…

“Two hundred years ago, there were a lot of violinists. Many made a living at it.

If you were of means and wanted to hear music, your best option was to hire someone to play it for you.

Of course, the invention of the phonograph and the radio changed all of that.

Now, one great violinist could be heard by millions, not dozens of people.

The result is that there are now only two sorts of violinists:

• People who play the violin because they love it. They might get paid, but they probably don’t.
• People who are so good at playing the violin that it’s worth hiring them instead of listening to a recording. They bring humanity, possibility and power to their performance in a way that no streaming service ever could.

If you are hoping to make a living as a pretty good violinist, you were born in the wrong century.

As you’ve already guessed, we’re all violinists now.”

~

No one says it quite like Seth.

“They bring humanity, possibility and power to their performance in a way that no streaming service ever could.”

If you’re an on-air talent, those words should mean everything to you. 

Every song ever recorded is at the fingertips of your listener – of every listener everywhere – instantly available and in the precise order s/he wants to hear them. 

If you aren’t bringing humanity, possibility, emotion and power between the songs you play on your show, you are wasting an enormous stage and hastening your own demise.

“If you are hoping to make a living as a pretty good violinist, you were born in the wrong century.”

And if you’re a pretty good air talent hoping to make a real living, you’re too late.

You need to excel, sound like no one else in your town, better than anyone else I can hear, offer surprise and delight every time I listen, or accept that you are easily replaceable and therefore not worth much money.