RE: Recording is the death of Music
I think that the idea that live performances can be good/bad, inspiring/boring and all manner of experiences is what makes it great! Part of it is the performer, part of the the surrounds, part of it is the approach of the listener. What one person finds insipid, another might rave about! The imperfections and subtleties of a evolving live performance mean that there are many ideas on how it is received!
Accessibility is a big issue though. Recordings have definitely been good for extending the reach of music. However, I would argue it is a weak shadow of what music really is. As long as the audience (and musicians) can draw that distinction, then I would be happy, unfortunately, I'm not sure that they can draw the distinction.
In the end, I would have to say that recording, like all tools, is a plus and a minus. I speak from a privileged position of being a musician, and being able to easily (relatively) access live performances from all over Europe.
I have to admit I'm not a musician, although my nephew is a very good one, so I get to see some of the recording processes, as well as his wonderful live performances.
And I do think there are some atrocious recordings about these days using all sorts of gimmicky techniques. That's probably why when I have the radio on (usually in my car) I mostly listen to classical music. And I love going to live classical music performances - when I can afford to!
Yes, that is a problem. The ticket prices of concerts has gotten really out of hand... Maybe it is time to start supporting local acts, where the overhead is not so high.
To tell the truth, I hate listening to music from recordings. If I do listen to things, it will be spoken podcasts.