Much has been written about how Apple’s iPod
and similar devices have revolutionized the pop music business. People who own
the portable MP3 players download individual songs for 99 cents apiece, and
record companies are trying to wrap their earbuds
around all the implications the technology has for profit-making ventures.

Less has been written about how iPods
and other personal music devices are affecting the feeble classical music
recording industry. But so far, the news is mostly good.

Classical music downloads account for a whopping 12 percent
of Apple’s online music purchases. That’s amazing, since back in pre-iPod days, classical CDs accounted for only 3 percent of
all music sales.

The reasons for the surge in popularity are unclear, since
the traditional classical recording industry remains incredibly sluggish.
Earlier this month, Warner Classics shut down its operation, leaving 40 highly
skilled artists out in the cold and just three major labels producing a few
dozen new classical CDs a year.

But orchestras and artists remain undeterred. They hope they
can reach listeners directly, and they’re targeting those who are willing to
pay online.

The Los
Angeles, San Francisco, and Milwaukee symphony
orchestras have started offering downloadable concerts for $9.99 each. Artists
such as singer Andrea Bocelli and cellist Yo-Yo Ma
are consistently listed in the Top 10 downloaded classical musicians. The New York Times reports that in 2005,
classical album downloads were up by 94 percent.

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the few
American symphonies that still records CDs, is aware of the possibilities. In a
few weeks, RPO musicians will offer podcasts from
Vail, Colorado;
audio diaries of their upcoming trip out West. But those are just voices
talking, not music.

“We’re not there yet,” says RPO assistant director of
marketing Janice Hanson, who says that since the musicians’ current contracts
would not permit online distribution, the RPO isn’t yet making plans to offer
downloadable concerts.

For users, the iPod blurs the
lines between classical and everything else. Its shuffle feature, which allows
listeners to mix up the order of what they’re listening to, disregards genre.
So, for example, if you like Mozart and Etta James and the Dixie Chicks and you
hit “shuffle,” you might hear the Overture
toThe Magic Flute followed by
“Stop the Wedding” followed by “Not Ready to Make Nice,” not necessarily in
that order.

A random survey of Rochester
musicians and classical music listeners shows people sense boundaries are
dissipating.

“My range of listening has opened up considerably,” writes
Suzuki violin teacher Lynn Rubier-Capron, who got her
iPod two months ago. So far, she’s loaded some
classical music, Scottish fiddle tunes, and a few books on tape, which she
listens to in the car. “I am much quicker to mix genres in one sitting,” she
says. “I try new things out and disregard them if I don’t like them.”

Other users find they’re now ignoring traditional outlets. “I tend to not listen to radio or CDs as much,” says Wade
Richards, head of the music therapy department at the Hochstein School of Music
and Dance.

Classical fan Laura Garrison had the same experience. When
she received an iPod about a year ago, she loaded it
up with everything
she likes and a few things for people around her: ska
for her husband, rap for her son, and big band for her
father. Then she realized she wasn’t hearing anything new.

“I
try to take the free iTunes download every week so I
can get something I wouldn’t necessarily know about,” she writes via e-mail. “I
also listen to the radio a little each day (WXXI-FM, where Garrison works) to
keep expanding the scope of classical music I like.”

Others are less
charmed with the device. Violin teacher Margaret Coote, who just bought an iPod
from her brother-in-law, finds it frustrating.

“It’s
clear that the iPod was not designed with classical
music in mind,” she complains. For one thing, there’s not enough space on the
screen for all the information on what she’s listening to — the composer,
name of piece, and performers. Coote also finds fault
with the way the iPod chops up longer works into
short sections.

“I actually think this is also breaking down the idea of a
concept album in rock and pop, which is too bad. Our idea of music is becoming
an endless succession of singles,” she says.

Singer Allyn Van Dusen, who shares an iPod with
her family,says
she misses physical CDs with booklets and artwork and texts. She says, “I do
regret the likelihood that physical media like CDs will decline and perhaps
disappear altogether.”

That may happen. Bandwidth may trump plastic. But the music
it delivers will work the same as it ever did, enchanting listeners with its
melodies, rhythms, and allure.

Brenda Tremblay
hosts weekly concerts by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Tuesdays at 8
p.m. on Classical 91.5, WXXI-FM.

This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2006.