High school basketball game … $5
High school football game … $7
High school band and orchestra concert … Priceless.
No, literally, it’s without a price tag.
Because I have a vast knowledge of music and I follow current trends and activity within the industry, people commonly ask me why music sales are so low. Even the biggest artists in the world aren’t moving product, and sales seem to be declining each and every year.
After I point a finger at illegal downloading practices and music streaming services like Spotify, I usually question the personal value that is currently placed on music. I’m just not sure if music has the same worth to this generation as it has had in past generations.
We have award winning music programs in Naperville, with Neuqua being presented the Grammy for tops in the entire country a couple of times now; yet, we still don’t charge for a concert ticket. Why is that?
If you’ve ever seen a Christmas production like Neuqua’s Crystal Concert or Waubonsie’s Prism Concert, you know how extraordinary the experience can be. Every year the 2-plus hours of non-stop music leaves me joyful; yet, I feel guilty that I didn’t pay for the hard work and the brilliance.
Luckily, Naperville has a supportive community of donors and an educational foundation that funds these amazing programs, but most communities aren’t as blessed and end up narrowing their scope or shutting their music programs down completely. I think we need to start putting a value on music and the incredibly talented musical athletes that create it.
Five dollars for a band and orchestra concert… Now THAT would be priceless.
