Cheaper ways to record soundtracks

I'll love to hear the La Cage Revival "soundboarded" by example !!!

I think this an amazing idea! I for one have many times wished I could have had a recording of a particular performance I was at preserved. Like when mistakes happen, or ad-libs, etc. Also, there have been some amazing performances by replacements in shows that went unrecorded. (Brooke Shields - how does she merit a cast recording EVERY time she replaces in a show?!?!?) They would also cut WAY down on unauthorized recordings being made. I for one would rather pay for a sound board recording rather than have something I taped myself with an old recorder shoved under my a$$. Now, how do we get the Weisslers, et al to agree?!?!?

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I also prefer live recordings. Especially operas and other vocal music. Very often studio recordings get a lot of pitch correction, today, even recordings of shows that often get done on a low budget and quickly get pitch correction.

But a live recording rarely gets pitch correction because its hard to do outside of the studio.

Live recordings also give a more real idea of what good singing sounds like when its done well, live.

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Remember that, rock musicians aren't unionized and can get away with all sorts of things cheaply.

For Broadway, however, studio or no studio, under Equity rules you STILL have to pay every performer the equivalent of I believe, two weeks salary for the performance. And I imagine the Musician's union will make sure that their players will get a couple of weeks salary as well (not using studio musicians doesn't mean you won't have to pay the live unionized musicians EXACTLY the same rate). There will still be costs for engineering and remastering the recording digitally, as well as the manufacturing (pressing the CD, making the CD inserts and jewel boxes, cover art), and distribution costs.

Altogether, because of all the union minimums involved, you're still looking at a six-figure cost (though perhaps a bit less with a very small show), even to produce and distribute a crappy sound board recording of a show (and you can completely forget about the League of American Theaters, producers, theatre owners, Equity, the musicians union et al EVER allowing anyone to make their own bootleg recordings of a show -- it will absolutely NEVER happen).

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you beat me to it Margo.
I second everything you said.

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You cannot get upset about it!
As a union member I think performers are perfectly within their rights to get a decent payment for their performance when it is recorded. Not to mention all the people that are part of the production team that also use their skill and talent to create something as intricate as a Broadway Musical.

When you compare the salary of a Broadway performer(especially a chorus member) to that of other skilled laborers working at the top of their profession then maybe you would understand.

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Movin out was recorded in this style and I think that the OLC of starlight express was done this way as well. I recall reading an article round the time of the release of the movin out album and it talked about how it was cheaper then the typical broadway album. It was done in one shot over the course of one preformance. That album was clearly done via soundboard. And you would think that doing it that way would be cheaper then spending the time to hire the studio tech and all the people that have to be in the studio when an album is being made.

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"Remember that, rock musicians aren't unionized and can get away with all sorts of things cheaply."

Actually Margo, I believe you'll find that most major touring rock musicians are members of the American Federation of Musicians. The reason rock acts are encouraging inexpensive live recordings isn't because they don't have union protection, it's because they've realized that there's money to be made from all those rabid fans who want as many live recordings as they can get their hands on.

I think Broadway and its unions are woefully behind the times with regards to recording shows live. It's time for a separate "promotional" live recording scale to be agreed upon by the performing unions so that Broadway musicals can start taking advantage of modern promotional opportunities. I would happily pay $50 for a good quality live DVD of most musicals I've seen, even if it's purchased on the understanding that the video won't delivered for several years or until the show closes. I think any Broadway musical that expects to be noticed by younger audiences should have a few broadcast quality live videos of their best numbers circulating when previews start. Flood those video ipods and online sharing sites with these clips. I believe Spring Awakening has already done this.

Musicals such as Lestat and Pirate Queen have tried online "video blogs" to promote their shows, but from what I've seen Pirate Queen's Castcom never once showed more than a few seconds of any music from the show. Too expensive. Are the unions really helping their members by setting astronomical recording scales that make it impossible to effectively market shows online?

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"When you compare the salary of a Broadway performer(especially a chorus member) to that of other skilled laborers working at the top of their profession then maybe you would understand. "

I was going to stay out of this thread until I read the above statement. If we only discuss Broadway, then this claim is ridiculous. At actor's minimum, an performer, if the show runs for the year, will make over $67,000. The median income for Manhattan (believe it or not) is only $34,000. The average income for Americans is around $50,000. So let's not say that actors are underpaid, when they make more than a great many people who do a Hell of lot Mre important and worthwhile work (teachers, prosecutors, doctors not in private practice, firemen, policemen, the armed forces, etc.). Now, in reality, we kinow that most actors dob't work a full year acting. However, you know what you are getting into when you chose the profession. So bitching about not making enough money is not the problem of people who actually do real work for a living not making close to anything an employed union actor would make. While it is certain that when the show's a hit and the producer's are raking in the money that everyone deserves their fair share, but let's not get too greedy when most shows don't even turn a profit, and its the producers who lose money, not the actors.

Now, to the topic at hand. Soundboard recordings would never be commercial quality. They would need to bring in additional equipment to bring it to that level.

I also want to point out that the Union rules regarding recordings are not just about making money for the actor. It is about protecting the Live theatrical experience.

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"I agree that performing is probably a whole lot more fun than ditch digging, but do not insult the acting community by denigrating their profession. Your comment is offensive. "

Oh give me a break! While I enjoy entertainment as much as the next person, let's not group actors with people who have jobs that matter. I left the profession because I was tired of working with people who thought they had the most demanding job and that what they did benefitted the world, when in reality many actors just don't want to work a real job (that, and I really didn't like it that much, I thought my time was best served working in a lab trying to cure diseases). I don't blame them for that, who wants an office job? Or ditch-digging? Or waiting tables? But to pretend that acting is something noble or important is ridiculous.

We Will Rock You was recorded live in the theatre in London, across the course of 3 performance over two days.