Music critic Mark Kroll says the pundits may be wrong; that classical music fans may catch up with the rest of the music-listening public and avail themselves of internet-based music distribution. But his hopeful finish does not address some of the more serious concerns he raised earlier in the piece. If struggling American music companies are not subsidized like their European counterparts, they simply cannot afford to record much music (which they would have to do even with internet-based distribution), and the musicians cannot make a living. And American family life, community life, our pop culture and our educational system do not foster an appreciation of serious music — neither jazz or world music (except where they are assimilated into ‘crossover’ products), classical or so-called ‘new’ music.

Music critic Mark Kroll says the pundits may be wrong; that classical music fans may catch up with the rest of the music-listening public and avail themselves of internet-based music distribution. But his hopeful finish does not address some of the more serious concerns he raised earlier in the piece. If struggling American music companies are not subsidized like their European counterparts, they simply cannot afford to record much music (which they would have to do even with internet-based distribution), and the musicians cannot make a living. And American family life, community life, our pop culture and our educational system do not foster an appreciation of serious music — neither jazz or world music (except where they are assimilated into ‘crossover’ products), classical or so-called ‘new’ music.