Recently, a baritone friend showed me one of his Visa bills. Among standard charges (some $22.50 movie tickets here, a $15 medical co-pay there, a few $3 lattes in between) were some shockers: two Amazon.com orders, one totaling $127.01 and another clocking in at $54.95; almost $200 spent on the iTunes store; and over $75 spent at what were nearly bi-weekly visits to an online sheet music distributor.
Granted, he’d had a busy month performing an opera, learning two new roles, and prepping for various auditions. But when I asked him how much he’d read of the texts purchased that month, he fell silent. Which speaks volumes.
It is every singer’s responsibility to do as much research on roles or arias as possible, whether it’s from other interpretations, texts/source materials, or one’s own work in lessons and coaching sessions. And while this can be one of the most expensive aspects of being a singer, it doesn’t have to be.
Make It Melodic
Knowing what you have is one of the easiest ways to save money. How many times have you shelled out $5 for a copy of “J’ai perdu mon Eurydice” or “Erlkönig” only to later find it in one of your anthologies or folders? Take a cash-conserving tip from soprano Barbara Hodder, who keeps all of her music organized in an Excel database.
Each score (from Manon to Messiah) and every aria in every book goes into Hodder’s computer. “My spreadsheet has roughly 1,500 entries, and every piece I buy is entered—along with the composer, larger work, and what book it is in.”
If you have an extensive CD/MP3 collection, you can do the same for your recordings and compilations. You may be surprised by how many copies you have of a Bach cantata or a Mozart duet—and by how much you’ll save each month by knowing what you already have.
Go Digital
Getting your music library into Excel is one thing—building that library from Firefox or Internet Explorer is another game entirely. Amazon.com and Powells.com are great resources for used materials. Many CDs and books sell on Amazon for as little as $0.10, and if you have a library you’re looking to pare down, you can sell your books to Powell’s for either store credit or payment via PayPal.
If you’re looking for a more straightforward exchange, PaperBackSwap.com operates book, CD, and DVD swap sites. Over three million books are available, including Opera in Paris 1800-1850 (selling used on Amazon for over $70), Fortissimo (nearly $14 on Powells), and Mozart: A Musical Biography (retailing new for $160). You have to trade books to get books and you’re responsible for the shipping costs, but the $2 you’d spend at the post office pales in comparison to the prices you’d pay at Barnes and Noble.
Make iTunes yourTunes
Ten years ago, wanting a recording of one song meant buying the entire album. With the advent of iTunes, however, a $20 CD costs $9.99 and a single tune will generally cost less than a McDonald’s Value Meal.
But before you succumb to the ease that is racking up a $30 iTunes bill, check out its free Podcast and iTunes U resources. The former includes casts from most major opera companies and orchestras in the United States and news outlets such as the New Yorker, NPR, and Jewish cultural magazine NextCast. You’ll find interviews with composers, musicians, critics, and directors that seem too good to be gratis. iTunes U not only covers lectures and keynote speakers from such institutes as USC, the New York Public Library lecture series, and Yale University, it also offers free concerts and the occasional full-length opera from some of the top music programs across the world.
Expand Your Network—and Your Library
“I don’t think every soprano needs her Schirmer soprano anthology every day of her life,” says soprano Angela Burns. Like many singers, Burns often borrows books, CDs, and sheet music from friends, former professors, and colleagues in order to get the music and information she needs without wasting precious funds.
Whether you’re a student, a recent grad, or a seasoned pro, a system of lending and borrowing among your peers means that getting your hands on an essay on Don Giovanni, a recording of Don Pasquale, or an aria from Don Carlos costs $0.25 rather than $25. E-mail, Twitter, and Facebook can be especially helpful in getting your requests out.
“It is a complete myth that young singers are out to sabotage each other’s career at any cost,” says Burns. “We maintain our relationships and end up lending each other a hand once in a while with either the lending of a book or the sharing of information.”
“There is so much material out there that costs so much, it would be impossible to ever survive if we didn’t share materials.”
Focus your networking outside of the classical world as well for tech shopping, as composer Richard Edward Horner has done for much-needed gear—gear that, if bought for full price, would have set him back at least $100,000. “A classmate of mine from Berklee works at Sweetwater. He can usually give me the best retail quote on stuff they have in stock.” Knowing your independent and university-linked electronics sellers can come in handy when it comes to finding a recorder or iPod.
Redefine the Book Club
If you are working on a production or have a tight-knit circle of friends with similar rep, consider putting together a wish list for CDs, music, and books that you can split up in a small group. Have each person buy one item and rotate within the group—putting a new spin on a book club.
“It’s difficult not to want every new CD that graces the shelves of stores, wanting to still contribute to an industry that—as ever before—needs the support of the consumer,” says Burns. “I will still at times purchase a CD or DVD . . . one I know a friend doesn’t have, and again we will share our materials back and forth: ‘I’ll lend you my Natalie Dessay DVD if I can borrow your Russell Braun CD.’”
Thanks to the Internet, singer communities are becoming more widespread and, in some ways, better connected. In the predigital age, you may not have kept in touch with every cast member from Billy Budd, but now it’s much easier to keep casual contact as Facebook friends or Twitter “tweeps.” These contacts could prove incredibly fruitful when it comes to learning a new part or researching a composer. Don’t forget that your former directors, dramaturgs, conductors, and professors may also have resources that they would be willing to swap or lend out.
Give It a Second Spin
Chances are you have a friend or two who are always first in line for an iPhone—and then first in line for the new iPhone. When the newest technology comes out, their barely used and refurbished “older” models are on eBay, Half.com, and Craigslist at a steep discount. In some cases, you can even negotiate, to stay within your budget, or get extra accessories such as microphones, earbuds, and carrying cases.
“Do your research first,” advises vocal major turned economic guru Carla Morelli. “Find out what the retail price is; then look at how much both new and used items have sold for. Used items in great condition can be a real bargain, but you have to be patient.”
Know the Right Places
Offline, your local library is your best friend. If you have an alumni card from your university or have a friend who can get you a guest pass, you’ll be able to explore the same resources you had in college, including JSTOR.com. Short for “Journal Storage,” JSTOR gives you access to hundreds of academic journal archives. Happily, these include dozens of articles on composers, music, and performance theory.
The public library also offers a treasure trove of recordings, sheet music, and books that may otherwise be long out of print. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city such as New York or San Francisco, you may even have a library entirely devoted to the performing arts. And, as always, the rentals are free. Just remember to return them on time, so others can frugally take advantage of them as you did.
