here I am sitting in my home office with my feet up on a footstool from www.decur.co.uk typing away on my laptop with john suchet on my radio.


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## TwoPhotons (Feb 13, 2015)

I think that classical music is popular enough among young people - everybody knows Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite, Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King, R. Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra opening...sure they don't actively go out and search for new classical recordings like we do, but we can't make them do that. I honestly think that classical music hasn't deteriorated in popularity but people (especially younger people) just don't go to classical concerts as often. Which is a shame because after all the concert experience is the ultimate listening experience. They probably choose to go to the Glastonbury Festival instead of the BBC Proms because of the atmosphere in such pop music festivals (camping with friends etc.) The Royal Albert Hall on the other hand is already so full of adults that a young person coming with his friends might feel a bit out of place (which is, again, a shame). 

One thing that is certainly different now however is the lack of attention given to composers. I find it hard to imagine a modern classical composer who would be popular (perhaps the closest thing to that is film composers such as Zimmer and Williams). Or perhaps it's not that unusual and today's composers will receive the same popularity as people like Rachmaninoff and Mahler in 100 years.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

What I would love to see emerging is somekind of semi-classical semi-pop, or classical influenced rock/electronic-music/whatever (and that would be more than having synth orchestra or harpsichords) genre emerging.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Tchaikovsky's great 1812 overture should be used more often for example during festive periods like fireworks.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

You want to make it more popular, you have to juice it up a bit-a good rhythm section, electric guitars, etc;


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## tuffy (Apr 19, 2015)

Not making fun of flashier performers like Lang Lang would perhaps help. Or rather not making fun of people who like Lang Lang.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Seriously, probably the only way to make it more popular is if popular movie stars come out and say how great it is.

Folks like Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie.

The masses would follow.


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## Baregrass (Feb 16, 2015)

ArtMusic said:


> Tchaikovsky's great 1812 overture should be used more often for example during festive periods like fireworks.


I think that is a good idea.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Seriously, probably the only way to make it more popular is if popular movie stars come out and say how great it is.
> 
> Folks like Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie.
> 
> The masses would follow.


Awww, h! Say it ain't so! Say it ain't so, h!


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## GhenghisKhan (Dec 25, 2014)

Women in bikinis = best.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

GhenghisKhan said:


> Women in bikinis = best.


Other approaches may work as well. Need more Yuja Wang!


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

KenOC said:


> Other approaches may work as well. Need more Yuja Wang!


She is, of course, a brilliant pianist besides other attractions


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

tuffy said:


> Not making fun of flashier performers like Lang Lang would perhaps help. Or rather not making fun of people who like Lang Lang.


People who do that are shooting classical music in the foot. Whatever we might think, Lang Lang has communicated classical music to a more diverse audience than others. He is a communicator! Help if the sneers like Norman Lebrecht and co would realise this!


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Dim7 said:


> What I would love to see emerging is somekind of semi-classical semi-pop, or classical influenced rock/electronic-music/whatever (and that would be more than having synth orchestra or harpsichords) genre emerging.


Something along those lines is happening in what you might call the artier section of rock - compositions by Bryce Dessner, Jonny Greenwood, and Richard Reed Parry released by DG; Steve Reich paying homage to Radiohead; recent works by the Bang On A Can composers, like David Lang's Death Speaks and Julia Wolfe's Anthracite Fields; Missy Mazzoli and her band Victoire; and so on. The lines are getting blurrier.


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## Guest (May 17, 2015)

It is all a matter of education,sensitivity and the will to explore.When you have a father who is playing an instrument the child will more and easily be interested.My father used to play the accordeon,it was not the music I liked but I saw also how he listened to records and that was like an invitatation.The way he listened,the details,the art of listening.My father did'n like classical music but his love for music did make all the difference.When I was a child I went to church every Sunday and after the mass I listened to the organ while almosts everyone else was hurrying to go home. I was listening to Bach without knowing it.My first lp was the 5th from Beethoven and I choose Karajan above Jochum.When I listened to a second symphony I did not like it.It was the seventh symphony from Beethoven.I was disappointed that there was so little I could hear from the fith symphony.All the music I knew was a repetition of similar melodies.It took me years to find my way in the world of classical music.I was very keen to discover for myself the beauty of so many music.Very often I did not liked it and listened again.The first time I heard Debussy,it was a piano piece and a life performance and I was surpised by the idea that I could hear automobiles in the music! It was music that was of the same era than the automobile.It was fascinating.I explored everything from Machaut,Perotin to Messiaen and futher.When I was younger ,tears came more easy ,now is it more an uplifting moment of joy and extacy.I have no real preference for a period.I like all ,a mind who is eager to explore,a hungry mind,that is what it takes!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Awww, h! Say it ain't so! Say it ain't so, h!


Oh it be so, Mo. It be so!!!


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Composers should write symphonic poems about erotic literature.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

How to make classical music more popular?

Get rid of all the slow movements.


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