Classical Musicians Applaud the Web

Sites help lure new audiences for their works

These days, even the most technophobic performers are using terms like "streaming audio" and incorporating Web sites and e-mail communication into their strategies as they reach out for bookings and listeners. Some artists, like the violin virtuoso Aaron Rosand, see the Internet as a rescuer of classical music, with its capacity to create new audiences and make performances available through online CD sales or audio downloads. "Rosand, 74, has had a professionally designed Web site (www.aaronrosand.com) since 1998. "Personally, I'm not into computers," said the musician, who prefers to spend his time tending to his violin, "But I do know this is the way the world is moving. The Internet is opening up an entirely new world for classical musicians, especially recording artists. It's responsible for a tremendous resurgence of interest in recordings."

Rosand's site offers links to online music retailers as well as an order form for buying CDs from Artkor, a direct marketing company established by the violinist's brother, Raymond Rosen. Visitors can read reviews of the recordings and the occasional note from Rosand himself. The site also includes links to online retailers and MP3.com, where seven selections from his albums can be downloaded at no charge. Rosand says he supports the downloading of music from the Internet as long as the artist's rights are protected. "I personally feel that the more music is made available online, the more fans it creates," he wrote in the online magazine MusicDish last year. "The Internet has opened up an entirely new recording career for me," Rosand said.

--Nancy Beth Jackson, January 21, 2002
Excerpted from article © 2002, Chicago Tribune.