This is an old story first written by Gene Weingarten from the Washington Post.

I will make it short.

Joni Mitchell wrote a song “Playing real good for free” about a musician she noticed on the street who was really good. No one stopped to listen to him. No one paid him any money for his efforts. But he was really good. The song is about contrasts – she drives in a limo and gets escorted around. Guy on corner is good gets no attention.

Here is story.

A onetime child prodigy, at 39 Joshua Bell is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso. He goes to a subway station to busk looking like a normal busker. Three days before he appeared at the subway station, Bell had filled the house at Boston’s stately Symphony Hall, where merely pretty good seats went for $100. He played for one hour. Over 1000 people passed by him. No one noticed who he was. He made $34.00 after playing for one hour.

Here is the video of Joshua Bell.

 

The issue.

Digby from Hullabaloo says – “The problem isn’t with people’s ability to understand anything but the most insipid music around. The problem is that great music is too hard to find, too hard to learn about, too hard to hear live.”

He has a point.