The Importance of Appropriate Venue

There was a recent blog by artist Robert Genn about an experiment by the famous violinist Julian Bell -- who usually plays with great symphony orchestras in fabulous concert halls. One day, he went down to the Washington metro station, opened up his violin case, and played for free (and the occasional tip thrown into the case of his million-dollar Stradivarius).

Hardly anyone paid him any attention; he received $34 in tips for 43 minutes worth of playing -- or about $40/hr. -- much less than the nearly $1000/minute he usually makes playing in fancy concert venues. Very few people stopped even for a few moments to listen; one person recognized him.

What does that say about where one displays one's talents? Without all the trappings of legitimacy conferred on artists, how many people will pass your work by?

For more of this story, some discussion by artists, and a link to a very compressed version of the video of Bell's experiment, click on the title link.