# What to do when no one is interested in recording a beautiful concert?



## vincentfernandes

Hello everyone.

On 1 December, Scottish film composer Patrick Doyle will celebrate his 60th birthday with the London Symphony Orchestra, and Emma Thompson will appear as a guest. More info can be found here:

http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=14508

Apparently the combination of Thompson, the LSO and magnificent, moving classical music is still not engough to spark even the slightest bit of interest. BBC Radio 3 has no plans to record it, and worst of all, Classic FM has just let me know they did havep lans that fell through because of a lack of funding. How much can it cost to place a few microphones in a concert hall?

It is impossible for me to attend this concert, though I would do a great deal to make sure someone recorded it. Does anyone have any advice? Would it be worth asking how much money they are lacking and see if I can collect some? Are there agencies who specialise in recording concerts that I could contact? This is absolute madness. A once-in-a-life-time concert is about to take place and go ounnoticed!


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## Ukko

You need only one of the pocket-sized digital recorders available for a couple hundred dollars, a 3rd row center seat, and someone to sit there with the recorder.


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## PetrB

Film score composers, for the most part, are hired to write a score, paid for that in one lump sum, with the film production / film company then permanently owning the full copyright of the score and any studio recording made for the film.

There ya go, a practical reason for why this one will not be recorded. Someone owns it who is in no way feeling a socio-democratic spirit ala the U.K., the Beeb, or some other European Arts funding and functions.

The commercial big boys and girls already own almost all the music, and they will not let it go without asking too great a price for the Beeb, or allow another recording to compete with their own. [None of this is a certain known fact, but it is a very high likelihood those are the mechanics in play around your particular question.]


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## Guest

As Petrb states, the main reason could be problems over copyright and royalties, making it uneconomic for the Beeb or any other outfit to consider recording it.

In any case, the Beeb had a big feature several weeks ago, running over a couple of weeks, show-casing lots of famous film music over the past century or so. They probably reckon that their audiences have had enough of this kind of thing for the time being.


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## vincentfernandes

But doesn't that make this whole concert even dafter, then? I mean, why mobilise the LSO and Emma Thompson if the only people that will be able to hear this are the ones who were lucky to buy tickets? It isn't the best day to organise a concert, either. One day I am committing suicide over copyright issues...


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## Matsps

vincentfernandes said:


> But doesn't that make this whole concert even dafter, then? I mean, why mobilise the LSO and Emma Thompson if the only people that will be able to hear this are the ones who were lucky to buy tickets? It isn't the best day to organise a concert, either. One day I am committing suicide over copyright issues...


Aren't most concerts only available to be heard by those who get tickets? Are you saying we shouldn't bother putting on any decent concerts anywhere unless you don't have to buy a ticket to see it?


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## vincentfernandes

No, you're right... That was a stupid thing to say... I just hate the fact that no one was interested in recording this beautiful music. Some composers in the film world receive awards like it's a trifle, but this man's talent just isn't recognised properly.


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## PetrB

vincentfernandes said:


> No, you're right... That was a stupid thing to say... I just hate the fact that no one was interested in recording this beautiful music. Some composers in the film world receive awards like it's a trifle, but this man's talent just isn't recognised properly.


It is possible that you, and maybe the composer and his immediate family, are the only ones to hold that opinion.


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