Recorded Accompaniment and the Extinction of Live Musicians

Live musicians and accompanists may be an endangered species.  Why?  Many theater and music programs, due to budget constraints or other reasons, are trading in their live accompanists and musicians for pre-recorded accompaniment tracks.  The increasing availability of recorded musical theater accompaniment tracks makes this a cheap and easy option for a theater director who wants to put more money into a fancy set and costumes.  A local school near me is using recorded tracks instead of an accompanist this year, after several years of using accompanists.  Several local churches are increasingly using recorded tracks with their choirs. Even the Red Hot Chili Peppers admitted to using a pre-recorded track at the Superbowl this year!  It seems that recordings are all the rage.  We have the technology, and the sound equipment, so why not?  We can give everyone a perfect performance and fake it, or lip-sync, although I don't think I could fake it on my piano.  So what's the problem with all this recording madness?

The problem is that it's not real!  

I think our technology has made superficiality comfortable to us.  In our virtual, hyper-edited realities on Facebook, Youtube, and TV, we are ok with fakeness.  We project falsely perfect worlds in our electronic media, making everyone think that perfect is the only way to be.  Does this have anything to do with the fact that depression has reached epidemic levels in our country?  I think so.  Back when I taught piano, my students were so used to hearing perfect, edited recordings on the radio, they couldn't be satisfied with their performance unless it had the same degree of flawlessness.  I had to keep reminding them that all that stuff they hear on the radio is not a real performance, but the result of many, many takes and many hours of studio time.  But that is another rant for another day. 

Back on track.  It's time take the megaphone and give my loud and brazen opinion on the matter:  

LIVE MUSIC IS ALWAYS BETTER!  Canned music always degrades the performance.  It also gives the audience the message that music must be absolutely perfect, or it's not good enough.  And it gives the accompanist who is sometimes replaced with a recorded track that he or she it not good enough. 

In the 13 years I've been a musical theater accompanist, I've been lucky to work with several directors who understand the value of a live accompanist or pit band.  This has helped me to stay gainfully employed as I utilize my piano skills.  Here is why accompanists or a live band are more desirable in performance:

1. Live music is impressive and more exciting.  It has the wow factor that recordings don't.
2. Trained musicians need employment!  Yes, we need to work!  Don't replace us with recordings!
3. A live accompanist or pit band can slow down or speed up with a singer who is not on tempo.
4. A live accompanist can transpose with a transposing keyboard if the key is too high/ low for the singer.
5. A live accompanist or pit band can skip ahead and find the singer when s/he skips a few bars.  This does happen, and a pre-recorded accompaniment can spell disaster in these instances.  
6. There is no substitute for the human factor, and the energy and feeling that a live band or accompanist projects.
7. A singer can decide to spontaneously hold a note extra long for impact/ expression, and the musicians can adjust.  This adds an extra element of freshness that recordings don't have.  Each performance is unique and is not controlled by the timing of the track.
8. In theater, the time it takes to accomplish action or dialogue sometimes varies, and musicians can lengthen or shorten musical underscoring where needed. 

I do invite your comments on the matter.  Chime in!