Can Dave Hurwitz Save Classical Recording?

[CelesteCadenza]

Thus reads the headline of a recent article in The New Yorker that may be of interest here, as Mr Hurwitz has often been the subject of comments in this forum. I found the piece balanced, though if you have watched any of Hurwitz on YouTube, there may not be that much new to glean from it.

This is a link to the magazine itself; I'm not certain that it can be freely accessed by non-subscribers but here it is:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/can-dave-hurwitz-save-classical-recording?

If you find that you are unable to access the full article, someone on the Dutch "Klassieke muziek discussiegroep" Facebook page has reprinted it here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/klassiekemuziekNL/posts/3791160047684116/

From the New Yorker piece I did first learn of "A Book of the Symphony" (1937) by B.H. Haggin wherein the reader is instructed to use a ruler to place the needle of a 78 rpm gramophone player to audition the exact spot of music on the shellac surface corresponding to that being discussed in his book.

The full text of Haggin's book can be freely 'borrowed' at archive.org:
https://archive.org/details/bookofsymphony0000hagg/page/n21/mode/2up

[eschiss1]

... from the title alone I have to say I no longer regret cancelling my subscription. What...?!

[Alan Howe]

No - is the short answer. But we still have cpo et al...

[FBerwald]

Or. Another short Answer - Yes! With traffic over 10 million, the chances of atleast 1/4th of DH's audience stumbling / exploring more classical music is more than - and I'm sorry to say (for ex.), a forum like ours, where thanks to super micromanaged discussions, the number of visitors have to a trickled down from say 10 years back. DH is not everyone's cup of tea but he reaches more people, that is the important thing. If it's being talked about, it's alive! Of course, I'm assuming that the "converted" or "inspired" audience of DH actually go out and buy or subscribe to classical record labels/channels. Else the recording business is destined to decline just in every genre - classical, pop, jazz... 

[Alan Howe]

but he reaches more people

This forum isn't designed to do that, though. We serve a specialist market...

[Ilja]

Or. Another short Answer - Yes! With traffic over 10 million, the chances of atleast 1/4th of DH's audience stumbling / exploring more classical music is more than - and I'm sorry to say (for ex.), a forum like ours, where thanks to super micromanaged discussions, the number of visitors have to a trickled down from say 10 years back. DH is not everyone's cup of tea but he reaches more people, that is the important thing. If it's being talked about, it's alive! Of course, I'm assuming that the "converted" or "inspired" audience of DH actually go out and buy or subscribe to classical record labels/channels. Else the recording business is destined to decline just in every genre - classical, pop, jazz...

What I appreciate is the attention he pays to the Unsung, and the unfiltered (but not unreasonable) way in which he does it. Often, as we have experienced here, it's a good start for a discussion or a rekindling of interest. There's lots to agree and disagree with, but I think in our small world it's an important new(ish) voice.

Having said that, 10 million views is nothing in Youtube terms, particularly once you realize he's nearing the 5,000 video mark at this point. Most of his videos average between 2000-3000 views, with some going as high as 10,000 or thereabouts but others much lower as well, and presumably largely from a returning audience (Some basic statistics here). On the other hand, there aren't a lot of YT channels, let alone critics, devoted to classical music that match his subscriber count.

What encourages me is that the channel is still growing, as is his viewership average. Personally, I'd wish he'd be not quite so prolific and a bit more focused so his more profound stuff wouldn't get overwhelmed by the 700th foray into his own CD collection. A second channel might solve that problem. But the fact that he's beginning to get noticed, and this New Yorker article is perhaps as important as the channel itself, in a way.

So, to answer the question: no, but I think he's already been quite important in bringing wider attention to thusfar neglected musical voices. And to be honest, not all aspects of the critical music industrial complex are worth saving.

[eschiss1]

I'd debate the "not unreasonable". He makes enough negative ex cathedra statements about composers who if people have heard of them at all have been insulted by critical opinion enough, and if they -haven't-...