sounds about right
A statistic quoted by someone writing about the irrelevance to potential pupils of much music taught in schools. Six percent take up music courses offered.
Back in the early '60s the only keyboard instruments available for general sale were acoustic pianos, electric & electronic organs. The question was asked of the industry. 'Why are almost no organs built for professional use?'
The answer given was that professionals were only one percent of the market. Multiplying those figures means that one percent of six percent of people are professional musicians. That is six people in every ten thousand.
The experience of professionals, as I see it, is that there is a one percent chance of making a living from music, the rest do it out of working hours. That leaves six in one million. Probably no more than one percent of those will make a fortune.
That makes six in a hundred million. There are about six thousand million people on Earth, fifty million in Britain. Three hundred and sixty will become wealthy from music, only three in this country.
http://www.ronlebar.com/tech.htm
I would almost agree with this but he ignores the fact that in the 1980's semi-professional or hobby musicians started buying professional equipment beliving that it would be a passport to success, hence companies spend millions on R&D for professional instruments still...people are so obsessed with the notion of celebrity that they now demand to access to the same gear as thier idols...
Back in the early '60s the only keyboard instruments available for general sale were acoustic pianos, electric & electronic organs. The question was asked of the industry. 'Why are almost no organs built for professional use?'
The answer given was that professionals were only one percent of the market. Multiplying those figures means that one percent of six percent of people are professional musicians. That is six people in every ten thousand.
The experience of professionals, as I see it, is that there is a one percent chance of making a living from music, the rest do it out of working hours. That leaves six in one million. Probably no more than one percent of those will make a fortune.
That makes six in a hundred million. There are about six thousand million people on Earth, fifty million in Britain. Three hundred and sixty will become wealthy from music, only three in this country.
http://www.ronlebar.com/tech.htm
I would almost agree with this but he ignores the fact that in the 1980's semi-professional or hobby musicians started buying professional equipment beliving that it would be a passport to success, hence companies spend millions on R&D for professional instruments still...people are so obsessed with the notion of celebrity that they now demand to access to the same gear as thier idols...